RPK-74

"The Russian RPK-74, like its predecessor in the RPK, is a light machine gun variant of the AK-74. Featuring a longer barrel, larger banana magazines and integrated folding bipod, it is a very handy weapon to drop in and boost a squad's firepower. Along with the AK-74, surplus stores have proliferated into former Soviet states and into the hands of militia and insurgent groups."

- In-game description

The  is a light machine gun featured in Squad.

General Description
The RPK-74 is a gas-operated, rotating closed-bolt light machine gun (LMG) and squad automatic weapon (SAW). It is designed by renown Russian designer Mikhail Kalashnikov in 1974 to become a modern replacement to Kalashnikov's previous LMG creation, the RPK. The RPK-74 is adopted by the Soviet Army in the same year as the standard LMG and SAW. The RPK-74 is literally the modified LMG variant of Kalashnikov's creation, the AK-74, just like Kalashnikov's RPK to the AKM. The RPK-74 is used by numerous nations from Eastern Europe to Asia due to their affiliation to the Soviet Union. The RPK-74 would be later succeeded by its newer and modern variant, the RPK-74M, as the standard LMG and SAW of the Russian Ground Forces in 1991.

Unlike the RPK, the RPK-74 has a longer and heavier chrome-plated barrel with a new gas block, a ring for the cleaning rod, folding bipod, and a threaded muzzle. Other changes include a different front sight tower, strengthened rear stock trunnion, and reinforced magazine well. Also, the RPK-74 could only use the 45-round box magazines instead of the RPK's 75-round drum magazines. However, the RPK-74 kept some features that were included in the RPK: the rear sight assembly, forward handguard, wooden stock, and receiver dust cover. The RPK-74 is known for using the newer, smaller, and deadly 5.45x39mm cartridges, just like its parent, the AK-74, instead of the 7.62x39mm cartridges of previous Kalashnikov rifles.

General Description

 * The RPK-74 magazine holds 45 rounds.
 * Every 4th round of the RPK-74 is a tracer round.
 * The RPK-74 fires at a rate of 650 rounds per minute, 50 more rounds than the RPK and 10 rounds less than the RPK-74M.
 * The RPK-74 is used by one faction, the Irregular Militia. It is issued to the Automatic Rifleman class.

Trivia

 * The abbreviation RPK from RPK-74 stands for Ruchnoy Pulemyot Kalashnikova (Ручной пулемёт Калашникова) which means in English from Russian, "Kalashnikov hand-held machine gun". 74 stands for the year the RPK-74 was designed, which is 1974.