UKM-2000

The Zakłady Mechaniczne "Tarnów" UKM-2000 is a 7.62x51 mm NATO general-purpose machine gun designed in Tarnów, Poland.

Development
On March 12, 1999 Poland joined the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation. A problem arose with modifying the weapons of the Polish Army to use the standard NATO ammunition. A decision was made to develop a new general-purpose machine gun. The construction was based on the design of the successful PK/PKS machine gun.

The UKM-2000C is a primary arment on Polish M-ATV, some Hummvies (UKM-2000P or WKM-B) and is a secondary arment of KTO Rosomak IFV.

There is a proposal of modernization of the Polish UKM-2000 general purpose machine gun (GPMG) fed by 7.62x51mm NATO to the new UKM-2013 standard. The upgraded GPMG will be equipped with a new folding and telescopic buttstock with a cheekpiece and additional grip/pod, the integrated Picatinny rail with iron sight and 3-rail forehand attached to the gas tube, new grip, new cocking handle new safety switch selector, a new 440-mm barrel (as an option) plus some additional internal changes. The Polish Army is interested in this machine gun fed from the 100-round soft ammo bag instead of a steel box. Because of external similarity to the Russian PKM GPMG chambered to the 7.62x54mmR some elements like a buttstock, a grip or a forehand with rails will able to be used with the Kalashnikov design.