TheDShK M1938 (Cyrillic:ДШК, for Russian:Дегтярёва-Шпагина крупнокалиберный,romanized: Degtyaryova-Shpagina krupnokaliberny,lit. 'Degtyaryov–Shpagin large-calibre') is aSovietheavy machine gun.[15] The weapon may be vehicle mounted or used on a tripod or wheeled carriage as a heavyinfantry machine gun. The DShK's name is derived from its original designer,Vasily Degtyaryov, andGeorgi Shpagin, who later improved the cartridge feed mechanism. It is sometimes nicknamedDushka (Душка: darling, a dear or beloved person) orDochka (Дочка: daughter) in Slavic-speaking regions and in the DShK using countries, from the abbreviation.[16]
The DShK is a belt-fed machine gun firing the12.7×108mm cartridge, and uses a butterfly trigger.[17] Firing at 600 rounds per minute,[18] it has an effective range of 2.4 km (1+1⁄2 mi), and can penetrate up to 20 mm of armor up to a range of 500 m.[19] The DShK has two "spider web" ring sights for use against aircraft. It is used by infantry on tripod mounts or deployed with a two-wheeled mounting and a single-sheet armor-plate shield. It is also mounted on tanks and armored vehicles for use against infantry and aircraft; nearly all Soviet-designed tanks with roof or cupola mounts for heavy machine-guns prior to theT-64 use the DShK.[20]
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Requiring a heavy machine gun similar to theM2 Browning, development of the DShK began in the Soviet Union in 1929 and the first design was finalised byVasily Degtyaryov in 1931.[19][21] The initial design used the same gas operation from theDegtyaryov machine gun, and used a 30 rounddrum magazine, but had a poor rate of fire.Georgy Shpagin revised the design by changing it to abelt-fed with a rotary-feed cylinder, and the new machine gun began production in 1938 as the DShK 1938.[19][22] The DShK and the AmericanM2 Browning are the only .50 caliber machine guns designed prior toWorld War II that remain in service to the present day.[23]
During World War II, the DShK was used by theRed Army, with a total of 9,000 produced during the war.[19] It was used mostly in anti-aircraft roles on vehicles such as theGAZ-AA truck,IS-2 tank,ISU-152self-propelled artillery, and theT-40 amphibious tank.[19] Similar to thePM M1910 Maxim, when deployed against infantry, the DShK was used with a two-wheeled trolley, with which the machine gun weighed a total of 346 pounds (157 kg).[24] In 1944, a much cheapermuzzle brake patterned after the PolishWz. 35 anti-tank rifle was introduced instead of the complicated early design.[25] After 1945, the DShK was exported widely to other countries in theEastern Bloc.[17]
In 1946, an improved variant was produced, with a revised muzzle and feeding system. Named the DShK 38/46 or DShK-M, over a million were produced from 1946-1980.[19] The gun was also revised to become more reliable, and easier to manufacture.[26] The new DShK was produced under license in Pakistan, Iran, Yugoslavia, Romania, Poland[27] and Czechoslovakia.[19] Czechoslovak variant, most often encountered on quads, is visually distinguishable by a rectangular muzzle brake.[28] China produced their own variant of the design, designated the Type 54.[29]
After World War II, DShKs were used widely by communist forces in Vietnam, starting with theBattle of Dien Bien Phu in 1954. While not as powerful asanti-aircraft cannons, the DShK was easier to smuggle through Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos.[19] DShKs were a major threat to American aircraft in theVietnam War,[17] and of the 7,500 helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft lost during the war, most were destroyed by anti-aircraft guns including DShK.[19]
In June 1988, duringThe Troubles, aBritish ArmyWestland Lynx helicopter was hit 15 times by twoProvisional IRA DShKs smuggled from Libya, and forced to crash-land near Cashel Lough Upper, southCounty Armagh.[30]
Rebel forces utilized DShKs in theSyrian civil war, often mountingthe gun on cars. In 2012, the Syrian government claimed to have destroyed 40 suchtechnicals on a highway inAleppo and six in Dael.[31]
The DShK began to be partially replaced in the Soviet Union by theNSV machine gun in 1971, and theKord machine gun in 1998.[23] The DShK remains in service, although it is no longer produced.[20]
The weapon was used by Ukrainian forces in the2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine to shoot down Iranian-madeShahed-136 drones. The DShKs are fitted with a searchlight when defending against drones, whichMANPADS have been unable to destroy. As many of the DShKs have been left over from the Soviet Union, they have been both cost-effective and one of the most reliable methods of destroying drones.[32][33][34]
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Afghanistan[35]
Albania[35] "DShKM" locally produced from a Chinese copy.
Algeria[35]
Angola[35]
Armenia[35]
Azerbaijan[35]
Bangladesh[35] Type 54.
Belarus[35]
Bulgaria[35]
Burkina Faso[11]
Burundi[36]
Cambodia[35]
Cameroon[37]
Cape Verde[35]
Central African Republic[35]
Chad[35]
Chile[38]
China: ProducedDShKM variant Type 54.[39]
Congo-Brazzaville[35]
Congo-Kinshasa[35]
Cuba[35]
Cyprus[35]
Czech Republic[35]
Egypt[35]
Equatorial Guinea[35]
Eritrea[35]
Ethiopia[35]
Finland[35]
Georgia[35]
Ghana[35]
Guinea[35]
Guinea-Bissau[35]
Hungary[35]
Indonesia[35]
Iran: ManufacturedDShKM variant named MGD 12.7.[40][41]
Iraq[35] called the "Doshka" by Iraqis.
Israel[35]
India Captured duringKargil War.[citation needed]
Côte d'Ivoire[43]
Kazakhstan[35]
Kenya[44]
Kyrgyzstan[35]
Laos[35]
Liberia[45]
Libya[35]
Lithuania[35]
North Macedonia[35]
Madagascar[35]
Mali[35] –Armed and Security Forces of Mali
Malta[35]
Mongolia[46]
Mozambique[35]
Nicaragua[35]
Niger[citation needed]
Nigeria[35]
North Korea[35]
North Vietnam[39]
Pakistan: Used by thePakistan Army.DShKM variant produced locally.[47][48]
Palestine
Peru[35]
Poland: Produced locally.[49][50]
Romania Produced locally[51] (still used withTR-85 tanks).
Russia[35]
Rwanda: Used by Rwandan Peacekeepers in Darfur.[citation needed]
Saudi Arabia
Serbia[35]
Seychelles[35]
Sierra Leone[35]
Slovakia[35]
Somalia[35]
Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic[3]
South Sudan[52]
Sudan[citation needed]
Syria[35]
Tanzania[35]
Togo[35]
Turkey[53]
Turkmenistan[35]
Uganda[35]
Ukraine: Also produces a variant with a bipod and large muzzle brake for infantry usage.[35][54]
Vietnam[35]
Yemen[35]
Zambia[35]
Zimbabwe[35]Czechoslovakia: ProducedDShKM variant TK Vz.53 which included afour barrelled version.[39]
East Germany[55]
Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam
Soviet Union: Passed on to successor states.[39]
Yugoslavia: ManufacturedDShKM variant.[40].jpg)
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