Industry
ZM Tarnów to Deliver Machine Guns for the Polish Border Guard
Polish Border Guard has concluded an agreement with ZM Tarnów S.A. on the delivery of several 7.62 mm UKM 2020S machine guns. It is the latest variant of the weapons family derived from the UKM 2000P gun, operated by the Polish Armed Forces. The new gun features a composite folding stock, a shorter barrel, and other weight-saving modifications. The Border Guard would be the first procurer of this weapon. It has been tested by the Polish 21st Highland Brigade.
The UKM 2000S machine gun has been designed with mobility, lower weight and higher functionality in mind, enhancing the UKM 2000P machine gun that has been operated by the Polish Army since 2017. The weapon is belt-fed, with the use of 7.62x51 mm rounds. 2.5 thousand examples of this machine gun have been received by the Polish Army.
Many years of operational use of the modified 7.62 mm UKM 2000P machine gun commissioned in the Polish Armed Forces back in 2016, and the conclusions drawn from close cooperation with the user altogether made it possible to develop a new configuration of the gun devised for the Border Guard, designated UKM 2020S.
@ Damian Jarosz, Head of the Mechanical Design Division at ZM Tarnów.
The new UKM 2020S GPMG offers 90% commonality with the UKM 2000P machine gun. The gun features a shorter, 440 mm barrel, with a heat-resistant shield, and a removable, adjustable bipod. Underneath the barrel, one may find a short rail for mounting a front grip close to the ammunition containers, enhancing the weapon's handling characteristics.
The stock was replaced by a folding, composite stock that can be folded onto the left side of the weapon. The rear sight has been miniaturized, not to disrupt the optical sight placed on the upper Picatinny rail.
The changes have been based on the UKM 2000P user experience and were also aimed at lightening the weapon and making it more compact so that it could be used by airborne units, mechanized infantry, or SOF. The changes resulted in a weight loss of 1 kilogram, with retained functionality, including the theoretical rate of fire of 900 RPM. The weapon is usually assembled with a 440 mm barrel. However, the standard 540 mm barrel can be used here as well.