Type 73 light machine gun

The Type 73 is a North Korean light machine gun which is used by the Korean People's Army. It was designed and manufactured by the First Machine Industry Bureau of North Korea.

Due to the North Korean government's policy of secrecy, information on the weapon is hard to obtain. One example has been acquired by South Korea. Apparently the North Korean military was not satisfied with the weapon, so around 1982 they developed the Type 82 machine gun, which is a copy of the PKM. This appears to have replaced the Type 73 in frontline service, as it has rarely seen use since the early 1980s, although it may have been kept in reserve or assigned to militias. It was exported to the Middle East via Iran, and has been used in conflicts such as the Iran-Iraq War, the Syrian Civil War, the Yemeni Civil War.

The design of the Type 73 is based on the Soviet PK machine gun of the 1960s, but has local modifications, such as a dual magazine/belt feed, inspired by the Czechoslovak Vz.52 machine gun.

This machine gun uses 7.62×54mmR ammunition, fed by a curved 30-round magazine that is inserted above, or by an ammunition belt. It is gas operated. It has a rate of fire of 600 to 700 rounds per minute. Its weight is 10.6 kg. One unusual feature is a special barrel attachment to enable the gun to fire rifle grenades.