DShK: Difference between revisions

DShK
DShK
	A 1938 DShK at the Military Historical Museum of Artillery, Engineers and Signal Corps in St. Petersburg
Type	Heavy machine gun
Place of origin	Soviet Union
Service history
In service	1938–present
Used by	See Users
Wars	Second World War; Winter War; Chinese Civil War; First Indochina War; Korean War; Vietnam War; Indonesia–Malaysia confrontation; Operation Trikora; First Sudanese Civil War; Laotian Civil War; Dhofar Rebellion; Portuguese Colonial War; Rhodesian Bush War; South African Border War; Cambodian Civil War; Six Day War; Yom Kippur War; Rhodesian Bush War; Ethiopian Civil War; Lebanese Civil War; Angolan Civil War; Cambodian-Vietnamese War; Western Sahara War; Afghanistan conflict (1978–present); Sino-Vietnamese War; Chadian–Libyan War; 1979 Kurdish rebellion in Iran; Iran–Iraq War; Second Sudanese Civil War; Sri Lankan Civil War; The Troubles; First and Second Liberian Civil Wars; Somali Civil War; KDPI insurgency (1989–1996); Tuareg rebellion (1990–1995); Gulf War; Yugoslav Wars; Rwandan Civil War; First and Second Chechen Wars ; Kargil War; Operation Enduring Freedom; Iraq War; Cambodian–Thai border dispute; First Libyan Civil War; Syrian Civil War; Operation Linda Nchi; Northern Mali conflict; War in Iraq (2013–2017); Second Libyan Civil War; Russo-Ukrainian war; Yemeni Civil War (2014–present); Conflict in Najran, Jizan and Asir; Tigray War; Israeli invasion of the Gaza Strip (2023–present);
Production history
Designer	Vasily Degtyaryov; Georgi Shpagin
Designed	1938
Manufacturer	Tula Arms Plant
Unit cost	US$2,250 (2012)
Produced	1938–1980 (Soviet Union)
No. built	1,000,000
Variants	DShK 38/46 ; Type 54
Specifications
Mass	34 kg (74 lb 15 oz) (gun only) 157 kg (346 lb 2 oz) on wheeled mounting
Length	1,625 mm (5 ft 4.0 in)
Barrel length	1,070 mm (42.1 in)
Cartridge	12.7×108mm ; 12.7×99mm NATO (Romania)
Action	Gas-operated, flapper locking
Rate of fire	600 rounds/min
Muzzle velocity	850 m/s (2,800 ft/s)
Effective firing range	2,000 m (2,200 yd)
Maximum firing range	2,500 m (2,700 yd)
Feed system	50 round belt
Sights	Iron/optical

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Latest revision as of 14:06, 29 December 2024

The DShK 1938 (Cyrillic: ДШК, for Russian: Дегтярёва-Шпагина Крупнокалиберный, romanized: Degtyaryova-Shpagina Krupnokaliberny, "Degtyaryov-Shpagin large-calibre") is a Soviet heavy machine gun. The weapon may be vehicle mounted or used on a tripod or wheeled carriage as a heavy infantry machine gun. The DShK's name is derived from its original designer, Vasily Degtyaryov, and Georgi Shpagin, who later improved the cartridge feed mechanism. It is sometimes nicknamed Dushka (a dear or beloved person) in Russian-speaking countries, from the abbreviation.^[15]

Specifications

The DShK is a belt-fed machine gun firing the 12.7×108mm cartridge, and uses a butterfly trigger.^[16] Firing at 600 rounds per minute, 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.^[17] 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 Russian-designed tanks prior to the T-64 use the DShK.^[18]

History

Requiring a heavy machine gun similar to the M2 Browning, development of the DShK began in the Soviet Union in 1929 and the first design was finalised by Vasily Degtyaryov in 1931.^[17]^[19] The initial design used the same gas operation from the Degtyaryov machine gun, and used a 30 round drum magazine, but had a poor rate of fire. Georgy Shpagin revised the design by changing it to a belt-fed with a rotary-feed cylinder, and the new machine gun began production in 1938 as the DShK 1938.^[17]^[20] The DShK and the American M2 Browning are the only .50 caliber machine guns designed prior to World War II that remain in service to the present day.^[21]

During World War II, the DShK was used by the Red Army, with a total of 9,000 produced during the war.^[17] It was used mostly in anti-aircraft roles on vehicles such as the GAZ-AA truck, IS-2 tank, ISU-152 self-propelled artillery, and the T-40 amphibious tank.^[17] Similar to the PM 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).^[22] In 1944, a much cheaper muzzle brake patterned after the Polish Wz. 35 anti-tank rifle was introduced instead of the complicated early design.^[23] After 1945, the DShK was exported widely to other countries in the Eastern Bloc.^[16]

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.^[17] The gun was also revised to become more reliable, and easier to manufacture.^[24] The new DShK was produced under license in Pakistan, Iran, Yugoslavia, Romania, Poland^[25] and Czechoslovakia.^[17] Czechoslovak variant, most often encountered on quads, is visually distinguishable by a rectangular muzzle brake.^[26] China produced their own variant of the design, designated the Type 54.^[27]

After World War II, DShKs were used widely by communist forces in Vietnam, starting with the Battle of Dien Bien Phu in 1954. While not as powerful as anti-aircraft cannons, the DShK was easier to smuggle through Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos.^[17] DShKs were a major threat to American aircraft in the Vietnam War,^[16] and of the 7,500 helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft lost during the war, most were destroyed by anti-aircraft guns including DShK.^[17]

In June 1988, during The Troubles, a British Army Westland Lynx helicopter was hit 15 times by two Provisional IRA DShKs smuggled from Libya, and forced to crash-land near Cashel Lough Upper, south County Armagh.^[28]

Rebel forces utilized DShKs in the Syrian civil war, often mounting the gun on cars. In 2012, the Syrian government claimed to have destroyed 40 such technicals on a highway in Aleppo and six in Dael.^[29]

The DShK began to be partially replaced in the Soviet Union by the NSV machine gun in 1971, and the Kord machine gun in 1998.^[21] The DShK remains in service, although it is no longer produced.^[18]

The weapon was used by Ukrainian forces in the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine to shoot down Iranian-made Shahed-136 drones. The DShKs are fitted with a searchlight when attacking drones, which MANPADS 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.^[30]^[31]^[32]

Users

Afghanistan^[33]
Albania^[33] "DShKM" locally produced from a Chinese copy.
Algeria^[33]
Angola^[33]
Armenia^[33]
Azerbaijan^[33]
Bangladesh^[33] Type 54.
Belarus^[33]
Bulgaria^[33]
Burkina Faso^[11]
Burundi^[34]
Cambodia^[33]
Cameroon^[35]
Cape Verde^[33]
Central African Republic^[33]
Chad^[33]
Chile^[36]
China: Produced DShKM variant Type 54.^[37]
Congo-Brazzaville^[33]
Congo-Kinshasa^[33]
Cuba^[33]
Cyprus^[33]
Czech Republic^[33]
Egypt^[33]
Equatorial Guinea^[33]
Eritrea^[33]
Ethiopia^[33]
Finland^[33]
Georgia^[33]
Ghana^[33]
Guinea^[33]
Guinea-Bissau^[33]
Hungary^[33]
Indonesia^[33]
Iran: Manufactured DShKM variant named MGD 12.7.^[38]^[39]
Iraq^[33] called the "Doshka" by Iraqis.
- Iraqi Kurdistan^[40]
Israel^[33]
India Captured during Kargil War.^{[citation needed]}
Côte d'Ivoire^[41]
Kazakhstan^[33]
Kenya^[42]
Kosovo
Kyrgyzstan^[33]
Laos^[33]
Liberia^[43]
Libya^[33]
Lithuania^[33]
North Macedonia^[33]
Madagascar^[33]
Mali^[33] – Armed and Security Forces of Mali
Malta^[33]
Mongolia^[44]
Mozambique^[33]
Nicaragua^[33]
Niger^{[citation needed]}
Nigeria^[33]
North Korea^[33]
North Vietnam^[37]
Pakistan: Used by the Pakistan Army. DShKM variant produced locally.^[45]^[46]
Peru^[33]
Poland: Produced locally.^[47]^[48]
Palestine
Romania Produced locally^[49] (still used with TR-85 tanks).
Russia^[33]
Rwanda: Used by Rwandan Peacekeepers in Darfur.^{[citation needed]}
Saudi Arabia
Serbia^[33]
Seychelles^[33]
Sierra Leone^[33]
Slovakia^[33]
Somalia^[33]
Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic^[3]
South Sudan^[50]
Sudan^{[citation needed]}
Syria^[33]
Tanzania^[33]
Togo^[33]
Turkey^[51]
Turkmenistan^[33]
Uganda^[33]
Ukraine: Also produces a variant with a bipod and large muzzle brake for infantry usage.^[33]^[52]
Vietnam^[33]
Yemen^[33]
Zambia^[33]
Zimbabwe^[33]

Former users

Afghanistan
Czechoslovakia: Produced DShKM variant TK Vz.53 which included a four barrelled version.^[37]
East Germany^[53]
Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam
Soviet Union: Passed on to successor states.^[37]
Yugoslavia: Manufactured DShKM variant.^[38]

Non-state users

Gallery

A Romanian DShK chambered in 12.7×99mm NATO on display at Expomil 2005.
A soldier with the Ukrainian Land Forces fires a DShKM
DShKM TR-85M1
DShKM URO VAMTAC
DShK M1938
DShKM anti-aircraft machine gun on a T-55 tank loader's roof hatch
The M53 is an anti-aircraft mounting of four 12.7 mm heavy machine guns vz. 38/46 (Czech copy of Soviet DShKM)

References

^ Neville, Leigh (19 Apr 2018). Technicals: Non-Standard Tactical Vehicles from the Great Toyota War to modern Special Forces. New Vanguard 257. Osprey Publishing. p. 15. ISBN 9781472822512. Archived from the original on 26 October 2018. Retrieved 25 October 2018.
^ Fitzsimmons, Scott (November 2012). "Executive Outcomes Defeats UNITA". Mercenaries in Asymmetric Conflicts. Cambridge University Press. p. 217. doi:10.1017/CBO9781139208727.006. ISBN 9781107026919.
^ ^a ^b Francesco Palmas (2012). "Il contenzioso del sahara occidentale fra passato e presente" (PDF). Informazioni della Difesa (in Italian). No. 4. pp. 50–59. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2018-06-12. Retrieved 2018-06-12.
^ Neville 2018, p. 16.
^ ^a ^b Neville 2018, p. 24.
^ Small Arms Survey (2005). "Sourcing the Tools of War: Small Arms Supplies to Conflict Zones". Small Arms Survey 2005: Weapons at War. Oxford University Press. p. 166. ISBN 978-0-19-928085-8. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2018-08-30. Retrieved 2018-08-29.
^ "Rwandan government soldiers fire 12 June 1994 heavy artillery at".
^ Neville 2018, p. 30.
^ Neville 2018, p. 35.
^ Neville 2018, p. 37.
^ ^a ^b Cherisey, Erwan de (July 2019). "El batallón de infantería "Badenya" de Burkina Faso en Mali - Noticias Defensa En abierto". Revista Defensa (in Spanish) (495–496).
^ Vining, Miles (May 7, 2018). "ISOF Arms & Equipment Part 3 – Machine Guns". armamentresearch.com. Archived from the original on September 25, 2018. Retrieved October 1, 2018.
^ Neville 2018, p. 38.
^ "Cal.12.7 x 99 mm Machine Gun" (PDF). Cugir Arms Factory.
^ Green, Michael (2022). Red Army Weapons of the Second World War. Pen and Sword. p. 25.
^ ^a ^b ^c Larson, Caleb (2021-02-03). "The Soviet DShK Heavy Machine Gun Won't Go Away". The National Interest. Retrieved 2021-12-03.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ Roblin, Sebastien (2018-11-10). "How a Deadly Russian World War II .50 Caliber Machine Gun Blasted its Mark into History". The National Interest. Retrieved 2021-12-03.
^ ^a ^b Willbanks 2004, p. 134.
^ Willbanks, James (2004). Machine Guns: An Illustrated History of Their Impact. ABC-CLIO. p. 200.
^ Willbanks 2004, p. 109.
^ ^a ^b Rottman, Gordon (2010). Browning .50-caliber Machine Guns. Osprey Publishing. p. 72.
^ "Finnish Army 1918–1945: Antiaircraft Machineguns". Archived from the original on 29 November 2014. Retrieved 15 December 2014.
^ "Dushka: The Soviet Fifty Caliber – Page 2 – Small Arms Defense Journal".
^ Willbanks 2004, p. 121.
^ "65 Years of Armament Production in Tarnow". 4 September 2020.
^ "Dushka: The Soviet Fifty Caliber – Page 4 – Small Arms Defense Journal".
^ Small Arms Survey (2008). "Light Weapons: Products, Producers, and Proliferation". Small Arms Survey 2008: Risk and Resilience. Cambridge University Press. p. 21. ISBN 978-0-521-88040-4. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2018-08-30. Retrieved 2018-08-30.
^ Harnden, Toby (2000).Bandit Country: The IRA and South Armagh. Coronet Books, pp. 360–361 ISBN 0-340-71737-8
^ "الوكالة العربية السورية للأنباء". Archived from the original on 12 November 2013. Retrieved 15 December 2014.
^ Parth Satam (January 5, 2023). "Ukraine Uses Powerful Searchlights & Anti-Aircraft Guns To Neutralize Russian Geran-2 UAVs Used During Night Strikes". www. eurasiantimes.com. Retrieved 2023-01-06.
^ THOMAS NEWDICK (December 13, 2022). "Inside Ukraine's Desperate Fight Against Drones With MiG-29 Pilot "Juice"". www.thedrive.com. Retrieved 2023-01-06.
^ Sebastien Roblin (December 11, 2022). "To Stop Killer Drones, Ukraine Upgrades Ancient Flak Guns With Consumer Cameras And Tablets". www.forbes.com. Retrieved 2023-01-06.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j ^k ^l ^m ⁿ ^o ^p ^q ^r ^s ^t ^u ^v ^w ^x ^y ^z ^aa ^ab ^ac ^ad ^ae ^af ^ag ^ah ^ai ^aj ^ak ^al ^am ^an ^ao ^ap ^aq ^ar ^as ^at ^au ^av ^aw ^ax ^ay ^az ^ba ^bb ^bc ^bd ^be ^bf ^bg ^bh ^bi Jones, Richard D.; Ness, Leland S., eds. (January 27, 2009). Jane's Infantry Weapons 2009/2010 (35th ed.). Coulsdon: Jane's Information Group. ISBN 978-0-7106-2869-5.
^ Thierry Vircoulon (2014-10-02). "Insights from the Burundian Crisis (I): An Army Divided and Losing its Way". International Crisis Group. Archived from the original on 2017-05-21. Retrieved 2017-06-12.
^ "Cameroon air strikes on Boko Haram". BBC News. 29 December 2014. Archived from the original on 30 April 2018. Retrieved 19 March 2018.
^ Gander, Terry J.; Hogg, Ian V. Jane's Infantry Weapons 1995/1996. Jane's Information Group; 21 edition (May 1995). ISBN 978-0-7106-1241-0.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e Miller, David (2001). The Illustrated Directory of 20th Century Guns. London: Salamander Books Ltd. ISBN 978-1-84065-245-1.
^ ^a ^b "G3 Defence Magazine August 2010". calameo.com. Archived from the original on July 9, 2012. Retrieved 15 December 2014.
^ Neville 2018, p. 9.
^ NRT (2017-01-25). "Peshmerga Ministry: There will be no withdraw from liberated areas". NRT TV. Retrieved 2017-06-25.
^ de Tessières, Savannah (April 2012). Enquête nationale sur les armes légères et de petit calibre en Côte d'Ivoire: les défis du contrôle des armes et de la lutte contre la violence armée avant la crise post-électorale (PDF) (Report). Special Report No. 14 (in French). UNDP, Commission Nationale de Lutte contre la Prolifération et la Circulation Illicite des Armes Légères et de Petit Calibre and Small Arms Survey. p. 97. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2018-10-09. Retrieved 2018-08-30.
^ World Armies (2012-10-08). "Kenyan Army". flicker. Archived from the original on 2017-04-06. Retrieved 2017-04-05.
^ Small Arms Survey (2005). "Sourcing the Tools of War: Small Arms Supplies to Conflict Zones". Small Arms Survey 2005: Weapons at War. Oxford University Press. p. 167. ISBN 978-0-19-928085-8. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2018-08-30. Retrieved 2018-08-29.
^ Mongolian military museum. Ulaanbaatar. Sights of intersest Archived 2013-11-06 at the Wayback Machine
^ O'Halloran, Kevin (2012). Rwanda: Unamir 1994/1995. Big Sky Publishing. ISBN 978-1-921941-48-1.
^ "12.7mm DShK heavy machinegun". Archived from the original on 16 May 2013. Retrieved 15 May 2013.
^ "65 lat dostaw uzbrojenia z Tarnowa". 3 June 2018.
^ "65 Years of Armament Production in Tarnow". 4 September 2020.
^ Gander, Terry J. (4 May 2001). "ROMARM machine guns". Jane's Infantry Weapons 2002-2003. p. 3407.
^ Small Arms Survey (2014). "Weapons tracing in Sudan and South Sudan" (PDF). Small Arms Survey 2014: Women and guns (PDF). Cambridge University Press. p. 224. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2016-10-14. Retrieved 2018-08-29.
^ "Reported use by intelligence agency". Archived from the original on 2016-07-24.
^ "Ukrainian Modified DShK with Buttstock, Picatinny Rail, and Bipod in Ground Role". The Firearm Blog. 19 December 2017.
^ "12,7-mm-überschweres Maschinengewehr DSchK Modell 1938 und Modell 1938/46". Militaertechnik der NVA (in German).

External links

DShK and DShKM at guns.ru.
Video of Operation

[1] Neville, Leigh (19 Apr 2018). Technicals: Non-Standard Tactical Vehicles from the Great Toyota War to modern Special Forces. New Vanguard 257. Osprey Publishing. p. 15. ISBN 9781472822512. Archived from the original on 26 October 2018. Retrieved 25 October 2018.

[2] Fitzsimmons, Scott (November 2012). "Executive Outcomes Defeats UNITA". Mercenaries in Asymmetric Conflicts. Cambridge University Press. p. 217. doi:10.1017/CBO9781139208727.006. ISBN 9781107026919.

[Sahara-3] Francesco Palmas (2012). "Il contenzioso del sahara occidentale fra passato e presente" (PDF). Informazioni della Difesa (in Italian). No. 4. pp. 50–59. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2018-06-12. Retrieved 2018-06-12.

[FOOTNOTENeville201816-4] Neville 2018, p. 16.

[FOOTNOTENeville201824-5] Neville 2018, p. 24.

[6] Small Arms Survey (2005). "Sourcing the Tools of War: Small Arms Supplies to Conflict Zones". Small Arms Survey 2005: Weapons at War. Oxford University Press. p. 166. ISBN 978-0-19-928085-8. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2018-08-30. Retrieved 2018-08-29.

[7] "Rwandan government soldiers fire 12 June 1994 heavy artillery at".

[FOOTNOTENeville201830-8] Neville 2018, p. 30.

[FOOTNOTENeville201835-9] Neville 2018, p. 35.

[FOOTNOTENeville201837-10] Neville 2018, p. 37.

[BFA-Mali-11] Cherisey, Erwan de (July 2019). "El batallón de infantería "Badenya" de Burkina Faso en Mali - Noticias Defensa En abierto". Revista Defensa (in Spanish) (495–496).

[12] Vining, Miles (May 7, 2018). "ISOF Arms & Equipment Part 3 – Machine Guns". armamentresearch.com. Archived from the original on September 25, 2018. Retrieved October 1, 2018.

[FOOTNOTENeville201838-13] Neville 2018, p. 38.

[14] "Cal.12.7 x 99 mm Machine Gun" (PDF). Cugir Arms Factory.

[15] Green, Michael (2022). Red Army Weapons of the Second World War. Pen and Sword. p. 25.

[:2-16] Larson, Caleb (2021-02-03). "The Soviet DShK Heavy Machine Gun Won't Go Away". The National Interest. Retrieved 2021-12-03.

[:1-17] ^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ Roblin, Sebastien (2018-11-10). "How a Deadly Russian World War II .50 Caliber Machine Gun Blasted its Mark into History". The National Interest. Retrieved 2021-12-03.

[FOOTNOTEWillbanks2004134-18] Willbanks 2004, p. 134.

[19] Willbanks, James (2004). Machine Guns: An Illustrated History of Their Impact. ABC-CLIO. p. 200.

[FOOTNOTEWillbanks2004109-20] Willbanks 2004, p. 109.

[:0-21] Rottman, Gordon (2010). Browning .50-caliber Machine Guns. Osprey Publishing. p. 72.

[22] "Finnish Army 1918–1945: Antiaircraft Machineguns". Archived from the original on 29 November 2014. Retrieved 15 December 2014.

[23] "Dushka: The Soviet Fifty Caliber – Page 2 – Small Arms Defense Journal".

[FOOTNOTEWillbanks2004121-24] Willbanks 2004, p. 121.

[25] "65 Years of Armament Production in Tarnow". 4 September 2020.

[26] "Dushka: The Soviet Fifty Caliber – Page 4 – Small Arms Defense Journal".

[SAS_2008_1-27] Small Arms Survey (2008). "Light Weapons: Products, Producers, and Proliferation". Small Arms Survey 2008: Risk and Resilience. Cambridge University Press. p. 21. ISBN 978-0-521-88040-4. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2018-08-30. Retrieved 2018-08-30.

[28] Harnden, Toby (2000).Bandit Country: The IRA and South Armagh. Coronet Books, pp. 360–361 ISBN 0-340-71737-8

[SANA-29] "الوكالة العربية السورية للأنباء". Archived from the original on 12 November 2013. Retrieved 15 December 2014.

[30] Parth Satam (January 5, 2023). "Ukraine Uses Powerful Searchlights & Anti-Aircraft Guns To Neutralize Russian Geran-2 UAVs Used During Night Strikes". www. eurasiantimes.com. Retrieved 2023-01-06.

[31] THOMAS NEWDICK (December 13, 2022). "Inside Ukraine's Desperate Fight Against Drones With MiG-29 Pilot "Juice"". www.thedrive.com. Retrieved 2023-01-06.

[32] Sebastien Roblin (December 11, 2022). "To Stop Killer Drones, Ukraine Upgrades Ancient Flak Guns With Consumer Cameras And Tablets". www.forbes.com. Retrieved 2023-01-06.

[jones2009-33] ^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j ^k ^l ^m ⁿ ^o ^p ^q ^r ^s ^t ^u ^v ^w ^x ^y ^z ^aa ^ab ^ac ^ad ^ae ^af ^ag ^ah ^ai ^aj ^ak ^al ^am ^an ^ao ^ap ^aq ^ar ^as ^at ^au ^av ^aw ^ax ^ay ^az ^ba ^bb ^bc ^bd ^be ^bf ^bg ^bh ^bi Jones, Richard D.; Ness, Leland S., eds. (January 27, 2009). Jane's Infantry Weapons 2009/2010 (35th ed.). Coulsdon: Jane's Information Group. ISBN 978-0-7106-2869-5.

[34] Thierry Vircoulon (2014-10-02). "Insights from the Burundian Crisis (I): An Army Divided and Losing its Way". International Crisis Group. Archived from the original on 2017-05-21. Retrieved 2017-06-12.

[35] "Cameroon air strikes on Boko Haram". BBC News. 29 December 2014. Archived from the original on 30 April 2018. Retrieved 19 March 2018.

[gander1995-36] Gander, Terry J.; Hogg, Ian V. Jane's Infantry Weapons 1995/1996. Jane's Information Group; 21 edition (May 1995). ISBN 978-0-7106-1241-0.

[miller2001-37] Miller, David (2001). The Illustrated Directory of 20th Century Guns. London: Salamander Books Ltd. ISBN 978-1-84065-245-1.

[g3defencemag-38] "G3 Defence Magazine August 2010". calameo.com. Archived from the original on July 9, 2012. Retrieved 15 December 2014.

[FOOTNOTENeville20189-39] Neville 2018, p. 9.

[40] NRT (2017-01-25). "Peshmerga Ministry: There will be no withdraw from liberated areas". NRT TV. Retrieved 2017-06-25.

[SAS_RCI_2012-41] Tessières, Savannah (April 2012). Enquête nationale sur les armes légères et de petit calibre en Côte d'Ivoire: les défis du contrôle des armes et de la lutte contre la violence armée avant la crise post-électorale (PDF) (Report). Special Report No. 14 (in French). UNDP, Commission Nationale de Lutte contre la Prolifération et la Circulation Illicite des Armes Légères et de Petit Calibre and Small Arms Survey. p. 97. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2018-10-09. Retrieved 2018-08-30.

[42] World Armies (2012-10-08). "Kenyan Army". flicker. Archived from the original on 2017-04-06. Retrieved 2017-04-05.

[43] Small Arms Survey (2005). "Sourcing the Tools of War: Small Arms Supplies to Conflict Zones". Small Arms Survey 2005: Weapons at War. Oxford University Press. p. 167. ISBN 978-0-19-928085-8. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2018-08-30. Retrieved 2018-08-29.

[44] Mongolian military museum. Ulaanbaatar. Sights of intersest Archived 2013-11-06 at the Wayback Machine

[45] O'Halloran, Kevin (2012). Rwanda: Unamir 1994/1995. Big Sky Publishing. ISBN 978-1-921941-48-1.

[46] "12.7mm DShK heavy machinegun". Archived from the original on 16 May 2013. Retrieved 15 May 2013.

[47] "65 lat dostaw uzbrojenia z Tarnowa". 3 June 2018.

[48] "65 Years of Armament Production in Tarnow". 4 September 2020.

[49] Gander, Terry J. (4 May 2001). "ROMARM machine guns". Jane's Infantry Weapons 2002-2003. p. 3407.

[SAS_2014_chapter_7-50] Small Arms Survey (2014). "Weapons tracing in Sudan and South Sudan" (PDF). Small Arms Survey 2014: Women and guns (PDF). Cambridge University Press. p. 224. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2016-10-14. Retrieved 2018-08-29.

[News_from_2016_coup-51] "Reported use by intelligence agency". Archived from the original on 2016-07-24.

[52] "Ukrainian Modified DShK with Buttstock, Picatinny Rail, and Bipod in Ground Role". The Firearm Blog. 19 December 2017.

[53] "12,7-mm-überschweres Maschinengewehr DSchK Modell 1938 und Modell 1938/46". Militaertechnik der NVA (in German).

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@@ Line 10: / Line 10: @@
 | used_by            = See ''[[DShK#Users|Users]]''
 | wars               = {{bulleted list
+  |[[Second World War]]
   |[[Winter War]]
-  |[[World War II]]
-  |[[Korean War]]
   |[[Chinese Civil War]]
   |[[First Indochina War]]
-  |[[Operation Trikora]]
+  |[[Korean War]]
-  |[[Indonesia–Malaysia confrontation]]
   |[[Vietnam War]]
+  |[[Indonesia–Malaysia confrontation]]
+  |[[Operation Trikora]]
+  |[[First Sudanese Civil War]]
   |[[Laotian Civil War]]
   |[[Dhofar Rebellion]]
+  |[[Portuguese Colonial War]]
+  |[[Rhodesian Bush War]]
+  |[[South African Border War]]
   |[[Cambodian Civil War]]
   |[[Six Day War]]
   |[[Yom Kippur War]]
+  |[[Rhodesian Bush War]]
   |[[Ethiopian Civil War]]
+  |[[Lebanese Civil War]]<ref>{{cite book |title=Technicals: Non-Standard Tactical Vehicles from the Great Toyota War to modern Special Forces |series=New Vanguard 257 |first=Leigh |last=Neville |date=19 Apr 2018 |isbn=9781472822512 |publisher=Osprey Publishing |page=15 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=mGlPDwAAQBAJ |access-date=25 October 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181026064443/https://books.google.fr/books?id=mGlPDwAAQBAJ |archive-date=26 October 2018 |url-status=live}}</ref>
+  |[[Angolan Civil War]]<ref>{{cite book |chapter= Executive Outcomes Defeats UNITA |title=Mercenaries in Asymmetric Conflicts |first=Scott |last= Fitzsimmons |date=November 2012 |isbn=9781107026919 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=sZfGYsrEIBEC |page=217 |publisher=[[Cambridge University Press]] |doi=10.1017/CBO9781139208727.006}}</ref>
   |[[Cambodian-Vietnamese War]]
-  |[[Sino-Vietnamese War]]
   |[[Western Sahara War]]<ref name='Sahara'>{{cite magazine |language = it |title = Il contenzioso del sahara occidentale fra passato e presente |url = https://www.difesa.it/InformazioniDellaDifesa/periodico/periodico_2012/Documents/R4_2012/50_59_R4_2012.pdf |author = Francesco Palmas |issue = 4 |year = 2012 |pages = 50–59 |newspaper = Informazioni della Difesa|access-date = 2018-06-12 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20180612141151/https://www.difesa.it/InformazioniDellaDifesa/periodico/periodico_2012/Documents/R4_2012/50_59_R4_2012.pdf |archive-date = 2018-06-12 |url-status = live}}</ref>
+  |[[Afghanistan conflict (1978–present)]]
-  |[[Angolan Civil War]]<ref>{{cite book |chapter= Executive Outcomes Defeats UNITA |title=Mercenaries in Asymmetric Conflicts |first=Scott |last= Fitzsimmons |date=November 2012 |isbn=9781107026919 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=sZfGYsrEIBEC |page=217 |publisher=[[Cambridge University Press]] |doi=10.1017/CBO9781139208727.006}}</ref>
+  |[[Sino-Vietnamese War]]
+  |[[Chadian–Libyan War]]{{sfn|Neville|2018|p=16}}
+  |[[1979 Kurdish rebellion in Iran]]
   |[[Iran–Iraq War]]
+  |[[Second Sudanese Civil War]]
+  |[[Sri Lankan civil war|Sri Lankan Civil War]]
   |[[The Troubles]]
+  |[[First Liberian Civil War|First]] and [[Second Liberian Civil War]]s
-  |[[Lebanese Civil War]]<ref>{{cite book |title=Technicals: Non-Standard Tactical Vehicles from the Great Toyota War to modern Special Forces |series=New Vanguard 257 |first=Leigh |last=Neville |date=19 Apr 2018 |isbn=9781472822512 |publisher=Osprey Publishing |page=15 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=mGlPDwAAQBAJ |access-date=25 October 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181026064443/https://books.google.fr/books?id=mGlPDwAAQBAJ |archive-date=26 October 2018 |url-status=live}}</ref>
-  |[[Chadian–Libyan conflict]]{{sfn|Neville|2018|p=16}}
   |[[Somali Civil War]]{{sfn|Neville|2018|p=24}}
+  |[[KDPI insurgency (1989–1996)]]
   |[[Tuareg rebellion (1990–1995)]]<ref>{{cite book |url=http://www.smallarmssurvey.org/publications/by-type/yearbook/small-arms-survey-2005.html |chapter-url=http://www.smallarmssurvey.org/fileadmin/docs/A-Yearbook/2005/en/Small-Arms-Survey-2005-Chapter-06-EN.pdf |chapter=Sourcing the Tools of War: Small Arms Supplies to Conflict Zones |title=Small Arms Survey 2005: Weapons at War |publisher=[[Oxford University Press]] |year=2005 |author=Small Arms Survey |author-link=Small Arms Survey |page=166 |isbn=978-0-19-928085-8 |access-date=2018-08-29 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180830004838/http://www.smallarmssurvey.org/publications/by-type/yearbook/small-arms-survey-2005.html |archive-date=2018-08-30 |url-status=dead}}</ref>
   |[[Gulf War]]
   |[[Yugoslav Wars]]
   |[[Rwandan Civil War]]<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/rwandan-government-soldiers-fire-12-june-1994-heavy-news-photo/461377381 | title=Rwandan government soldiers fire 12 June 1994 heavy artillery at }}</ref>
+  |[[First Chechen War|First]] and [[Second Chechen War]]s {{sfn|Neville|2018|p=24}}
   |[[Kargil War]]
+  |[[Operation Enduring Freedom]]
   |[[Iraq War]]{{sfn|Neville|2018|p=30}}
-  |[[War in Afghanistan (1978–present)|Wars in Afghanistan]]{{sfn|Neville|2018|p=26}}
   |[[Cambodian–Thai border dispute]]
+  |[[First Libyan Civil War]]{{sfn|Neville|2018|p=35}}
-  |[[Operation Enduring Freedom]]
-  |[[First Liberian Civil War|Liberian Civil Wars]]
+  |[[Syrian Civil War]]{{sfn|Neville|2018|p=37}}
   |[[Operation Linda Nchi]]
-  |[[Chechen–Russian conflict|Chechen War]]s{{sfn|Neville|2018|p=24}}
-  |[[First Libyan Civil War]]{{sfn|Neville|2018|p=35}}
   |[[Northern Mali conflict]]<ref name="BFA-Mali"/>
+  |[[War in Iraq (2013–2017)]]<ref>{{cite web |title=ISOF Arms & Equipment Part 3 – Machine Guns |url=http://armamentresearch.com/isof-arms-equipment-part-3-machine-guns/ |first=Miles |last=Vining |date=May 7, 2018 |website=[[armamentresearch.com]] |access-date=October 1, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180925020240/http://armamentresearch.com/isof-arms-equipment-part-3-machine-guns/ |archive-date=September 25, 2018 |url-status=live}}</ref>
   |[[Second Libyan Civil War]]
-  |[[2014 pro-Russian conflict in Ukraine]]
+  |[[Russo-Ukrainian war]]
+  |[[Yemeni Civil War (2014–present)]]{{sfn|Neville|2018|p=38}}
-  |[[South African Border War]]
-  |[[Syrian Civil War]]{{sfn|Neville|2018|p=37}}
-  |[[Sri Lankan Civil War]]
-  |[[Iraqi Civil War (2014–2017)]]<ref>{{cite web |title=ISOF Arms & Equipment Part 3 – Machine Guns |url=http://armamentresearch.com/isof-arms-equipment-part-3-machine-guns/ |first=Miles |last=Vining |date=May 7, 2018 |website=armamentresearch.com |access-date=October 1, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180925020240/http://armamentresearch.com/isof-arms-equipment-part-3-machine-guns/ |archive-date=September 25, 2018 |url-status=live}}</ref>
-  |[[Yemeni Civil War (2015–present)]]{{sfn|Neville|2018|p=38}}
   |[[Conflict in Najran, Jizan and Asir]]
   |[[Tigray War]]
-  |[[Russian invasion of Ukraine]]
+  |[[Israeli invasion of the Gaza Strip (2023–present)]]
   }}
-| designer           = [[Vasily Degtyaryov]], [[Georgi Shpagin]]
+| designer           = [[Vasily Degtyaryov]]<br />[[Georgi Shpagin]]
 | design_date        = 1938
 | manufacturer       = [[Tula Arms Plant]]
@@ Line 68: / Line 76: @@
 | length             = {{convert|1625|mm|ftin|abbr=on}}
 | part_length        = {{convert|1070|mm|abbr=on|1}}
-| cartridge          = [[12.7×108mm]] <br> [[12.7×99mm]] (Romania)<ref>{{cite web|url=http://umcugir.ro/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/detalii-tehnice.pdf|title=Cal.12.7 x 99 mm Machine Gun|work=[[Cugir Arms Factory]]}}</ref>
+| cartridge          = [[12.7×108mm]] <br> [[.50 BMG|12.7×99mm NATO]] (Romania)<ref>{{cite web|url=http://umcugir.ro/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/detalii-tehnice.pdf|title=Cal.12.7 x 99 mm Machine Gun|work=[[Cugir Arms Factory]]}}</ref>
 | action             = [[Gas-operated]], [[flapper locking]]
 | rate               = 600 rounds/min
@@ Line 78: / Line 86: @@
 }}
-The '''DShK 1938''' ([[Cyrillic script|Cyrillic]]: '''ДШК''', for {{lang-ru|Дегтярёва-Шпагина Крупнокалиберный|Degtyaryova-Shpagina Krupnokaliberny|links=no}}, "Degtyaryov-Shpagin large-calibre") is a [[Soviet Union|Soviet]] [[heavy machine gun]] with a V-shaped butterfly trigger, firing the [[12.7×108mm]] cartridge. The weapon was also used as a heavy [[infantry]] machine gun, where it was frequently deployed with a two-wheeled mounting and a single-sheet armour-plate shield. The DShK's name is derived from its original designer, [[Vasily Degtyaryov]], and [[Georgi Shpagin]], who later improved the cartridge feed mechanism. It is sometimes nicknamed '''Dushka''' (a dear or beloved person) in Russian-speaking countries, from the abbreviation.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Green |first=Michael |title=Red Army Weapons of the Second World War |publisher=Pen and Sword |year=2022 |pages=25}}</ref> Alongside the American [[M2 Browning]], the DShK is the only .50 caliber machine gun designed prior to [[World War II]] that remains in service to the present day.<ref name=":0">{{Cite book|last=Rottman|first=Gordon|title=Browning .50-caliber Machine Guns|publisher=Osprey Publishing|year=2010|pages=72}}</ref>
+The '''DShK 1938''' ([[Cyrillic script|Cyrillic]]: '''ДШК''', for {{langx|ru|Дегтярёва-Шпагина Крупнокалиберный|Degtyaryova-Shpagina Krupnokaliberny|links=no}}, "Degtyaryov-Shpagin large-calibre") is a [[Soviet Union|Soviet]] [[heavy machine gun]]. The weapon may be vehicle mounted or used on a tripod or wheeled carriage as a heavy [[infantry]] machine gun. The DShK's name is derived from its original designer, [[Vasily Degtyaryov]], and [[Georgi Shpagin]], who later improved the cartridge feed mechanism. It is sometimes nicknamed '''Dushka''' (a dear or beloved person) in Russian-speaking countries, from the abbreviation.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Green |first=Michael |title=Red Army Weapons of the Second World War |publisher=Pen and Sword |year=2022 |pages=25}}</ref>
+== Specifications ==
-==History==
+The DShK is a belt-fed machine gun firing the [[12.7×108mm]] cartridge, and uses a butterfly trigger.<ref name=":2" /> Firing at 600 rounds per minute, it has an effective range of {{Convert|1+1/2|mi|km|order=flip|abbr=on}}, and can penetrate up to 20&nbsp;mm of armor up to a range of 500&nbsp;m.<ref name=":1" /> 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 Russian-designed tanks prior to the [[T-64]] use the DShK.{{sfn|Willbanks|2004|p=134}}
-Requiring a heavy machine gun similar to the [[M2 Browning]], development of the DShK began in the Soviet Union in 1929 and the first design was finalised by [[Vasily Degtyaryov]] in 1931.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web|last=Roblin|first=Sebastien|date=2018-11-10|title=How a Deadly Russian World War II .50 Caliber Machine Gun Blasted its Mark into History|url=https://nationalinterest.org/blog/buzz/how-deadly-russian-world-war-ii-50-caliber-machine-gun-blasted-its-mark-history-35762|access-date=2021-12-03|website=The National Interest|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|last=Willbanks|first=James|title=Machine Guns: An Illustrated History of Their Impact|publisher=ABC-CLIO|year=2004|pages=200}}</ref> The initial design used the same gas operation from the [[Degtyaryov machine gun]], and used a 30 round [[drum magazine]], but had a poor rate of fire. [[Georgy Shpagin]] revised the design by changing it to a [[Belt (firearms)|belt-fed]] with a rotary-feed cylinder, and the new machine gun began production in 1938 as the DShK 1938.<ref name=":1" />{{sfn|Willbanks|2004|p=109}}
+== History ==
+Requiring a heavy machine gun similar to the [[M2 Browning]], development of the DShK began in the Soviet Union in 1929 and the first design was finalised by [[Vasily Degtyaryov]] in 1931.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web|last=Roblin|first=Sebastien|date=2018-11-10|title=How a Deadly Russian World War II .50 Caliber Machine Gun Blasted its Mark into History|url=https://nationalinterest.org/blog/buzz/how-deadly-russian-world-war-ii-50-caliber-machine-gun-blasted-its-mark-history-35762|access-date=2021-12-03|website=The National Interest|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|last=Willbanks|first=James|title=Machine Guns: An Illustrated History of Their Impact|publisher=ABC-CLIO|year=2004|pages=200}}</ref> The initial design used the same gas operation from the [[Degtyaryov machine gun]], and used a 30 round [[drum magazine]], but had a poor rate of fire. [[Georgy Shpagin]] revised the design by changing it to a [[Belt (firearms)|belt-fed]] with a rotary-feed cylinder, and the new machine gun began production in 1938 as the DShK 1938.<ref name=":1" />{{sfn|Willbanks|2004|p=109}} The DShK and the American [[M2 Browning]] are the only .50 caliber machine guns designed prior to [[World War II]] that remain in service to the present day.<ref name=":0">{{Cite book |last=Rottman |first=Gordon |title=Browning .50-caliber Machine Guns |publisher=Osprey Publishing |year=2010 |pages=72}}</ref>
 During World War II, the DShK was used by the [[Red Army]], with a total of 9,000 produced during the war.<ref name=":1" /> It was used mostly in anti-aircraft roles on vehicles such as the [[GAZ-AA]] truck, [[IS-2]] tank, [[ISU-152]] [[self-propelled artillery]], and the [[T-40 amphibious tank]].<ref name=":1" /> Similar to the [[PM M1910|PM M1910 Maxim]], when deployed against infantry, the DShK was used with a two-wheeled trolley, with which the machine gun weighed a total of {{Convert|346|lb|kg}}.<ref>{{cite web|title=Finnish Army 1918–1945: Antiaircraft Machineguns|url=http://www.jaegerplatoon.net/AAMG.htm|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141129104900/http://www.jaegerplatoon.net/AAMG.htm|archive-date=29 November 2014|access-date=15 December 2014}}</ref> In 1944, a much cheaper [[muzzle brake]] patterned after the Polish [[Wz. 35 anti-tank rifle]] was introduced instead of the complicated early design.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://sadefensejournal.com/dushka-the-soviet-fifty-caliber/2/ | title=Dushka: The Soviet Fifty Caliber – Page 2 – Small Arms Defense Journal }}</ref> After 1945, the DShK was exported widely to other countries in the [[Eastern Bloc]].<ref name=":2">{{Cite web|last=Larson|first=Caleb|date=2021-02-03|title=The Soviet DShK Heavy Machine Gun Won't Go Away|url=https://nationalinterest.org/blog/buzz/soviet-dshk-heavy-machine-gun-won%E2%80%99t-go-away-177565|access-date=2021-12-03|website=The National Interest|language=en}}</ref>
-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.<ref name=":1" /> The gun was also revised to become more reliable, and easier to manufacture.{{sfn|Willbanks|2004|p=121}} The new DShK was produced under license in Pakistan, Iran, Yugoslavia, Romania and Czechoslovakia.<ref name=":1" /> Czechoslovak variant, most often encountered on quads, is visually distinguishable by a rectangular muzzle brake.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://sadefensejournal.com/dushka-the-soviet-fifty-caliber/4/ | title=Dushka: The Soviet Fifty Caliber – Page 4 – Small Arms Defense Journal }}</ref> China produced their own variant of the design, designated the Type 54.<ref name="SAS 2008 1">{{cite book|author=Small Arms Survey|url=http://www.smallarmssurvey.org/publications/by-type/yearbook/small-arms-survey-2008.html|title=Small Arms Survey 2008: Risk and Resilience|publisher=[[Cambridge University Press]]|year=2008|isbn=978-0-521-88040-4|page=21|chapter=Light Weapons: Products, Producers, and Proliferation|author-link=Small Arms Survey|access-date=2018-08-30|chapter-url=http://www.smallarmssurvey.org/fileadmin/docs/A-Yearbook/2008/en/Small-Arms-Survey-2008-Chapter-01-EN.pdf|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180830174225/http://www.smallarmssurvey.org/publications/by-type/yearbook/small-arms-survey-2008.html|archive-date=2018-08-30|url-status=dead}}</ref>
+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.<ref name=":1" /> The gun was also revised to become more reliable, and easier to manufacture.{{sfn|Willbanks|2004|p=121}} The new DShK was produced under license in Pakistan, Iran, Yugoslavia, Romania, Poland<ref>{{cite web | url=https://milmag.pl/en/65-years-of-armament-production-in-tarnow/ | title=65 Years of Armament Production in Tarnow | date=4 September 2020 }}</ref> and Czechoslovakia.<ref name=":1" /> Czechoslovak variant, most often encountered on quads, is visually distinguishable by a rectangular muzzle brake.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://sadefensejournal.com/dushka-the-soviet-fifty-caliber/4/ | title=Dushka: The Soviet Fifty Caliber – Page 4 – Small Arms Defense Journal }}</ref> China produced their own variant of the design, designated the Type 54.<ref name="SAS 2008 1">{{cite book|author=Small Arms Survey|url=http://www.smallarmssurvey.org/publications/by-type/yearbook/small-arms-survey-2008.html|title=Small Arms Survey 2008: Risk and Resilience|publisher=[[Cambridge University Press]]|year=2008|isbn=978-0-521-88040-4|page=21|chapter=Light Weapons: Products, Producers, and Proliferation|author-link=Small Arms Survey|access-date=2018-08-30|chapter-url=http://www.smallarmssurvey.org/fileadmin/docs/A-Yearbook/2008/en/Small-Arms-Survey-2008-Chapter-01-EN.pdf|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180830174225/http://www.smallarmssurvey.org/publications/by-type/yearbook/small-arms-survey-2008.html|archive-date=2018-08-30|url-status=dead}}</ref>
-After World War II, DShKs were used widely by communist forces in Vietnam, starting with the [[Battle of Dien Bien Phu]] in 1954. While not as powerful as [[Anti-aircraft warfare|anti-aircraft cannons]], the DShK was easier to smuggle through Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos.<ref name=":1" /> DShKs were a major threat to American aircraft in the [[Vietnam War]],<ref name=":2" /> and of the 7,500 helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft lost during the war, most were destroyed by DShKs.<ref name=":1" />
+After World War II, DShKs were used widely by communist forces in Vietnam, starting with the [[Battle of Dien Bien Phu]] in 1954. While not as powerful as [[Anti-aircraft warfare|anti-aircraft cannons]], the DShK was easier to smuggle through Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos.<ref name=":1" /> DShKs were a major threat to American aircraft in the [[Vietnam War]],<ref name=":2" /> and of the 7,500 helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft lost during the war, most were destroyed by anti-aircraft guns including DShK.<ref name=":1" />
 In June 1988, during [[The Troubles]], a [[British Army]] [[Westland Lynx]] helicopter was hit 15 times by two [[Provisional Irish Republican Army|Provisional IRA]] DShKs smuggled from Libya, and forced to crash-land near Cashel Lough Upper, south [[County Armagh]].<ref>[[Toby Harnden|Harnden, Toby]] (2000).''Bandit Country: The IRA and South Armagh''. Coronet Books, pp. 360–361 {{ISBN|0-340-71737-8}}</ref>
-DShKs were also used in 2004, against British troops in [[Al-Amarah]], Iraq.<ref name="elite snajper">{{cite book|title=Sniper One|last=Mills|first=Dan|year=2007|chapter=16|publisher=[[Penguin Group]]|isbn=978-0-7181-4994-9|quote=They were Dshkes, a Russian-made beast of a thing that fires half-inch calibre rounds and was designed to bring down helicopters.|page=[https://archive.org/details/sniperone0000mill/page/192 192]|chapter-url-access=registration|chapter-url=https://archive.org/details/sniperone0000mill/page/192}}</ref>{{Primary source inline|date=December 2021}}
 Rebel forces utilized DShKs in the [[Syrian civil war]], often mounting [[Technical (vehicle)|the gun on cars]]. In 2012, the Syrian government claimed to have destroyed 40 such technicals on a highway in [[Aleppo]] and six in Dael.<ref name="SANA">{{cite web|url=http://sana.sy/eng/337/2012/09/22/442908.htm|title=الوكالة العربية السورية للأنباء|access-date=15 December 2014|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131112141048/http://sana.sy/eng/337/2012/09/22/442908.htm|archive-date=12 November 2013}}</ref>
@@ Line 98: / Line 107: @@
 The weapon was used by Ukrainian forces in the [[2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine]] to shoot down Iranian-made [[Shahed-136]] drones. The DShKs are fitted with a searchlight when attacking drones, which [[MANPADS]] 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.<ref>{{Cite web |title= Ukraine Uses Powerful Searchlights & Anti-Aircraft Guns To Neutralize Russian Geran-2 UAVs Used During Night Strikes |url= https://eurasiantimes.com/ukraine-uses-powerful-searchlights-anti-aircraft-guns-to-neutralize/?amp | author=  Parth Satam |access-date=2023-01-06 | date= January 5, 2023 |website=www. eurasiantimes.com |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title= Inside Ukraine's Desperate Fight Against Drones With MiG-29 Pilot "Juice" |url= https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/inside-ukraines-desperate-fight-against-drones-with-mig-29-pilot-juice | author=  THOMAS NEWDICK |access-date=2023-01-06 | date= December 13, 2022 |website= www.thedrive.com |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title= To Stop Killer Drones, Ukraine Upgrades Ancient Flak Guns With Consumer Cameras And Tablets |url= https://www.forbes.com/sites/sebastienroblin/2022/12/11/to-stop-killer-drones-ukraine-upgrades-ancient-flak-guns-with-consumer-cameras-and-tablets/amp/ | author=  Sebastien Roblin |access-date=2023-01-06 | date= December 11, 2022 |website= www.forbes.com |language=en}}</ref>
-== Design ==
-The DShK is a belt-fed machine gun that uses a butterfly trigger.<ref name=":2" /> Firing the [[12.7×108mm]] cartridge at 600 rounds per minute, it has an effective range of {{Convert|1+1/2|mi|km|order=flip|abbr=on}}, and can penetrate up to 20&nbsp;mm of armor up to a range of 500&nbsp;m.<ref name=":1" /> The DShK has two "spider web" ring sights for use against aircraft. It is used by infantry on tripod mounts, and is deployed on tanks and armored vehicles for use against infantry and aircraft; nearly all Russian-designed tanks use the DShK.{{sfn|Willbanks|2004|p=134}}
 ==Users==
-<!--READ FIRST: This section is for cited entries only. Please do not add entries into this list without a citation from a reliable source. All entries without a citation will be removed. Thank you.-->
+[[File:DShK Users.png|thumb|Map with DShK users in blue]]<!--READ FIRST: This section is for cited entries only. Please do not add entries into this list without a citation from a reliable source. All entries without a citation will be removed. Thank you.-->
 {{Div col|colwidth=15em}}
 * {{flag|Afghanistan}}<ref name="jones2009">{{cite book |editor1-first=Richard D. |editor1-last=Jones |editor2-first=Leland S. |editor2-last=Ness |title=Jane's Infantry Weapons 2009/2010 |date=January 27, 2009 |edition=35th |publisher=Jane's Information Group |location=Coulsdon |isbn=978-0-7106-2869-5}}</ref>
-* {{flag|Albania}}<ref name="jones2009" /> "DShkM" locally produced from a Chinese copy
+* {{flag|Albania}}<ref name="jones2009" /> "DShKM" locally produced from a Chinese copy.
 * {{flag|Algeria}}<ref name="jones2009" />
 * {{flag|Angola}}<ref name="jones2009" />
@@ Line 127: / Line 133: @@
 * {{flag|Cuba}}<ref name="jones2009" />
 * {{flag|Cyprus}}<ref name="jones2009" />
-* {{flag|Czechoslovakia}}: Produced ''DShKM'' variant TK Vz.53 which included a [[Vz.53 Anti-Aircraft Gun|four barrelled version]].<ref name="miller2001">{{cite book |first=David |last=Miller |year=2001 |title=The Illustrated Directory of 20th Century Guns |publisher=Salamander Books Ltd. |location=London |isbn=978-1-84065-245-1}}</ref>
 * {{flag|Czech Republic}}<ref name="jones2009" />
-* {{flag|East Germany}}<ref>{{cite web |title=12,7-mm-überschweres Maschinengewehr DSchK Modell 1938 und Modell 1938/46 |url=http://www.militaertechnik-der-nva.de/Waffensysteme/Artilleriesysteme/Artillerie/DSchK/DSchK.html |website=Militaertechnik der NVA |language=de}}</ref>
 * {{flag|Egypt}}<ref name="jones2009" />
 * {{flag|Equatorial Guinea}}<ref name="jones2009" />
@@ Line 142: / Line 146: @@
 * {{flag|Indonesia}}<ref name="jones2009" />
 * {{flag|Iran}}: Manufactured ''DShKM'' variant named MGD 12.7.<ref name="g3defencemag">{{cite web|url=http://en.calameo.com/read/000127853fed679f5ecec|archive-url=https://archive.today/20120709233048/http://en.calameo.com/read/000127853fed679f5ecec|url-status=dead|archive-date=July 9, 2012|title=G3 Defence Magazine August 2010|work=calameo.com|access-date=15 December 2014}}</ref>{{sfn|Neville|2018|p=9}}
-* {{flag|Iraq}}<ref name="jones2009" /> called the "Doshka" by Iraqis
+* {{flag|Iraq}}<ref name="jones2009" /> called the "Doshka" by Iraqis.
 ** {{flag|Iraqi Kurdistan}}<ref>{{cite web|author=NRT |url=http://www.nrttv.com/EN/Details.aspx?Jimare=11913 |title=Peshmerga Ministry: There will be no withdraw from liberated areas |publisher=NRT TV |date=2017-01-25 |access-date=2017-06-25}}</ref>
 * {{flag|Israel}}<ref name="jones2009" />
-* {{flag|India}} Captured during [[Kargil War]]{{citation needed|date=August 2018}}
+* {{flag|India}} Captured during [[Kargil War]].{{citation needed|date=August 2018}}
 * {{flag|Côte d'Ivoire}}<ref name = 'SAS RCI 2012'>{{cite report|language=fr|title=Enquête nationale sur les armes légères et de petit calibre en Côte d'Ivoire: les défis du contrôle des armes et de la lutte contre la violence armée avant la crise post-électorale|first=Savannah|last=de Tessières|publisher=[[United Nations Development Programme|UNDP]], Commission Nationale de Lutte contre la Prolifération et la Circulation Illicite des Armes Légères et de Petit Calibre and [[Small Arms Survey]]|date=April 2012|series=Special Report No. 14|url=http://www.smallarmssurvey.org/fileadmin/docs/C-Special-reports/SAS-SR14-CoteIvoire.pdf|page=97|access-date=2018-08-30|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181009102938/http://www.smallarmssurvey.org/fileadmin/docs/C-Special-reports/SAS-SR14-CoteIvoire.pdf|archive-date=2018-10-09|url-status=dead}}</ref>
 * {{flag|Kazakhstan}}<ref name="jones2009" />
@@ Line 168: / Line 172: @@
 * {{flag|Pakistan}}: Used by the [[Pakistan Army]]. ''DShKM'' variant produced locally.<ref>{{cite book|last=O'Halloran|first=Kevin|title=Rwanda: Unamir 1994/1995|year=2012|publisher=Big Sky Publishing|isbn=978-1-921941-48-1}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=12.7mm DShK heavy machinegun|url=http://www.rusmilitary.com/html/dshk_hmg.htm|access-date=15 May 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130516185658/http://www.rusmilitary.com/html/dshk_hmg.htm|archive-date=16 May 2013|url-status=live}}</ref>
 * {{flag|Peru}}<ref name="jones2009" />
-* {{flag|Poland}} Produced locally<ref>{{cite web | url=https://milmag.pl/65-lat-dostaw-uzbrojenia-z-tarnowa/ | title=65 lat dostaw uzbrojenia z Tarnowa | date=3 June 2018 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://milmag.pl/en/65-years-of-armament-production-in-tarnow/ | title=65 Years of Armament Production in Tarnow | date=4 September 2020 }}</ref>
+* {{flag|Poland}}: Produced locally.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://milmag.pl/65-lat-dostaw-uzbrojenia-z-tarnowa/ | title=65 lat dostaw uzbrojenia z Tarnowa | date=3 June 2018 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://milmag.pl/en/65-years-of-armament-production-in-tarnow/ | title=65 Years of Armament Production in Tarnow | date=4 September 2020 }}</ref>
 * {{flag|Palestine}}
-* {{flag|Romania}} Produced locally<ref>{{cite encyclopedia|title=ROMARM machine guns|encyclopedia=Jane's Infantry Weapons 2002-2003|url=https://archive.org/details/Janes_Infantry_Weapons/page/n3407|page=3407|date=4 May 2001|first1=Terry J.|last1=Gander}}</ref> (still used with [[TR-85]] tanks)
+* {{flag|Romania}} Produced locally<ref>{{cite encyclopedia|title=ROMARM machine guns|encyclopedia=Jane's Infantry Weapons 2002-2003|url=https://archive.org/details/Janes_Infantry_Weapons/page/n3407|page=3407|date=4 May 2001|first1=Terry J.|last1=Gander}}</ref> (still used with [[TR-85]] tanks).
 * {{flag|Russia}}<ref name="jones2009" />
 * {{flag|Rwanda}}: Used by Rwandan Peacekeepers in Darfur.{{citation needed|date=October 2017}}
@@ Line 181: / Line 185: @@
 * {{flag|Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic}}<ref name='Sahara'/>
 * {{flag|South Sudan}}<ref name ='SAS 2014 chapter 7'>{{cite book|url=http://www.smallarmssurvey.org/fileadmin/docs/A-Yearbook/2014/en/Small-Arms-Survey-2014-Highlights-EN.pdf|chapter-url=http://www.smallarmssurvey.org/fileadmin/docs/A-Yearbook/2014/en/Small-Arms-Survey-2014-Chapter-7-EN.pdf|chapter=Weapons tracing in Sudan and South Sudan|title=Small Arms Survey 2014: Women and guns|publisher=[[Cambridge University Press]]|year=2014|author=Small Arms Survey|author-link=Small Arms Survey|pages=224|access-date=2018-08-29|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161014061449/http://www.smallarmssurvey.org/fileadmin/docs/A-Yearbook/2014/en/Small-Arms-Survey-2014-Highlights-EN.pdf|archive-date=2016-10-14|url-status=dead}}</ref>
-* {{flag|Soviet Union}}: Passed on to successor states.<ref name="miller2001" />
 * {{flag|Sudan}}{{citation needed|date=October 2017}}
 * {{flag|Syria}}<ref name="jones2009" />
-* {{flag|Sri Lanka}}: Used by [[Tamil Tigers]]. ''(former user)''
 * {{flag|Tanzania}}<ref name="jones2009" />
 * {{flag|Togo}}<ref name="jones2009" />
@@ Line 190: / Line 192: @@
 * {{flag|Turkmenistan}}<ref name="jones2009" />
 * {{flag|Uganda}}<ref name="jones2009" />
-* {{flag|Ukraine}}: Also produces a variant with a bipod and large muzzle brake for infantry usage<ref name="jones2009" /><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.thefirearmblog.com/blog/2017/12/19/ukrainian-modified-dshk-buttstock-picatinny-rail-bipod-ground-role/|title=Ukrainian Modified DShK with Buttstock, Picatinny Rail, and Bipod in Ground Role|website=The Firearm Blog|date=19 December 2017 |language=en}}</ref>
+* {{flag|Ukraine}}: Also produces a variant with a bipod and large muzzle brake for infantry usage.<ref name="jones2009" /><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.thefirearmblog.com/blog/2017/12/19/ukrainian-modified-dshk-buttstock-picatinny-rail-bipod-ground-role/|title=Ukrainian Modified DShK with Buttstock, Picatinny Rail, and Bipod in Ground Role|website=The Firearm Blog|date=19 December 2017 |language=en}}</ref>
 * {{flag|Vietnam}}<ref name="jones2009" />
 * {{flag|Yemen}}<ref name="jones2009" />
-* {{flag|Yugoslavia}}: Manufactured ''DShKM'' variant.<ref name="g3defencemag" />
 * {{flag|Zambia}}<ref name="jones2009" />
 * {{flag|Zimbabwe}}<ref name="jones2009" />
 {{div col end}}
+===Former users===
+* {{flag|Afghanistan|2004}}
+* {{flag|Czechoslovakia}}: Produced ''DShKM'' variant TK Vz.53 which included a [[Vz.53 Anti-Aircraft Gun|four barrelled version]].<ref name="miller2001">{{cite book |first=David |last=Miller |year=2001 |title=The Illustrated Directory of 20th Century Guns |publisher=Salamander Books Ltd. |location=London |isbn=978-1-84065-245-1}}</ref>
+* {{flag|East Germany}}<ref>{{cite web |title=12,7-mm-überschweres Maschinengewehr DSchK Modell 1938 und Modell 1938/46 |url=http://www.militaertechnik-der-nva.de/Waffensysteme/Artilleriesysteme/Artillerie/DSchK/DSchK.html |website=Militaertechnik der NVA |language=de}}</ref>
+* [[File:Tamil Eelam Flag.svg|22px]] [[Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam]]
+* {{flag|Soviet Union}}: Passed on to successor states.<ref name="miller2001" />
+* {{flag|Yugoslavia}}: Manufactured ''DShKM'' variant.<ref name="g3defencemag" />
 ===Non-state users===
+* {{flagicon|PIJ}} [[Al-Quds Brigades]]
-* {{flag|Islamic State}}
+* {{flagicon|Islamic State}} [[Daesh]]
 * [[Iraqi insurgency (disambiguation)|Iraqi insurgents]]
 * {{flagicon|Ireland}} [[Provisional IRA]]<ref name="miller2001" />
@@ Line 212: / Line 222: @@
 File:DShK on T-55 DD-SD-01-05147.JPEG|DShKM anti-aircraft machine gun on a [[T-55]] tank loader's roof hatch
 File:Anti-aircraft gun in Museo Giron.jpg|The M53 is an anti-aircraft mounting of four 12.7&nbsp;mm heavy machine guns vz. 38/46 (Czech copy of Soviet DShKM)
-File:DShKM-TK firing 2.jpg|alt=|Ukrainian soldier firing from a modified DShKM with bipod and pistol grip
 </gallery>

v t e Soviet infantry weapons of World War II
Side-arms	Nagant M1895 Mauser C96 TK pistol TT pistol
Rifles and carbines	Mosin–Nagant Fedorov Avtomat AVS-36 SVT-38/40
Submachine guns	PPD PPSh-41 PPS-43 Thompson
Grenades	M1914/30 RGD-33 F1 RG-41 RG-42 RPG-40 RPG-43 RPG-6
Machine guns	M1910 Maxim Maxim-Tokarev DP PV-1 DS-39 SG-43 Goryunov DShK
Anti-tank rifles and flamethrowers	PTRD-41 PTRS-41 ROKS-2/ROKS-3
Cartridges	7.62×25mm Tokarev 7.63×25mm Mauser 7.62×38mmR .45 ACP 7.62×54mmR 12.7×108mm 14.5×114mm