UK_vz._59
UK vz. 59
General-purpose machine gun
The Universal Machine Gun Model 1959 (Czech: Univerzální kulomet vzor 59) is a general-purpose machine gun developed in Czechoslovakia in the 1950s. It remains in use by the Czech Army and the Slovak Armed Forces.
 | This article includes a list of general references, but it lacks sufficient corresponding inline citations. (December 2012) |
| Uk vz. 59 | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Type | General-purpose machine gun |
| Place of origin | Czechoslovakia |
| Service history | |
| In service | 1959–present |
| Used by | Czech Republic Slovakia |
| Wars | Vietnam War Nigerian Civil War Lebanese Civil War Afghanistan Wars Uganda–Tanzania War Angolan Civil War South African Border War Tajikistani Civil War Mali War Kivu conflict 2008 Russo-Georgian War Libyan Civil War 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine |
| Production history | |
| Designed | 1956-1959 |
| Manufacturer | Zbrojovka Vsetín |
| Produced | 1959—1990s |
| Variants | Vz. 59 L,vz. 59T, vz. 59N, vz. 68, vz. 95, vz. 98 |
| Specifications | |
| Mass | 9.28 kg (20.5 lb) (vz. 59) 8.67 kg (19.1 lb) (vz. 59 L) |
| Length | 1,215 mm (47.8 in) (vz. 59) 1,115 mm (43.9 in) (vz. 59 L) |
| Barrel length | 650 mm (25.6 in) (vz. 59) 550 mm (21.7 in) (vz. 59 L) |
| Cartridge | 7.62×54mmR / 7.62×51mm NATO |
| Action | Gas-operated, tilting breechblock |
| Rate of fire | 700-800 rounds/min |
| Muzzle velocity | 830 m/s (2,723 ft/s) (vz. 59) 810 m/s (2,657 ft/s) (vz. 59 L) |
| Effective firing range | 100 to 2000 m sight adjustments |
| Feed system | Belt-fed 50-round, weight 0.19 kg unloaded or 250 round belt |
| Sights | Hooded front post, folding leaf rear sight, sight radius 353 mm (13.9 in) |
The Uk vz. 59 fires 7.62×54mmR ammunition (although a Vz. 59N variant for 7.62×51mm NATO ammunition also exists), delivered via an ammunition belt. The weapon can serve as a light (light barrel and bipod, vz. 59L model) and medium machine gun (heavy barrel and tripod), and can also be used as a co-axial mounted weapon (Vz. 59T version).
The machine gun is equipped with a lever-type feed mechanism introduced in Louis Stange's MG 39 Rh,[1] which is operated by the feed lever mounted outside the right wall of the receiver.
The pistol grip acts as the charging handle for the Uk vz. 59.
- UK-L vz. 59 with bipod.
- Detail of the UK-L vz. 59.
Afghanistan
Biafra[2]
Czech Republic[3]
Democratic Republic of Congo: Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo[4]
Georgia[5]
Libya[6]
Mali[citation needed]
Slovakia[3]
Tajikistan
India
Tanzania[7]
Ukraine: 3,200 UK vz.59s were gifted from the Czech Republic, sent as part of a military package in response to the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine.[8]
Vietnam: used by the PAVN and Viet Cong during the Vietnam War/[9]
- Ukrainian volunteer with UK vz. 59
- "MG 39 Rh". 19 December 2012.
- Jowett, Philip (2016). Modern African Wars (5): The Nigerian-Biafran War 1967-70. Oxford: Osprey Publishing Press. p. 22. ISBN 978-1472816092.
- Popenker, Maxim (27 October 2010). "Vz.59 (UK Vz.59)". Modern Firearms.
- Small Arms Survey (2015). "Waning Cohesion: The Rise and Fall of the FDLR–FOCA" (PDF). Small Arms Survey 2015: weapons and the world (PDF). Cambridge University Press. p. 202. Archived from the original (PDF) on 1 July 2015.
- "Geo-army.ge". Archived from the original on 9 March 2012.
- "World Infantry Weapons: Libya". Archived from the original on 5 October 2016.
- "První česká vojenská pomoc Ukrajině". armadnizpravodaj.cz (in Czech). Retrieved 1 March 2022.
- Scarlata, Paul (15 December 2016). "Eastern Bloc Firestorm: The Czech UK vz. 59 Machine Gun". Military Surplus Magazine.
Media related to UK vz. 59 at Wikimedia Commons- Modern Firearms
- Univerzální kulomet vzor 59
