Russo-Ukrainian War: The DShK M1938 "Dushka"

Source: Regional Directorate of the Territorial Defense Forces South

     A soldier of a territorial defense brigade posing for the camera with his “Dushka”, the venerable DShK M1938 12.7mm heavy machine-gun. First introduced in 1938, the DShK (standing for Degtyarov-Shpagin Krupnokaliberny; Degtyarov-Shpagin Large-Caliber) remains in service with dozens of military forces around the world and it has seen combat starting in World War Two and in just about every military conflict since then, to include the Russo-Ukrainian War. This particular make is the DShKM, evidenced by the muzzle brake, which appeared in 1946. When production ended in 1980, over 1 million DShK machine-guns had been built and to date, it has yet to be fully replaced in Russian Federation service despite newer weapons such as the NSV and Kord machine-guns. In addition to ground mounts, the DShK is also used on armored vehicles and tanks as a anti-aircraft machine-gun.

     The DShKM seen here is utilized by a rapid reaction anti-drone unit, hence being mounted in the bed of a pick-up truck. The locally fabricated pedestal mount permits traverse and elevation and it even has minimal gun shield. Usually, the DShK uses a 60-round metal ammunition can and this constitutes a single belt (which is usually 50 rounds). However, when engaging drones such as the Shahed-136, volume of fire is a factor in scoring a successful hit. As such, a single belt can be expended very quickly and in some cases, the drone(s) can leave the kill zone quickly, meaning the DShK is out of action while a new belt is fed into the weapon. Here, the fabricator of the gun mount adapted a 20 liter (5 gallon) metal fuel canister to act as an extended ammunition can. From appearances, it can hold up to five ammunition belts for a ready ammunition count of 250 rounds.

     Empty, the “Dushka” weighs 74 pounds and it uses a gas-operated flap-locking action. The 5.4 foot long DShK has a cyclic rate of fire of 600 rounds per minute but a practical rate of fire is between 100 to 200 rounds per minute. The most often used round is the B-32 steel-cored API (Armor-Piercing Incendiary) bullet which, despite being introduced in 1936, remains in production. The B-32 can penetrate 20mm of rolled homogeneous armor at 500 meters. As such, the DShK is a threat to lightly armored vehicles. A similar round is the BZT-44 APIT (Armor-Piercing Incendiary Tracer) and this is often mixed into ammunition belts of B-32 rounds. Another round used is the MDZ incendiary bullet and this might also be mixed with API ammunition. The maximum effective range is 1.2 miles with a maximum range of 1.6 miles.

Russo-Ukrainian War: The BRM-1K Korshun

Source: Public Affairs, 117rd. Heavy Mechanized Brigade

     A Ukrainian BRM-1K Korshun belonging to the 117th. Heavy Mechanized Brigade. The BRM-1K is a variant of the venerable BMP-1 IFV (Infantry Fighting Vehicle) which first entered service in 1966. The Korshun (“Kite”) appeared in service after 1973 and is designed as a battlefield reconnaissance vehicle, equipped with an array of apparatus to allow the crew within the ability to gather a wide range of information.

     The 13-ton BRM-1K is powered by a UTD-20 6-cylinder, water-cooled diesel engine that develops 300 horsepower. It is paired to a manual transmission with a 6-speed gearbox (5 forward, 1 reverse). Top road speed is 40 miles per hour while off-road in suitable terrain, the maximum speed is 28 miles per hour. Like the BMP-1, the Korshun is amphibious and in calm water, a top speed of 5 miles per hour can be achieved. A total of 122 gallons of diesel fuel are carried which provide the Korshun with a maximum road range of 372 miles and off-road, 236 miles. 

     For armament, the Korshun retains the same 73mm 2A28 Grom low-pressure, smoothbore gun. The gun mount provides a maximum of 30 degrees of elevation and 4 degrees of gun depression while the turret permits 360 degrees of traverse. As the Korshun is not meant to engage the enemy unless forced to, the Korshun only carries 20 rounds of ammunition. By comparison, the BMP-1 carries 40 rounds. The gunner is provided with a 1PN22M gunsight. The two most common projectiles are the PG-15V HEAT (High-Explosive Anti-Tank) and the OG-15V HE-FRAG (High-Explosive Fragmentation) munitions. The Korshun has no provision for ATGMs (Anti-Tank Guided Missiles). The PG-15V can penetrate up to 400mm of rolled homogeneous armor at a range of .8 of a mile. As for the OG-15V, it has a maximum indirect fire range of 2.7 miles and a direct fire range of .6 of a mile. Secondary armament consists of a co-axial PKT 7.62mm machine-gun which is provided with 2,000 rounds of ammunition in 250 round belts. The Korshun only has three gun ports, one on each side (towards the rear of the vehicle) with the third being in left rear door. This is one means to identify it from a BMP-1 which has three gun ports per side. Thus, the crew can employ their small arms if need be.

     The Korshun uses the same welded rolled steel armor as the BMP-1 to protect the 6 man crew (commander, driver, gunner, two radio operators, and an equipment operator). As such, the front of the hull has a maximum of 19mm of armor, between 16mm to 18mm on the sides, 16mm of armor on the rear of the Korshun, and 6mm of armor on the top. The turret supports 13mm thick frontal armor, 13mm on the sides and rear, and 6mm of armor on the turret top. As the Korshun seen in the photograph is a early production model, it lacks the fittings for the 902V Tucha smoke grenade launchers on the turret sides. However, the Korshun can inject diesel fuel onto the hot exhaust which generates a smoke screen. 

     Of course, the stock in trade of the BRM-1K is reconnaissance. In the back of the turret is a PSNR-5K (NATO reporting name Tall Mike) surveillance radar. When not in use, the dish is housed within the turret, beneath an armored cover (as shown in the photograph). When raised, the radar can detect vehicles at 4.3 miles and infantry at 1.2 miles. To enable communication between units and higher echelon forces, the Korshun has a R-123M, R-130, and R-148 radio set installed (hence, the two radio operators). Other equipment includes a ERRS-1 radio direction finder (37 mile maximum range), DKRM-1 laser range finder (5 mile maximum range), TNA-3 Kvadrat-1 (“Square-1”) navigation system, IMP-1 mine detector, PPChR radiological-chemical detection system, WPChR chemical detection system, 1G11N gyro-compass, 1T25 survey apparatus, and a pair of 1PN33B night binoculars for crew use. To power systems when the engine is off, the Koshun has a small AB-1-P gasoline powered APU (Auxiliary Power Unit) which has a 1 kilowatt output.

Russo-Ukrainian War: The M2A2 .50 Caliber HMG

Source: Oksana Chorna, 23rd. Mechanized Brigade

     A gunner of the 23rd. Mechanized Brigade on the practice range, operating a Browning M2A2 .50 caliber (12.7mm) heavy machine-gun. The M2A2 is secured onto a locally fabricated anti-aircraft pedestal mount which permits a good bit of elevation to allow the gunner to track and aim at Russian drones. The pedestal mount itself is bolted down onto the bed of a pick-up truck and from appearances, it is capable of being lowered down into the bed when not in use, permitting the tarp (seen rolled up) to cover the bed and protect the mount, M2A2, and ammunition from the elements. The M2A2 seen here is able to utilize scopes and other optics as evidenced by the rail mount on the top rear of the receiver, just forward of the trigger. To the left of the M2A2 is the ammunition can, held via a cradle secured to the mount. Based on the muzzle, the weapon is likely a U.S. Ordnance manufactured M2A2.

     The roof of the pick-up truck's crew cab has no less than five drone jammers of three different makes. It is now more the norm for Ukrainian as well as Russian vehicles to have more than one jammer. The intent is generate interference across multiple frequencies in the hope that any drone that seeks to attack the pick-up happens to be using one of the jammed channels.

For more information on the Browning M2, visit:

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