RPD - Revision history

Skizmophonic at 04:33, 25 February 2026

2026-02-25T04:33:57Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 04:33, 25 February 2026
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	<hr>		<hr>
	The RPD is a ~~7.62x39mm~~ light machine gun ~~developed~~ in ~~the Soviet Union by Vasily Degtyaryov for the~~ 7.62×39mm M43 intermediate cartridge. It ~~was created as~~ a ~~replacement~~ for the DP machine ~~gun chambered for the 7.62×54mmR round. It is a precursor of most~~ squad automatic weapons~~. It was succeeded in Soviet service by~~ the ~~RPK~~.		The RPD is a Soviet light machine gun chambered in [[7.62×39mm]] (M43), developed as a belt-fed squad automatic weapon for the intermediate cartridge. It feeds from non-disintegrating belts carried in a distinctive drum container and is optimized for mobile infantry support fire. The RPD is best known for bridging the gap between earlier magazine-fed light machine guns and later squad automatic weapons within the Kalashnikov-era small-arms family.
	=HISTORY=		==HISTORY==
	~~Work on~~ the ~~weapon commenced in 1943. Three prominent~~ Soviet ~~engineers were asked~~ to ~~submit their own designs: Vasily Degtyaryov, Sergei Simonov and Alexei Sudayev~~. ~~Among the completed~~ prototypes ~~prepared for evaluation~~, ~~the Degtyaryov~~ design ~~proved superior~~ and ~~was accepted~~ into ~~service with~~ the ~~Soviet armed forces as the 7.62 mm Ручной Пулемёт Дегтярёва, PПД~~ (~~RPD,~~ Ruchnoy Pulemyot Degtyaryova ~~or "Degtyaryov light machine gun"~~) ~~model 1944~~.		Development of the RPD began during World War II as the Soviet Union moved toward an intermediate cartridge to modernize infantry firepower. Several designers submitted prototypes, and Vasily Degtyaryov’s design was selected and refined into the RPD (''Ruchnoy Pulemyot Degtyaryova''). Although late-war prototypes existed, the weapon was adopted after the war and entered wider production and distribution in the early 1950s, providing squads with sustained automatic fire in the new 7.62×39mm chambering.

	~~Although~~ the RPD ~~was ready for mass production during~~ the ~~final stages~~ of ~~World War II~~, it was ~~adopted~~ in ~~1948~~ and ~~large scale delivery of~~ the ~~weapon did not begin until 1953~~.		During the [[Vietnam War]], the RPD and especially Chinese-produced copies were widely fielded by the People's Army of Vietnam and the [[Việt Cộng]] as a standard light machine gun. Its combination of controllable automatic fire, belt-fed endurance, and relatively compact handling suited ambushes and small-unit actions in dense terrain. Over time it was supplemented and increasingly replaced in some roles by newer designs such as the [[RPK]] and later general-purpose machine guns, but it remained a common and recognizable weapon in the conflict.

	~~During the Vietnam~~ War~~, the~~ RPD ~~and its Chinese copy served the~~ [~~[Việt Cộng]] and the People's Army~~ of ~~Vietnam as their standard light~~ machine gun.		===Sources===
	~~<br>~~[https://en.~~wikipedia~~.~~org~~/~~wiki~~/~~RPD_machine_gun SOURCE~~]		* [https://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/search?query=RPD%20machine%20gun Imperial War Museums Collections – search results for RPD machine gun]
			* [https://americanhistory.si.edu/collections/search?edan_q=RPD%20machine%20gun Smithsonian (National Museum of American History) – collections search: RPD machine gun]
			* [https://collections.royalarmouries.org/ Royal Armouries Collections – search “RPD” (collection database)]
			* [https://shop.janes.com/collections/weapons Jane’s – Weapons / Infantry reference works]
	<hr>		<hr>

			<div class="mw-collapsible" style="border:1px solid #ccc; padding:5px; width:100%;">
	<gallery mode="packed" heights="400px">		<div style="text-align:center; font-weight:bold;">Real-Life Photos</div>
	File:RPD MachineGun.jpg		<div class="mw-collapsible-content" style="margin-top:0.5em;">
	File:Rpd343.jpg		<gallery mode="packed" heights="400px">
	File:VIEP-180800-KILLERTECH-09.jpg\|~~PHOTO OF A MARCH~~ 1966 ~~NORTH VIETNAMESE ARMY TRAINING EXERCISE~~		File:RPD MachineGun.jpg\|RPD light machine gun.
	File:9lx8zixfhxo71.jpg		File:Rpd343.jpg\|RPD with belt drum container.
	~~<!--File:Uqjk3nvkgp4a1~~.~~jpg\| Reenactor -->~~		File:VIEP-180800-KILLERTECH-09.jpg\|North Vietnamese Army training exercise, March 1966.
	File:Rpd sogggg.jpg		File:9lx8zixfhxo71.jpg\|RPD in use.
	</gallery>		File:Rpd sogggg.jpg\|RPD with drum container fitted.
			</gallery>
			</div>
			</div>

	<hr>		<hr>

			<div class="mw-collapsible" style="border:1px solid #ccc; padding:5px; width:100%;">
	{{#~~evt~~:		<div style="text-align:center; font-weight:bold;">Videos</div>
	~~service~~=~~youtube~~		<div class="mw-collapsible-content" style="margin-top:0.5em;">
	~~\|id~~=~~https~~:~~//www~~.youtube~~.com/watch?v=~~MM_m9l-bG90		{{#ev:youtube\|MM_m9l-bG90}}
	~~\|alignment=inline~~		{{#ev:youtube\|0x6ntFONOXQ}}
	~~\|description=~~		{{#ev:youtube\|O6_Wa1Hat_s}}
	}}		</div>
			</div>
	{{#~~evt~~:
	~~service=~~youtube
	\|~~id=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=~~0x6ntFONOXQ
	~~\|alignment=inline~~
	~~\|description=~~
	}}

	{{#~~evt~~:
	~~service=~~youtube
	\|~~id=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=~~O6_Wa1Hat_s
	~~\|alignment=inline~~
	~~\|description=~~
	}}

Skizmophonic at 20:21, 2 September 2025

2025-09-02T20:21:31Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 20:21, 2 September 2025
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	File:VIEP-180800-KILLERTECH-09.jpg\|PHOTO OF A MARCH 1966 NORTH VIETNAMESE ARMY TRAINING EXERCISE		File:VIEP-180800-KILLERTECH-09.jpg\|PHOTO OF A MARCH 1966 NORTH VIETNAMESE ARMY TRAINING EXERCISE
	File:9lx8zixfhxo71.jpg		File:9lx8zixfhxo71.jpg
	//File:Uqjk3nvkgp4a1.jpg		<!--File:Uqjk3nvkgp4a1.jpg\| Reenactor -->
	File:Rpd sogggg.jpg		File:Rpd sogggg.jpg
	</gallery>		</gallery>

Skizmophonic at 20:20, 2 September 2025

2025-09-02T20:20:01Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 20:20, 2 September 2025
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	File:VIEP-180800-KILLERTECH-09.jpg\|PHOTO OF A MARCH 1966 NORTH VIETNAMESE ARMY TRAINING EXERCISE		File:VIEP-180800-KILLERTECH-09.jpg\|PHOTO OF A MARCH 1966 NORTH VIETNAMESE ARMY TRAINING EXERCISE
	File:9lx8zixfhxo71.jpg		File:9lx8zixfhxo71.jpg
	File:Uqjk3nvkgp4a1.jpg		//File:Uqjk3nvkgp4a1.jpg
	File:Rpd sogggg.jpg		File:Rpd sogggg.jpg
	</gallery>		</gallery>

Skizmophonic at 07:52, 5 November 2024

2024-11-05T07:52:52Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 07:52, 5 November 2024
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			[[Category:Weapons]]
			[[Category:Weapons of Vietnam]]
	{\| class="wikitable sortable" style="margin:auto;text-align: center;width:90%"		{\| class="wikitable sortable" style="margin:auto;text-align: center;width:90%"
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Skizmophonic at 04:05, 4 November 2024

2024-11-04T04:05:48Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 04:05, 4 November 2024
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	! rowspan=2 \| [[Weapon Script Name]]		! rowspan=2 \| [[Weapon Script Name]]
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	\|ручной пулемёт Дегтярёва\|\|7.62x39mm\|\|[[Soviet Union]]\|\|1944\|\|State Factories\|\|20.5 in (520 mm)\|\|40.8 in (1,037 mm)\|\|weapon_rpd		\|ручной пулемёт Дегтярёва\|\|[[7.62x39mm]]\|\|[[Soviet Union]]\|\|1944\|\|State Factories\|\|20.5 in (520 mm)\|\|40.8 in (1,037 mm)\|\|weapon_rpd
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	\|}		\|}

Skizmophonic at 17:45, 11 October 2024

2024-10-11T17:45:37Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 17:45, 11 October 2024
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	! Partial!! Empty		! Partial!! Empty
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	\|42\|\|×2.3 = 96.6\|\|×1 = 42\|\|×0.95 = 39.9\|\|×0.6 = 25.2\|\|×0.55 = 23.1\|\|NO\|\|NO\|\| Seconds\|\| Seconds		\|42\|\|×2.3 = 96.6\|\|×1 = 42\|\|×0.95 = 39.9\|\|×0.6 = 25.2\|\|×0.55 = 23.1\|\|NO\|\|NO\|\|5.5 Seconds\|\|6.2 Seconds
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Skizmophonic at 17:34, 11 October 2024

2024-10-11T17:34:00Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 17:34, 11 October 2024
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	! rowspan=2 \| [[Bayonet]]		! rowspan=2 \| [[Bayonet]]
	! rowspan=2 \| [[Rifle Grenades]]		! rowspan=2 \| [[Rifle Grenades]]
			! colspan=2 \| Reload Speed
	\|-		\|-
	\|42\|\|×2.3 = 96.6\|\|×1 = 42\|\|×0.95 = 39.9\|\|×0.6 = 25.2\|\|×0.55 = 23.1\|\|NO\|\|NO		! Partial!! Empty
			\|-
			\|42\|\|×2.3 = 96.6\|\|×1 = 42\|\|×0.95 = 39.9\|\|×0.6 = 25.2\|\|×0.55 = 23.1\|\|NO\|\|NO\|\| Seconds\|\| Seconds
	\|-		\|-
	\|}		\|}

Skizmophonic at 04:39, 4 October 2024

2024-10-04T04:39:44Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 04:39, 4 October 2024
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	! rowspan=2 \| [[Place of Origin]]		! rowspan=2 \| [[Place of Origin]]
	! rowspan=2 \| [[Date]]		! rowspan=2 \| [[Date]]
	! rowspan=2 \| [[~~Armory~~]]		! rowspan=2 \| [[Manufacturer]]
	! rowspan=2 \| Barrel Length		! rowspan=2 \| Barrel Length
	! rowspan=2 \| Total Length		! rowspan=2 \| Total Length

Skizmophonic at 12:16, 19 April 2024

2024-04-19T12:16:44Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 12:16, 19 April 2024
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	! rowspan=2 \| [[Weapon Script Name]]		! rowspan=2 \| [[Weapon Script Name]]
	\|-		\|-
	\|ручной пулемёт Дегтярёва,\|\|7.62x39mm\|\|[[Soviet Union]]\|\|1944\|\|State Factories\|\|20.5 in (520 mm)\|\|40.8 in (1,037 mm)\|\|weapon_rpd		\|ручной пулемёт Дегтярёва\|\|7.62x39mm\|\|[[Soviet Union]]\|\|1944\|\|State Factories\|\|20.5 in (520 mm)\|\|40.8 in (1,037 mm)\|\|weapon_rpd
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	\|}		\|}

Skizmophonic at 10:53, 19 April 2024

2024-04-19T10:53:41Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 10:53, 19 April 2024
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	Although the RPD was ready for mass production during the final stages of World War II, it was adopted in 1948 and large scale delivery of the weapon did not begin until 1953.		Although the RPD was ready for mass production during the final stages of World War II, it was adopted in 1948 and large scale delivery of the weapon did not begin until 1953.

	During the Vietnam War, the RPD and its Chinese copy served the ~~Viet Cong~~ and the People's Army of Vietnam as their standard light machine gun.		During the Vietnam War, the RPD and its Chinese copy served the [[Việt Cộng]] and the People's Army of Vietnam as their standard light machine gun.
	<br>[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RPD_machine_gun SOURCE]		<br>[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RPD_machine_gun SOURCE]
	<hr>		<hr>

← Older revision		Revision as of 04:39, 4 October 2024
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	! rowspan=2 \| [[Place of Origin]]		! rowspan=2 \| [[Place of Origin]]
	! rowspan=2 \| [[Date]]		! rowspan=2 \| [[Date]]
	! rowspan=2 \| [[~~Armory~~]]		! rowspan=2 \| [[Manufacturer]]
	! rowspan=2 \| Barrel Length		! rowspan=2 \| Barrel Length
	! rowspan=2 \| Total Length		! rowspan=2 \| Total Length