Engineering:UK vz. 59
| Uk vz. 59 | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Type | General-purpose machine gun |
| Place of origin | Czechoslovakia |
| Service history | |
| In service | 1959–present |
| Used by | Czech Republic Slovakia |
| Wars | Vietnam War Nigerian Civil War Lebanese Civil War Afghanistan Wars Uganda–Tanzania War Angolan Civil War South African Border War Tajikistani Civil War Mali War Kivu conflict 2008 Russo-Georgian War Libyan Civil War 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine |
| Production history | |
| Designed | 1956-1959 |
| Manufacturer | Zbrojovka Vsetín |
| Produced | 1959—1990s |
| Variants | Vz. 59 L,vz. 59T, vz. 59N, vz. 68, vz. 95, vz. 98 |
| Specifications | |
| Mass | 9.28 kg (20.5 lb) (vz. 59) 8.67 kg (19.1 lb) (vz. 59 L) |
| Length | 1,215 mm (47.8 in) (vz. 59) 1,115 mm (43.9 in) (vz. 59 L) |
| Barrel length | 650 mm (25.6 in) (vz. 59) 550 mm (21.7 in) (vz. 59 L) |
| Cartridge | 7.62×54mmR / 7.62×51mm NATO |
| Action | Gas-operated, tilting breechblock |
| Rate of fire | 700-800 rounds/min |
| Muzzle velocity | 830 m/s (2,723 ft/s) (vz. 59) 810 m/s (2,657 ft/s) (vz. 59 L) |
| Effective firing range | 100 to 2000 m sight adjustments |
| Feed system | Belt-fed 50-round, weight 0.19 kg unloaded or 250 round belt |
| Sights | Hooded front post, folding leaf rear sight, sight radius 353 mm (13.9 in) |
The Universal Machine Gun Model 1959 (Czech: Univerzální kulomet vzor 59) is a general-purpose machine gun developed in Czechoslovakia in the 1950s. It remains in use by the Czech Army and the Slovak Armed Forces.
Description
The Uk vz. 59 fires 7.62×54mmR ammunition (although a Vz. 59N variant for 7.62×51mm NATO ammunition also exists), delivered via an ammunition belt. The weapon can serve as a light (light barrel and bipod, vz. 59L model) and medium machine gun (heavy barrel and tripod), and can also be used as a co-axial mounted weapon (Vz. 59T version).
The machine gun is equipped with a lever-type feed mechanism introduced in Louis Stange's MG 39 Rh,[1] which is operated by the feed lever mounted outside the right wall of the receiver.
The pistol grip acts as the charging handle for the Uk vz. 59.
UK-L vz. 59 with bipod.
Detail of the UK-L vz. 59.
Users
Afghanistan
Biafra[2]
Czech Republic[3]
Democratic Republic of Congo: Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo[4]
Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda[4]
Georgia[5]
Libya[6]
Slovakia[3]
Tajikistan
India
Tanzania[7]
Ukraine: 3,200 UK vz.59s were gifted from the Czech Republic, sent as part of a military package in response to the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine.[8]
Vietnam: used by the PAVN and Viet Cong during the Vietnam War/[9]
Gallery
Ukrainian volunteer with UK vz. 59
See also
References
- ↑ "MG 39 Rh". 19 December 2012. https://www.forgottenweapons.com/medium-machine-guns/mg-39-rh/.
- ↑ Jowett, Philip (2016). Modern African Wars (5): The Nigerian-Biafran War 1967-70. Oxford: Osprey Publishing Press. p. 22. ISBN 978-1472816092.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Popenker, Maxim (27 October 2010). "Vz.59 (UK Vz.59)". http://modernfirearms.net/en/machineguns/czech-republic-machineguns/vz-59-uk-vz-59-eng/.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Small Arms Survey (2015). "Waning Cohesion: The Rise and Fall of the FDLR–FOCA". Small Arms Survey 2015: weapons and the world. Cambridge University Press. p. 202. http://www.smallarmssurvey.org/fileadmin/docs/A-Yearbook/2015/eng/Small-Arms-Survey-2015-Chapter-07-EN.pdf.
- ↑ "Geo-army.ge". http://geo-army.ge/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=9&Itemid=9&lang=en.
- ↑ "World Infantry Weapons: Libya". https://sites.google.com/site/worldinventory/wiw_africa/wiw_af_libya.
- ↑ "Google Sites". https://sites.google.com/site/worldinventory/https-sites-google-com-site-worldinventory-wiw_af_tanzania.
- ↑ "První česká vojenská pomoc Ukrajině" (in cs). https://armadnizpravodaj.cz/vyzbroj/cesko-ukrajine-dodalo-lehke-zbrane/. Retrieved 1 March 2022.
- ↑ Scarlata, Paul (December 15, 2016). "Eastern Bloc Firestorm: The Czech UK vz. 59 Machine Gun". Military Surplus Magazine. https://www.tactical-life.com/firearms/uk-vz-59/.
External links
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