Heavy Machine Guns

The Berezin UB was a Soviet 12.7x108mm heavy machine gun designed for aircraft use during World War II. It featured a gas-operated action with a rotating bolt and a high rate of fire. The UB series replaced the earlier ShVAK in heavier roles and armed a wide variety of Soviet aircraft.

The CIS 50MG is a Singaporean .50 caliber heavy machine gun developed by Chartered Industries of Singapore, now ST Kinetics. It was designed as a lightweight alternative to the M2HB, using a gas-operated action instead of traditional recoil operation. The weapon can be configured for ground, vehicle, and naval roles. It offers a quick change barrel system for sustained fire operations.

The DShK 1938 (Degtyaryova-Shpagina Krupnokaliberny) is a Soviet 12.7×108mm heavy machine gun. It has served as the primary heavy machine gun for Soviet and Russian forces since World War II and is one of the most widely produced heavy machine guns in the world.

The DShKM is a Soviet heavy machine gun chambered in 12.7x108mm. It was developed as a modernization of the earlier DShK 1938 heavy machine gun. The DShKM features a gas-operated action with a rotating bolt and an air-cooled, finned barrel. It is fed from a 50-round continuous metallic-link belt. The weapon is used as an anti-aircraft, anti-vehicle, and infantry support weapon. The DShKM has been one of the most widely used heavy machine guns in the world.

The GAU-19/A is a three-barrel Gatling-style machine gun chambered in .50 BMG. It was developed by General Electric as a lighter alternative to the M2 Browning. The GAU-19 uses an externally powered rotary action driven by a DC electric motor. It has a selectable rate of fire from 750 to 1,300 rounds per minute. The weapon is designed for mounting on helicopters, ground vehicles, and naval platforms. It provides devastating firepower against light armored vehicles and personnel.

A Soviet 14.5x114mm heavy machine gun designed for anti-aircraft and anti-vehicle roles. It is one of the most powerful production machine guns in history.

The Kord is a modern Russian 12.7x108mm heavy machine gun developed to replace the NSV series. It features a gas-operated action with a rotating bolt for reduced recoil and improved accuracy. The weapon can be used in ground, vehicle, and naval roles with a quick change barrel system. It is considered one of the most reliable heavy machine guns in service today.

A modern Russian 12.7x108mm heavy machine gun designed to replace the NSV. It features reduced recoil and improved accuracy compared to its predecessor.

The M134 Minigun is a six-barrel rotary machine gun chambered in 7.62x51mm NATO. It is based on the General Electric M61 Vulcan design scaled down for the 7.62mm cartridge. The Minigun uses a Gatling-style rotating barrel assembly driven by an electric motor. It has a rate of fire of 2,000 to 6,000 rounds per minute. The weapon is typically mounted on helicopters, vehicles, and naval craft. It is widely known from its use on the AC-130 gunship and in various films.

The M2 Browning is a belt‑fed, recoil‑operated heavy machine gun chambered in .50 BMG (12.7×99mm NATO) that epitomizes durability and firepower. Designed by John Moses Browning in the early 1930s, its purpose was to provide long‑range, anti‑material and anti‑personnel capability for infantry, vehicles, aircraft, and naval mounts. Its hallmark features include a short‑recoil, toggle‑locked action, a quick‑change barrel, and an exceptionally high cyclic rate of 450–600 rpm. The weapon’s rugged construction, ability to fire armor‑piercing and incendiary rounds, and its adaptability to a wide range of mounts have earned it a legendary reputation as “the most successful machine gun ever designed.” Unique characteristics such as the external gas‑vented barrel and the ability to sustain fire for extended periods without overheating set it apart from contemporaries.

The M3 Browning is a high rate of fire variant of the M2 heavy machine gun developed for aircraft use during World War II. It fires the .50 BMG cartridge at approximately 1,200 rounds per minute, nearly double the rate of the standard M2. The weapon uses a lighter bolt assembly and a stronger recoil spring to achieve its increased cyclic rate. It was widely used on American fighter and bomber aircraft during the war.

The MG 131 is a German 13x64mm aircraft machine gun developed by Rheinmetall-Borsig for the Luftwaffe. It was designed to provide greater firepower than rifle caliber machine guns while being compact enough for fighter aircraft installation. The weapon was electrically fired on fixed mounts and mechanically fired on flexible mounts. It served as standard armament on many German aircraft from 1940 through the end of World War II.

The Maxim M1910 is a Russian heavy machine gun based on Hiram Maxim's original design, mounted on a distinctive wheeled Sokolov mount. It was adopted by the Imperial Russian Army in 1910 and served through World War I, the Russian Civil War, and both World Wars. The M1910 uses a water-cooled jacket and is chambered in 7.62x54mmR. The wheeled mount allowed the gun to be pulled by soldiers or horses across the battlefield. The M1910 was the primary heavy machine gun of the Russian and Soviet armies for decades.

A Soviet 12.7x108mm heavy machine gun designed as a replacement for the DShK. It was known for its high rate of fire and reliability.

The QJZ-89 is a Chinese 12.7x108mm heavy machine gun designed for lightweight portable infantry use. It uses a unique short recoil action combined with a gas assist system to reduce overall weight. At approximately 26.5 kilograms with tripod, it is one of the lightest heavy machine guns ever produced. The weapon was developed to improve the mobility of Chinese infantry units.

The QJZ-89 is a lightweight 12.7mm heavy machine gun developed by Norinco for the People's Liberation Army. It was designed to provide infantry with a highly mobile heavy support weapon capable of engaging light armored vehicles, helicopters, and fortified positions. Its most distinguishing feature is its exceptionally low weight for a 12.7mm HMG, achieved through extensive use of lightweight alloys and a recoil-reducing operating system. The gun is gas-operated, air-cooled, and belt-fed, with a quick-change barrel. It is typically mounted on a lightweight tripod but can also be vehicle-mounted. The QJZ-89 is known for its portability, allowing a two-man crew to carry and deploy it rapidly. It has a reputation for reliability and firepower, though some users note its recoil is brisk. It remains in service with Chinese forces and has been exported to several countries. Its design influenced later Chinese lightweight support weapons.

A Chinese 12.7x108mm heavy machine gun developed as a lighter alternative to the Type 54. It features a gas-operated action with unique recoil mitigation.

The Type 92 heavy machine gun was the standard heavy machine gun of the Imperial Japanese Army during World War II. It was an air-cooled, gas-operated machine gun chambered in the 7.7x58mm Arisaka cartridge. The Type 92 was a development of the earlier Type 3 heavy machine gun, which itself was based on the French Hotchkiss design. It is often called the Woodpecker by Allied soldiers due to its distinctive slow rate of fire. The weapon was fed from metal feed strips and was mounted on a heavy tripod for sustained fire.

The W85 is a Chinese 12.7x108mm heavy machine gun developed from the Soviet DShK and NSV designs. It features a lighter construction than its predecessors and can be mounted on both ground tripods and vehicle pintle mounts. The weapon is used by the People's Liberation Army as a battalion-level support weapon.