The Kord Heavy Machine Gun is chambered to fire the large 12.7x108mm cartridge, a machine gun/heavy rifle round in large scale use since World War 2. In comparison, the Soviet 12.7x108mm is very comparable in scope and function to the western 12.7x99mm cartridge and, thusly, finds similar battlefield uses including that of suppression fire and anti-material/anti-armor roles. With that in mind, the Kord can therefore be utilized in-the-field as an offensive or defensive weapon depending on tactical requirements. As such, the Kord can serve in an infantry support role, a defensive role, as a vehicle-mounted weapon or as a coaxially mounted weapon on a tank (or similar armored vehicle).
The Kord fires from 50-round linked ammunition belts with an over-receiver feed tray. The action is of gas-operation with a rotating bolt, the gas "tapped" from a cylinder mounted underneath the barrel assembly. The Kord can manage a rate-of-fire equal to 650 to 750 rounds-per-minute with an effective range out to 6,500 feet, though targets can be engaged much further than that. Muzzle velocity is listed at 2,821 feet per second. Provided sights are iron though optics are optional for accurized fire. A bipod is standard issue in infantry versions. Operational weight of the Kord varies based on production model and can range from 55lbs to as much as 180lbs. The Kord measures in at 78 inches in length and is constructed to a high degree of reliability for the roles it must partake in on the modern battlefield are generally abusive and violent in their very nature. The Kord must therefore exude robustness and earn the respect of the Russian soldier or tanker crew.
The Kord Heavy Machine Gun is designated in Russian nomenclature as the "6P50" which represents the extremely basic infantry support variant. The infantry version with the supplied bipod is the "6P50-1". A similar tripod-mounted version is the "6P50-2" while the "6P50-3" is featured on a multipurpose mounting system. Two vehicle versions of the machine gun exist and these are the "6P49", for basic vehicle mounting, and the "6P51", this for coaxial mounting on tanks and similar enclosed armored vehicles. All told, the Kord series is a multi-faceted design developed specifically for the rigors of the modern battlefield and carries with it the inherent benefits of the NSV family with weight-saving construction and manageable recoil to serve the new Russian Army well for the next few decades.
Amazingly, the massive Kord (with help from a shoulder sling) can be fired "from the hip" (though with little accuracy) as documented on video, promoting a Terminator-esque type appearance for soldier and gun - a rare use of firepower among heavy-minded machine gun systems available in the world today.
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