# DShK

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> Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DShK
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{{Infobox weapon
| name               = DShK
| image              = MITRALOZ 12.7 mm KA.jpg
| caption            = Albanian "DShKM" (local version) used for anti-aircraft purposes
| image_size         = 300px
| origin             = [Soviet Union](/source/Soviet_Union)
| type               = [Heavy machine gun](/source/Heavy_machine_gun)
| is_ranged          = yes
| service            = 1938–present
| used_by            = See ''[users](/source/DShK)''
| wars               = {{plainlist|
*[Second World War](/source/Second_World_War)
*[Winter War](/source/Winter_War)
*[Chinese Civil War](/source/Chinese_Civil_War)
*[First Indochina War](/source/First_Indochina_War)
*[Korean War](/source/Korean_War)
*[Vietnam War](/source/Vietnam_War)
*[Indonesia–Malaysia confrontation](/source/Indonesia%E2%80%93Malaysia_confrontation)
*[Operation Trikora](/source/Operation_Trikora)
*[First Sudanese Civil War](/source/First_Sudanese_Civil_War)
*[Laotian Civil War](/source/Laotian_Civil_War)
*[Dhofar Rebellion](/source/Dhofar_Rebellion)
*[Portuguese Colonial War](/source/Portuguese_Colonial_War)
*[Rhodesian Bush War](/source/Rhodesian_Bush_War)
*[Communist insurgency in Thailand](/source/Communist_insurgency_in_Thailand)
*[South African Border War](/source/South_African_Border_War)
*[Cambodian Civil War](/source/Cambodian_Civil_War)
*[Six Day War](/source/Six_Day_War)
*[Yom Kippur War](/source/Yom_Kippur_War)
*[Rhodesian Bush War](/source/Rhodesian_Bush_War)
*[Ethiopian Civil War](/source/Ethiopian_Civil_War)
*[Lebanese Civil War](/source/Lebanese_Civil_War)<ref>{{cite book |title=Technicals: Non-Standard Tactical Vehicles from the Great Toyota War to modern Special Forces |series=New Vanguard 257 |first=Leigh |last=Neville |date=19 Apr 2018 |isbn=9781472822512 |publisher=Osprey Publishing |page=15 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=mGlPDwAAQBAJ |access-date=25 October 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181026064443/https://books.google.fr/books?id=mGlPDwAAQBAJ |archive-date=26 October 2018 |url-status=live}}</ref>
*[Angolan Civil War](/source/Angolan_Civil_War)<ref>{{cite book |chapter= Executive Outcomes Defeats UNITA |title=Mercenaries in Asymmetric Conflicts |first=Scott |last= Fitzsimmons |date=November 2012 |isbn=9781107026919 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=sZfGYsrEIBEC |page=217 |publisher=[Cambridge University Press](/source/Cambridge_University_Press) |doi=10.1017/CBO9781139208727.006}}</ref>
*[Cambodian-Vietnamese War](/source/Cambodian-Vietnamese_War)
*[Western Sahara War](/source/Western_Sahara_War)<ref name='Sahara'>{{cite magazine |language = it |title = Il contenzioso del sahara occidentale fra passato e presente |url = https://www.difesa.it/InformazioniDellaDifesa/periodico/periodico_2012/Documents/R4_2012/50_59_R4_2012.pdf |author = Francesco Palmas |issue = 4 |year = 2012 |pages = 50–59 |newspaper = Informazioni della Difesa|access-date = 2018-06-12 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20180612141151/https://www.difesa.it/InformazioniDellaDifesa/periodico/periodico_2012/Documents/R4_2012/50_59_R4_2012.pdf |archive-date = 2018-06-12 |url-status = live}}</ref>
*[Afghanistan conflict (1978–present)](/source/Afghanistan_conflict_(1978%E2%80%93present))
*[Sino-Vietnamese War](/source/Sino-Vietnamese_War)
*[Chadian–Libyan War](/source/Chadian%E2%80%93Libyan_War){{sfn|Neville|2018|p=16}}
*[1979 Kurdish rebellion in Iran](/source/1979_Kurdish_rebellion_in_Iran)
*[Iran–Iraq War](/source/Iran%E2%80%93Iraq_War)
*[Second Sudanese Civil War](/source/Second_Sudanese_Civil_War)
*[Sri Lankan Civil War](/source/Sri_Lankan_civil_war)
*[The Troubles](/source/The_Troubles)
*[First](/source/First_Liberian_Civil_War) and [Second Liberian Civil War](/source/Second_Liberian_Civil_War)s
*[Somali Civil War](/source/Somali_Civil_War){{sfn|Neville|2018|p=24}}
*[KDPI insurgency (1989–1996)](/source/KDPI_insurgency_(1989%E2%80%931996))
*[Tuareg rebellion (1990–1995)](/source/Tuareg_rebellion_(1990%E2%80%931995))<ref>{{cite book |url=http://www.smallarmssurvey.org/publications/by-type/yearbook/small-arms-survey-2005.html |chapter-url=http://www.smallarmssurvey.org/fileadmin/docs/A-Yearbook/2005/en/Small-Arms-Survey-2005-Chapter-06-EN.pdf |chapter=Sourcing the Tools of War: Small Arms Supplies to Conflict Zones |title=Small Arms Survey 2005: Weapons at War |publisher=[Oxford University Press](/source/Oxford_University_Press) |year=2005 |author=Small Arms Survey |author-link=Small Arms Survey |page=166 |isbn=978-0-19-928085-8 |access-date=2018-08-29 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180830004838/http://www.smallarmssurvey.org/publications/by-type/yearbook/small-arms-survey-2005.html |archive-date=2018-08-30 |url-status=dead}}</ref>
*[Gulf War](/source/Gulf_War)
*[Yugoslav Wars](/source/Yugoslav_Wars)
*[Rwandan Civil War](/source/Rwandan_Civil_War)<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/rwandan-government-soldiers-fire-12-june-1994-heavy-news-photo/461377381 | title=Rwandan government soldiers fire 12 June 1994 heavy artillery at | work=Getty Images }}</ref>
*[First](/source/First_Chechen_War) and [Second Chechen War](/source/Second_Chechen_War)s{{Sfn|Neville|2018|p=24}}
*[Kargil War](/source/Kargil_War)
*[Operation Enduring Freedom](/source/Operation_Enduring_Freedom)
*[Iraq War](/source/Iraq_War){{sfn|Neville|2018|p=30}}
*[Cambodian–Thai border dispute](/source/Cambodian%E2%80%93Thai_border_dispute)
*[First Libyan Civil War](/source/First_Libyan_Civil_War){{sfn|Neville|2018|p=35}}
*[Syrian Civil War](/source/Syrian_Civil_War){{sfn|Neville|2018|p=37}}
*[Operation Linda Nchi](/source/Operation_Linda_Nchi)
*[Northern Mali conflict](/source/Northern_Mali_conflict)<ref name="BFA-Mali"/>
*[War in Iraq (2013–2017)](/source/War_in_Iraq_(2013%E2%80%932017))<ref>{{cite web |title=ISOF Arms & Equipment Part 3 – Machine Guns |url=http://armamentresearch.com/isof-arms-equipment-part-3-machine-guns/ |first=Miles |last=Vining |date=May 7, 2018 |website=[armamentresearch.com](/source/armamentresearch.com) |access-date=October 1, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180925020240/http://armamentresearch.com/isof-arms-equipment-part-3-machine-guns/ |archive-date=September 25, 2018 |url-status=live}}</ref>
*[Second Libyan Civil War](/source/Second_Libyan_Civil_War)
*[Russo-Ukrainian war](/source/Russo-Ukrainian_war)
*[Yemeni Civil War (2014–present)](/source/Yemeni_Civil_War_(2014%E2%80%93present)){{sfn|Neville|2018|p=38}}
*[Conflict in Najran, Jizan and Asir](/source/Conflict_in_Najran%2C_Jizan_and_Asir)
*[Tigray War](/source/Tigray_War)
*[Gaza War (2023–present)](/source/Gaza_War_(2023%E2%80%93present))
}}
| designer           = [Vasily Degtyaryov](/source/Vasily_Degtyaryov)<br />[Georgi Shpagin](/source/Georgi_Shpagin)
| design_date        = 1938
| manufacturer       = [Tula Arms Plant](/source/Tula_Arms_Plant)
| unit_cost          = US$2,250 (2012)
| production_date    = 1938–1980 (Soviet Union)
| number             = 1,000,000
| variants           = DShK 38/46 <br> Type 54
| weight             = {{convert|34|kg|lboz|abbr=on}} (gun only)<br/> {{convert|157|kg|lboz|abbr=on}} on wheeled mounting
| length             = {{convert|1625|mm|ftin|abbr=on}}
| part_length        = {{convert|1070|mm|abbr=on|1}}
| cartridge          = [12.7×108mm](/source/12.7%C3%97108mm) <br> [12.7×99mm NATO](/source/.50_BMG) (Romania)<ref>{{cite web|url=http://umcugir.ro/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/detalii-tehnice.pdf|title=Cal.12.7 x 99 mm Machine Gun|work=[Cugir Arms Factory](/source/Cugir_Arms_Factory)}}</ref>
| action             = [Gas-operated](/source/Gas-operated), [flapper locking](/source/flapper_locking)
| rate               = 600 rounds/min
| velocity           = {{convert|850| m/s|abbr=on}}
| range              = {{convert|2,000| m|yd|abbr=on}}
| max_range          = {{convert|2,500| m|yd|abbr=on}}
| feed               = 50 round belt
| sights             = Iron/optical
}}
The '''DShK M1938''' ({{langx|ru|ДШК}}, for {{langx|ru|Дегтярёва-Шпагина крупнокалиберный|Degtyaryova-Shpagina krupnokaliberny|Degtyaryov–Shpagin large-calibre|label=none}}) is a [Soviet](/source/Soviet_Union) [heavy machine gun](/source/heavy_machine_gun).<ref>{{Cite web |title=12.7mm M1938 DShK |url=https://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/30035180 |access-date=2026-02-14 |website=Imperial War Museums |language=en}}</ref> The weapon may be vehicle mounted or used on a tripod or wheeled carriage as a heavy [infantry](/source/infantry) machine gun. The DShK's name is derived from its original designer, [Vasily Degtyaryov](/source/Vasily_Degtyaryov), and [Georgi Shpagin](/source/Georgi_Shpagin), who later improved the cartridge feed mechanism. It is sometimes nicknamed '''Dushka''' ({{lang|ru|Душка}}, {{lit|darling|a dea|or beloved person}}) or '''Dochka''' ({{langx|ru|Дочка|lit=daughter|label=none}}) in Slavic-speaking regions and in the DShK using countries, from the abbreviation.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Green |first=Michael |title=Red Army Weapons of the Second World War |publisher=Pen and Sword |year=2022 |page=25}}</ref>

== Specifications ==
The DShK is a belt-fed machine gun firing the [12.7×108mm](/source/12.7%C3%97108mm) cartridge, and uses a butterfly trigger.<ref name=":2" /> Firing at 600 rounds per minute,<ref>{{Cite web |title=DShK |url=https://weaponsystems.net/system/744-DShK |access-date=2026-02-14 |website=Weaponsystems.net |language=en}}</ref> it has an effective range of {{Convert|1+1/2|mi|km|order=flip|abbr=on}}, and can penetrate up to 20&nbsp;mm of armor up to a range of 500&nbsp;m.<ref name=":1" /> The DShK has two "spider web" ring sights for use against aircraft. It is used by infantry on tripod mounts or deployed with a two-wheeled mounting and a single-sheet armor-plate shield. It is also mounted on tanks and armored vehicles for use against infantry and aircraft; nearly all Soviet-designed tanks with roof or cupola mounts for heavy machine-guns prior to the [T-64](/source/T-64) use the DShK.{{sfn|Willbanks|2004|p=134}}

== History ==
[[File:12,7-мм станковый пулемёт ДШК образца 1938 года (3-1).jpg|thumb|The DShK M1938 in the [Military Historical Museum of Artillery, Engineers and Signal Corps](/source/Military_Historical_Museum_of_Artillery%2C_Engineers_and_Signal_Corps), [Saint Petersburg](/source/Saint_Petersburg)]]
Requiring a heavy machine gun similar to the [M2 Browning](/source/M2_Browning), development of the DShK began in the Soviet Union in 1929 and the first design was finalised by [Vasily Degtyaryov](/source/Vasily_Degtyaryov) in 1931.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web|last=Roblin|first=Sebastien|date=2018-11-10|title=How a Deadly Russian World War II .50 Caliber Machine Gun Blasted its Mark into History|url=https://nationalinterest.org/blog/buzz/how-deadly-russian-world-war-ii-50-caliber-machine-gun-blasted-its-mark-history-35762|access-date=2021-12-03|website=The National Interest|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|last=Willbanks|first=James|title=Machine Guns: An Illustrated History of Their Impact|publisher=ABC-CLIO|year=2004|pages=200}}</ref> The initial design used the same gas operation from the [Degtyaryov machine gun](/source/Degtyaryov_machine_gun), and used a 30-round [drum magazine](/source/drum_magazine), but had a poor rate of fire. [Georgy Shpagin](/source/Georgy_Shpagin) revised the design by changing it to a [belt-fed](/source/Belt_(firearms)) with a rotary-feed cylinder, and the new machine gun began production in 1938 as the DShK 1938.<ref name=":1" />{{sfn|Willbanks|2004|p=109}} The DShK and the American [M2 Browning](/source/M2_Browning) are the only .50 caliber machine guns designed prior to [World War II](/source/World_War_II) that remain in service to the present day.<ref name=":0">{{Cite book |last=Rottman |first=Gordon |title=Browning .50-caliber Machine Guns |publisher=Osprey Publishing |year=2010 |pages=72}}</ref>

During World War II, the DShK was used by the [Red Army](/source/Red_Army), with a total of 9,000 produced during the war.<ref name=":1" /> It was used mostly in anti-aircraft roles on vehicles such as the [GAZ-AA](/source/GAZ-AA) truck, [IS-2](/source/IS-2) tank, [ISU-152](/source/ISU-152) [self-propelled artillery](/source/self-propelled_artillery), and the [T-40 amphibious tank](/source/T-40_amphibious_tank).<ref name=":1" /> Similar to the [PM M1910 Maxim](/source/PM_M1910), when deployed against infantry, the DShK was used with a two-wheeled trolley, with which the machine gun weighed a total of {{Convert|346|lb|kg}}.<ref>{{cite web|title=Finnish Army 1918–1945: Antiaircraft Machineguns|url=http://www.jaegerplatoon.net/AAMG.htm|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141129104900/http://www.jaegerplatoon.net/AAMG.htm|archive-date=29 November 2014|access-date=15 December 2014}}</ref> In 1944, a much cheaper [muzzle brake](/source/muzzle_brake) patterned after the Polish [Wz. 35 anti-tank rifle](/source/Wz._35_anti-tank_rifle) was introduced instead of the complicated early design.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://sadefensejournal.com/dushka-the-soviet-fifty-caliber/2/ | title=Dushka: The Soviet Fifty Caliber – Page 2 – Small Arms Defense Journal }}</ref> After 1945, the DShK was exported widely to other countries in the [Eastern Bloc](/source/Eastern_Bloc).<ref name=":2">{{Cite web|last=Larson|first=Caleb|date=2021-02-03|title=The Soviet DShK Heavy Machine Gun Won't Go Away|url=https://nationalinterest.org/blog/buzz/soviet-dshk-heavy-machine-gun-won%E2%80%99t-go-away-177565|access-date=2021-12-03|website=The National Interest|language=en}}</ref>

In 1946, an improved variant was produced, with a revised muzzle and feeding system. Named the DShK 38/46 or DShK-M, over a million were produced from 1946 to 1980.<ref name=":1" /> The gun was also revised to become more reliable, and easier to manufacture.{{sfn|Willbanks|2004|p=121}} The new DShK was produced under license in Pakistan, Iran, Yugoslavia, Romania, Poland<ref name="milmag.pl">{{cite web | url=https://milmag.pl/en/65-years-of-armament-production-in-tarnow/ | title=65 Years of Armament Production in Tarnow | date=4 September 2020 }}</ref> and Czechoslovakia.<ref name=":1" /> Czechoslovak variant, most often encountered on quads, is visually distinguishable by a rectangular muzzle brake.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://sadefensejournal.com/dushka-the-soviet-fifty-caliber/4/ | title=Dushka: The Soviet Fifty Caliber – Page 4 – Small Arms Defense Journal }}</ref> China produced their own variant of the design, designated the Type 54.<ref name="SAS 2008 1">{{cite book|author=Small Arms Survey|url=http://www.smallarmssurvey.org/publications/by-type/yearbook/small-arms-survey-2008.html|title=Small Arms Survey 2008: Risk and Resilience|publisher=[Cambridge University Press](/source/Cambridge_University_Press)|year=2008|isbn=978-0-521-88040-4|page=21|chapter=Light Weapons: Products, Producers, and Proliferation|author-link=Small Arms Survey|access-date=2018-08-30|chapter-url=http://www.smallarmssurvey.org/fileadmin/docs/A-Yearbook/2008/en/Small-Arms-Survey-2008-Chapter-01-EN.pdf|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180830174225/http://www.smallarmssurvey.org/publications/by-type/yearbook/small-arms-survey-2008.html|archive-date=2018-08-30|url-status=dead}}</ref>

After World War II, DShKs were used widely by communist forces in Vietnam, starting with the [Battle of Dien Bien Phu](/source/Battle_of_Dien_Bien_Phu) in 1954. While not as powerful as [anti-aircraft cannons](/source/Anti-aircraft_warfare), the DShK was easier to smuggle through Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos.<ref name=":1" /> DShKs were a major threat to American aircraft in the [Vietnam War](/source/Vietnam_War),<ref name=":2" /> and of the 7,500 helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft lost during the war, most were destroyed by anti-aircraft guns including DShK.<ref name=":1" />

In June 1988, during [The Troubles](/source/The_Troubles), a [British Army](/source/British_Army) [Westland Lynx](/source/Westland_Lynx) helicopter was hit 15 times by two [Provisional IRA](/source/Provisional_Irish_Republican_Army) DShKs smuggled from Libya, and forced to crash-land near Cashel Lough Upper, south [County Armagh](/source/County_Armagh).<ref>[Harnden, Toby](/source/Toby_Harnden) (2000).''Bandit Country: The IRA and South Armagh''. Coronet Books, pp. 360–361 {{ISBN|0-340-71737-8}}</ref>

Rebel forces utilized DShKs in the [Syrian civil war](/source/Syrian_civil_war), often mounting [the gun on cars](/source/Technical_(vehicle)). In 2012, the Syrian government claimed to have destroyed 40 such [technicals](/source/Technical_(vehicle)) on a highway in [Aleppo](/source/Aleppo) and six in Dael.<ref name="SANA">{{cite web|url=http://sana.sy/eng/337/2012/09/22/442908.htm|title=الوكالة العربية السورية للأنباء|access-date=15 December 2014|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131112141048/http://sana.sy/eng/337/2012/09/22/442908.htm|archive-date=12 November 2013}}</ref>

The DShK began to be partially replaced in the Soviet Union by the [NSV machine gun](/source/NSV_machine_gun) in 1971, and the [Kord machine gun](/source/Kord_machine_gun) in 1998.<ref name=":0" /> The DShK remains in service, although it is no longer produced.{{sfn|Willbanks|2004|p=134}}

The weapon was used by Ukrainian forces in the [2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine](/source/2022_Russian_invasion_of_Ukraine) to shoot down Iranian-made [Shahed-136](/source/Shahed-136) drones. The DShKs are fitted with a searchlight when defending against drones, which [MANPADS](/source/MANPADS) have been unable to destroy. As many of the DShKs have been left over from the Soviet Union, they have been both cost-effective and one of the most reliable methods of destroying drones.<ref>{{Cite web |title= Ukraine Uses Powerful Searchlights & Anti-Aircraft Guns To Neutralize Russian Geran-2 UAVs Used During Night Strikes |url= https://eurasiantimes.com/ukraine-uses-powerful-searchlights-anti-aircraft-guns-to-neutralize/?amp | author=  Parth Satam |access-date=2023-01-06 | date= January 5, 2023 |website=www. eurasiantimes.com |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title= Inside Ukraine's Desperate Fight Against Drones With MiG-29 Pilot "Juice" |url= https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/inside-ukraines-desperate-fight-against-drones-with-mig-29-pilot-juice | author=  THOMAS NEWDICK |access-date=2023-01-06 | date= December 13, 2022 |website= www.thedrive.com |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title= To Stop Killer Drones, Ukraine Upgrades Ancient Flak Guns With Consumer Cameras And Tablets |url= https://www.forbes.com/sites/sebastienroblin/2022/12/11/to-stop-killer-drones-ukraine-upgrades-ancient-flak-guns-with-consumer-cameras-and-tablets/ | author=  Sebastien Roblin |access-date=2023-01-06 | date= December 11, 2022 |website= www.forbes.com |language=en}}</ref>

== Variants ==
{{unreferenced section|date=September 2025}}

*'''DShK-38''': the original version of the DShK.
*'''DShK 38/46''': a modernized version of the DShK 38 introduced in 1946. The weapon is commonly referred to simply as the DShKM.
*'''Vz.38/46''': a Czechoslovak license version of the DShKM whose feeding mechanism was modified to allow the breech to be loaded from left or right and allow twin or quad mount.
*'''Type 54''': a copy of the DShKM illegally produced by [Norinco](/source/Norinco) of [China](/source/China), which continues to be manufactured under Norinco's license in [Pakistan](/source/Pakistan) and [Iran](/source/Iran).
*'''MGD-12.7''': a Type 54 variant produced by [Iran](/source/Iran).

==Users==
thumb|Map with DShK users in blue<!--READ FIRST: This section is for cited entries only. Please do not add entries into this list without a citation from a reliable source. All entries without a citation will be removed. Thank you.-->
{{Div col|colwidth=15em}}
* {{flag|Afghanistan}}<ref name="jones2009">{{cite book |editor1-first=Richard D. |editor1-last=Jones |editor2-first=Leland S. |editor2-last=Ness |title=Jane's Infantry Weapons 2009/2010 |date=January 27, 2009 |edition=35th |publisher=Jane's Information Group |location=Coulsdon |isbn=978-0-7106-2869-5}}</ref>
* {{flag|Albania}}<ref name="jones2009" /> "DShKM" locally produced from a Chinese copy.
* {{flag|Algeria}}<ref name="jones2009" />
* {{flag|Angola}}<ref name="jones2009" />
* {{flag|Armenia}}<ref name="jones2009" />
* {{flag|Azerbaijan}}<ref name="jones2009" />
* {{flag|Bangladesh}}<ref name="jones2009" /> Type 54.
* {{flag|Belarus}}<ref name="jones2009" />
* {{flag|Bulgaria}}<ref name="jones2009" />
* {{flag|Burkina Faso}}<ref name="BFA-Mali">{{cite journal|journal=Revista Defensa |issue=495–496|date=July 2019|first=Erwan de |last=Cherisey|title=El batallón de infantería "Badenya" de Burkina Faso en Mali - Noticias Defensa En abierto|url=https://www.defensa.com/en-abierto/batallon-infanteria-badenya-burkina-faso-mali|language=es}}</ref>
* {{flag|Burundi}}<ref>{{cite web |author=Thierry Vircoulon |url=http://blog.crisisgroup.org/africa/burundi/2015/10/02/insights-from-the-burundian-crisis-i-an-army-divided-and-losing-its-way/ |title=Insights from the Burundian Crisis (I): An Army Divided and Losing its Way |publisher=International Crisis Group |date=2014-10-02 |access-date=2017-06-12 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170521151808/http://blog.crisisgroup.org/africa/burundi/2015/10/02/insights-from-the-burundian-crisis-i-an-army-divided-and-losing-its-way/ |archive-date=2017-05-21 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
* {{flag|Cambodia}}<ref name="jones2009" />
* {{flag|Cameroon}}<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-30623199|title=Cameroon air strikes on Boko Haram|work=BBC News|date=29 December 2014|access-date=19 March 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180430161736/http://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-30623199|archive-date=30 April 2018|url-status=live}}</ref>
* {{flag|Cape Verde}}<ref name="jones2009" />
* {{flag|Central African Republic}}<ref name="jones2009" />
* {{flag|Chad}}<ref name="jones2009" />
* {{flag|Chile}}<ref name="gander1995">Gander, Terry J.; Hogg, Ian V. ''Jane's Infantry Weapons 1995/1996''. Jane's Information Group; 21 edition (May 1995). {{ISBN|978-0-7106-1241-0}}.</ref>
* {{flag|China}}: Produced ''DShKM'' variant Type 54.<ref name="miller2001" />
* {{flag|Congo-Brazzaville}}<ref name="jones2009" />
* {{flag|Congo-Kinshasa}}<ref name="jones2009" />
* {{flag|Cuba}}<ref name="jones2009" />
* {{flag|Cyprus}}<ref name="jones2009" />
* {{flag|Czech Republic}}<ref name="jones2009" />
* {{flag|Egypt}}<ref name="jones2009" />
* {{flag|Equatorial Guinea}}<ref name="jones2009" />
* {{flag|Eritrea}}<ref name="jones2009" />
* {{flag|Ethiopia}}<ref name="jones2009" />
* {{flag|Finland}}<ref name="jones2009" />
* {{flag|Georgia}}<ref name="jones2009" />
* {{flag|Ghana}}<ref name="jones2009" />
* {{flag|Guinea}}<ref name="jones2009" />
* {{flag|Guinea-Bissau}}<ref name="jones2009" />
* {{flag|Hungary}}<ref name="jones2009" />
* {{flag|Indonesia}}<ref name="jones2009" />
* {{flag|Iran}}: Manufactured ''DShKM'' variant named MGD 12.7.<ref name="g3defencemag">{{cite web|url=http://en.calameo.com/read/000127853fed679f5ecec|archive-url=https://archive.today/20120709233048/http://en.calameo.com/read/000127853fed679f5ecec|url-status=dead|archive-date=July 9, 2012|title=G3 Defence Magazine August 2010|work=calameo.com|access-date=15 December 2014}}</ref>{{sfn|Neville|2018|p=9}}
* {{flag|Iraq}}<ref name="jones2009" /> called the "Doshka" by Iraqis.
** {{flag|Kurdistan Region}}<ref>{{cite web|author=NRT |url=http://www.nrttv.com/EN/Details.aspx?Jimare=11913 |title=Peshmerga Ministry: There will be no withdraw from liberated areas |publisher=NRT TV |date=2017-01-25 |access-date=2017-06-25}}</ref>
* {{flag|Israel}}<ref name="jones2009" />
* {{flag|Côte d'Ivoire}}<ref name = 'SAS RCI 2012'>{{cite report|language=fr|title=Enquête nationale sur les armes légères et de petit calibre en Côte d'Ivoire: les défis du contrôle des armes et de la lutte contre la violence armée avant la crise post-électorale|first=Savannah|last=de Tessières|publisher=[UNDP](/source/United_Nations_Development_Programme), Commission Nationale de Lutte contre la Prolifération et la Circulation Illicite des Armes Légères et de Petit Calibre and [Small Arms Survey](/source/Small_Arms_Survey)|date=April 2012|series=Special Report No. 14|url=http://www.smallarmssurvey.org/fileadmin/docs/C-Special-reports/SAS-SR14-CoteIvoire.pdf|page=97|access-date=2018-08-30|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181009102938/http://www.smallarmssurvey.org/fileadmin/docs/C-Special-reports/SAS-SR14-CoteIvoire.pdf|archive-date=2018-10-09|url-status=dead}}</ref>
* {{flag|Kazakhstan}}<ref name="jones2009" />
* {{flag|Kenya}}<ref>{{cite web |author=World Armies |url=https://www.flickr.com/photos/world_armies/8067708063/in/album-72157628862405391/ |title=Kenyan Army |publisher=flicker |date=2012-10-08 |access-date=2017-04-05 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170406203031/https://www.flickr.com/photos/world_armies/8067708063/in/album-72157628862405391/ |archive-date=2017-04-06 |url-status=live }}</ref>
* {{flag|Kyrgyzstan}}<ref name="jones2009" />
* {{flag|Laos}}<ref name="jones2009" />
* {{flag|Liberia}}<ref>{{cite book|url=http://www.smallarmssurvey.org/publications/by-type/yearbook/small-arms-survey-2005.html|chapter-url=http://www.smallarmssurvey.org/fileadmin/docs/A-Yearbook/2005/en/Small-Arms-Survey-2005-Chapter-06-EN.pdf|chapter=Sourcing the Tools of War: Small Arms Supplies to Conflict Zones|title=Small Arms Survey 2005: Weapons at War|publisher=[Oxford University Press](/source/Oxford_University_Press)|year=2005|author=Small Arms Survey|author-link=Small Arms Survey|page=167|isbn=978-0-19-928085-8|access-date=2018-08-29|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180830004838/http://www.smallarmssurvey.org/publications/by-type/yearbook/small-arms-survey-2005.html|archive-date=2018-08-30|url-status=dead}}</ref>
* {{flag|Libya}}<ref name="jones2009" />
* {{flag|Lithuania}}<ref name="jones2009" />
* {{flag|North Macedonia}}<ref name="jones2009" />
* {{flag|Madagascar}}<ref name="jones2009" />
* {{flag|Mali}}<ref name="jones2009" /> – [Armed and Security Forces of Mali](/source/Military_of_Mali)
* {{flag|Malta}}<ref name="jones2009" />
* {{flag|Mongolia}}<ref>[http://www.legendtour.ru/eng/mongolia/ulaanbaatar/mongolian_military_museum_pictures.shtml Mongolian military museum. Ulaanbaatar. Sights of intersest] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131106230627/http://www.legendtour.ru/eng/mongolia/ulaanbaatar/mongolian_military_museum_pictures.shtml |date=2013-11-06 }}</ref>
* {{flag|Mozambique}}<ref name="jones2009" />
* {{flag|Nicaragua}}<ref name="jones2009" />
* {{flag|Nigeria}}<ref name="jones2009" />
* {{flag|North Korea}}<ref name="jones2009" />
* {{flag|North Vietnam}}<ref name="miller2001" />
* {{flag|Pakistan}}: Used by the [Pakistan Army](/source/Pakistan_Army). ''DShKM'' variant produced locally.<ref>{{cite book|last=O'Halloran|first=Kevin|title=Rwanda: Unamir 1994/1995|year=2012|publisher=Big Sky Publishing|isbn=978-1-921941-48-1}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=12.7mm DShK heavy machinegun|url=http://www.rusmilitary.com/html/dshk_hmg.htm|access-date=15 May 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130516185658/http://www.rusmilitary.com/html/dshk_hmg.htm|archive-date=16 May 2013|url-status=live}}</ref>
* {{flag|Peru}}<ref name="jones2009" />
* {{flag|Poland}}: Produced locally.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://milmag.pl/65-lat-dostaw-uzbrojenia-z-tarnowa/ | title=65 lat dostaw uzbrojenia z Tarnowa | date=3 June 2018 }}</ref><ref name="milmag.pl"/>
* {{flag|Romania}} Produced locally<ref>{{cite encyclopedia|title=ROMARM machine guns|encyclopedia=Jane's Infantry Weapons 2002-2003|url=https://archive.org/details/Janes_Infantry_Weapons/page/n3407|page=3407|date=4 May 2001|first1=Terry J.|last1=Gander}}</ref> (still used with [TR-85](/source/TR-85) tanks).
* {{flag|Russia}}<ref name="jones2009" />
* {{flag|Serbia}}<ref name="jones2009" />
* {{flag|Seychelles}}<ref name="jones2009" />
* {{flag|Sierra Leone}}<ref name="jones2009" />
* {{flag|Slovakia}}<ref name="jones2009" />
* {{flag|Somalia}}<ref name="jones2009" />
* {{flag|Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic}}<ref name='Sahara'/>
* {{flag|South Sudan}}<ref name ='SAS 2014 chapter 7'>{{cite book|url=http://www.smallarmssurvey.org/fileadmin/docs/A-Yearbook/2014/en/Small-Arms-Survey-2014-Highlights-EN.pdf|chapter-url=http://www.smallarmssurvey.org/fileadmin/docs/A-Yearbook/2014/en/Small-Arms-Survey-2014-Chapter-7-EN.pdf|chapter=Weapons tracing in Sudan and South Sudan|title=Small Arms Survey 2014: Women and guns|publisher=[Cambridge University Press](/source/Cambridge_University_Press)|year=2014|author=Small Arms Survey|author-link=Small Arms Survey|pages=224|access-date=2018-08-29|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161014061449/http://www.smallarmssurvey.org/fileadmin/docs/A-Yearbook/2014/en/Small-Arms-Survey-2014-Highlights-EN.pdf|archive-date=2016-10-14|url-status=dead}}</ref>
* {{flag|Syria}}<ref name="jones2009" />
* {{flag|Tanzania}}<ref name="jones2009" />
* {{flag|Togo}}<ref name="jones2009" />
* {{flag|Turkey}}<ref name ='News from 2016 coup'>{{cite news|title=Reported use by intelligence agency|url=http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2016/07/turkey-coup-attempt-intelligence-agency-thwart.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160724195008/http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2016/07/turkey-coup-attempt-intelligence-agency-thwart.html|archive-date=2016-07-24}}</ref>
* {{flag|Turkmenistan}}<ref name="jones2009" />
* {{flag|Uganda}}<ref name="jones2009" />
* {{flag|Ukraine}}: Also produces a variant with a bipod and large muzzle brake for infantry usage.<ref name="jones2009" /><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.thefirearmblog.com/blog/2017/12/19/ukrainian-modified-dshk-buttstock-picatinny-rail-bipod-ground-role/|title=Ukrainian Modified DShK with Buttstock, Picatinny Rail, and Bipod in Ground Role|website=The Firearm Blog|date=19 December 2017 |language=en}}</ref>
* {{flag|Vietnam}}<ref name="jones2009" />
* {{flag|Yemen}}<ref name="jones2009" />
* {{flag|Zambia}}<ref name="jones2009" />
* {{flag|Zimbabwe}}<ref name="jones2009" />
{{div col end}}

===Former users===
* {{flag|Czechoslovakia}}: Produced ''DShKM'' variant TK Vz.53 which included a [four barrelled version](/source/Vz.53_Anti-Aircraft_Gun).<ref name="miller2001">{{cite book |first=David |last=Miller |year=2001 |title=The Illustrated Directory of 20th Century Guns |publisher=Salamander Books Ltd. |location=London |isbn=978-1-84065-245-1}}</ref>
* {{flag|East Germany}}<ref>{{cite web |title=12,7-mm-überschweres Maschinengewehr DSchK Modell 1938 und Modell 1938/46 |url=http://www.militaertechnik-der-nva.de/Waffensysteme/Artilleriesysteme/Artillerie/DSchK/DSchK.html |website=Militaertechnik der NVA |language=de}}</ref>
* {{flag|Soviet Union}}: Passed on to successor states.<ref name="miller2001" />
* {{flag|Yugoslavia}}: Manufactured ''DShKM'' variant.<ref name="g3defencemag" />

===Non-state users===
* |22px [National Guard (Suwayda)](/source/National_Guard_(Suwayda)){{sfn|Neville|2018|p=}}{{page needed|date=March 2026}}
* 22px [Provisional IRA](/source/Provisional_IRA)<ref name="miller2001" />
* {{flagicon image|Flag of Syrian Democratic Forces.svg}} [Syrian Democratic Forces](/source/Syrian_Democratic_Forces)<ref name=nash30>{{cite book |last1=Nash |first1=Ed |last2=Searle |first2=Alaric |title=Kurdish Armour Against ISIS |publisher=Osprey Publishing|date=2021 |isbn=9781472847584 |page=30}}</ref>

==Gallery==
<gallery>
File:MTU-2 ring mounting (1).jpg|A Soviet {{sclass2|G-5|motor torpedo boat|2}} armed with the DShK machine gun on the MTU-2 ring mount, 1944
File:Зенитчики бронепоезда «Железняков» у пулеметов ДШК.jpg|The DShK anti-aircraft machine guns mounted on the Soviet [armoured train](/source/armoured_train) ''Zhelezniakov'', May 1942
File:Kurdish militant with machine gun, Northern Iraq, 1991.jpg|A Kurdish fighter firing the DShK during the [1991 Iraqi uprising](/source/1991_Iraqi_uprisings)
File:12,7-мм станковый пулемёт ДШК образца 1938 года.jpg|The WW2-era DShK M1938 anti-aircraft machine gun in the [Artillery Museum (Saint Petersburg)](/source/Artillery_Museum_(Saint_Petersburg))
File:Mitraliera DShK UM Cugir.jpg|A Romanian DShK chambered in [12.7×99mm NATO](/source/12.7%C3%9799mm_NATO) on display at Expomil 2005
File:A soldier with the Ukrainian Land Forces fires a Degtyaryov-Shpagin Large-Caliber heavy machine gun.jpg|A soldier with the Ukrainian Land Forces fires a DShKM
File:Black Sea Defense and Aerospace 2010 (6).jpg|DShKM [TR-85M1](/source/TR-85M1)
File:Romanian URO VAMTAC S3 in service with the Romanian military.jpg|DShKM [URO VAMTAC](/source/URO_VAMTAC)
File:DShK on T-55 DD-SD-01-05147.JPEG|DShKM anti-aircraft machine gun on a [T-55](/source/T-55) tank loader's roof hatch
File:Anti-aircraft gun in Museo Giron.jpg|The M53 is an anti-aircraft mounting of four 12.7&nbsp;mm heavy machine guns vz. 38/46 (Czech copy of Soviet DShKM)
</gallery>

==See also==
*[FN BRG-15](/source/FN_BRG-15)
*[HMG PK-16](/source/HMG_PK-16)
* [KPV heavy machine gun](/source/KPV_heavy_machine_gun)
* [List of Russian weaponry](/source/List_of_Russian_weaponry)

==References==
{{Reflist|2}}

==Further reading==
* Leszek Erenfeicht (29 August 2012). "[http://sadefensejournal.com/wp/?p=1305 Dushka: The Soviet Fifty Caliber]". ''Small Arms Defense Journal''. Vol. 4, No. 3.
* {{cite book
  | last=Koll
  | first=Christian
  | title=Soviet Cannon: A Comprehensive Study of Soviet Arms and Ammunition in Calibres 12.7mm to 57mm
  | publisher=Koll
  | year=2009
  | location=Austria
  | url=http://www.russianammo.org
  | isbn=978-3-200-01445-9
  | page=53
}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|DShK}}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20050408063852/http://world.guns.ru/machine/mg03-e.htm DShK and DShKM] at guns.ru.
* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z9bQmtaW0L4%20 Video of Operation]

{{WWIIUSSRInfWeapons}}

Category:12.7×108 mm machine guns
Category:Heavy machine guns
Category:Machine guns of the Soviet Union
Category:Military equipment introduced in the 1930s
Category:World War II infantry weapons of the Soviet Union
Category:World War II machine guns
Category:Weapons and ammunition introduced in 1938

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [DShK](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DShK) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DShK?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.