The RPD is an open-bolt light machine gun dating back to the end of the Second World War as a replacement for the DP machine gun. It has seen wide export to many former Warsaw Pact nations and current day conflict zones.
The RPD has a long reload time as a belt-fed machine gun.
It has the longest empty reload out of all light weapons in-game.
Can only be fired on fully-automatic.
The RPD is fitted with a deployable bipod.
The sights for the RPD include iron sights only.
The iron sights allow the user to zero the rifle for different ranges (from 100m to 1000m).
RPD shares its damage model with AKM but with a much higher fire rate at 750 RPM and a slightly lower accuracy at 5 MOA.
The 750 rounds per minute rate of fire is above average for an automatic weapon.
The RPD is classified in-game as the Medium Machine Guns. Medium Machine Guns have extremely uncontrollable sway, inadequate point fire responsiveness, and excessive recoil. Sway and recoil can be significantly reduced via prone or bipod.
Unlike other Medium Machin Guns, RPD outputs suppression effects akin to Light Machine Guns.
Firing the weapon with the bipod deployed is always preferred, creating a highly stable and accurate fire support platform. If the bipod cannot be used, firing the gun from the prone position is the next best option.
Firing in short bursts will increase the overall accuracy. It will also conserve ammunition.
The RPD will not hurt hostile armored vehicles, but it can be used effectively against Technicals, Transports, or Logistics Trucks to kill or wound the occupants.
History
The RPD is a Soviet machine gun designed by Vasily Degtyaryov from 1943 to 1944 and produced by the Degtyaryov Plant from 1944 to 1960. A precursor to most squad automatic weapons, the RPD was originally created as a lighter and more wieldy replacement for the DP machine gun.
Trivia
RPD stands for Ruchnoy Pulemyot Degtyaryova (Ручной Пулемёт Дегтярёва), which means in English from Russian Degtyaryov hand-held machine gun.
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