Chapter 968 Committee Members
For the troops, a heavier tripod is not a big problem, as the tripod is for battalion use, so a little weight does not matter. However, as a light machine gun for a company machine gun, the requirements for the weight of the gun body are very high, and the troops only recognize one number - 7.5kg as Chief Engineer Gao said.

We don't recognize anything else but 7.5. Can't do it? That's your problem.

This put Engineer Zhao, who already had some understanding of the PK machine gun, in a dilemma. Originally, he wanted to think of a solution himself, but after getting the PK, he found that things were not simple.

This gun is made very well, and being made very well means that there is no way to tamper with it. We dare not change anything here or there.

Only then did he realize the value of Chief Engineer Gao. How could he be so sure that he could change it to 7.5kg? The difference of 1.5kg was not something that could be solved by a minor operation.

He was also very curious about how Chief Engineer Gao would modify this thing.

Gao Zhendong pointed to the front of the gun: "Change this thing."

What he was pointing at was the long gun barrel.

Hot news: the barrel of the PK/PKM is quite long compared to similar equipment.

Engineer Zhao was a little surprised. Can the gun barrel be replaced so easily?

"Chief Engineer Gao, do you think this gun barrel is too long?"

This is the only explanation. The length of the barrel of this gun is indeed exaggerated, but the amazing thing is that the overall length of the gun is okay and acceptable.

Gao Zhendong laughed. How could it be shortened? The troops were the first to disagree. Within a certain limit, the barrel length is directly linked to accuracy, power, and range. Without a barrel, a 12.7mm heavy machine gun bullet would require some luck to kill someone, and a 9*19mm pistol bullet would barely be able to do much more than scratch the target.

We, like the Russians, suffer from the same serious problem of continental military syndrome, but we are afraid that the power and range are not enough. If you cut the gun barrel, the first to be angry with you will be the troops.

Gao Zhendong shook his head: "No, no, no, let's make it thinner."

"Become thinner? Can the strength withstand it? Look, these reinforcing ribs on the back half of the barrel can also take into account the heat dissipation function. If it is made too thin, let’s not talk about whether the strength is sufficient, but the heat dissipation will become a problem, right?" Professor Liu also joined the discussion. He knew that Gao Zhendong was a materials expert, so he didn't worry too much about the strength. If Professor Gao took out another material, there would be no conversation.

However, heat dissipation is real. No matter what kind of steel it is, the thermal conductivity and specific heat capacity are almost the same. If there is less material, the heat dissipation will be weaker. This is unavoidable.

Gao Zhendong said: "Yes, there is no need to worry about the strength. As for the heat dissipation, it will indeed be affected. But doesn't this gun have a detachable barrel?"

The detachable barrel of the PKM has always been a core point of criticism, that is, the heat dissipation is not good and it is slow to replace.

In fact, this cannot be said to be completely wrong, but it cannot be said to be completely correct either. Anyone who has seen a PKM changing its barrel knows that it is indeed not fast, but it is definitely not slow either. It can be replaced within 30 seconds. If it cannot be completed, then you have to look for the reason in your training.

In fact, changing the PKM barrel requires two more not-too-troublesome steps than the quick-detach barrel. Open the bullet cover, and then open a cover under the bullet cover. These two steps are just a matter of prying open the clip. Then you can use the handle to pry the barrel to the side and pull it out.

It looks cumbersome, but compared with Hans' MG42's "quick-detach barrel" that cannot be replaced without gloves, it is hard to say which one is faster on the battlefield.

The disassembly and assembly structure of the PKM barrel is related to the overall structure, so it is not easy to modify it. Otherwise, PKP would not have found another way to solve this problem. Therefore, Gao Zhendong has no idea of ​​forcibly changing it. The Russians, who are sick of the mainland army, say that this thing is good after using it, so it doesn't matter what others say.

In fact, our heavy machine gun also has a similar structure. The bullet cover needs to be opened to replace the barrel, but for the 12.7 heavy machine gun and PKM heavy machine gun mode that do not require close combat, this is actually not a big problem.

As for the close combat light machine gun mode, the possibility of hitting the red tube is actually not that great. Close combat is about burst, but it does not require persistence.

Moreover, it is not certain how durable this type of barrel with reinforcement and heat dissipation slots can be. When the battle is fierce, it will still be hot, and it is not necessarily much better than quickly changing barrels.

"A detachable gun barrel... seems to make sense." Engineer Zhao and Professor Liu watched Gao Zhendong skillfully disassemble and assemble the PK's gun barrel and felt that the speed seemed quite fast.

This can save at least one kilogram, plus the spare barrel, it is at least two kilograms, which is not a small amount.

"And..." When Engineer Zhao heard Gao Zhendong's word "and", he might not feel anything, but Professor Liu's eyes lit up immediately. Chief Engineer Gao must have a backup plan.

"Is there any other good idea, Mr. Gao?"

Gao Zhendong drew the only design on PKP that he was going to refer to.

"You can design an air duct like this to use the hot air to flow and force heat dissipation. This design was quite common on light machine guns in the past."

Simply put, it is to add a layer of iron tube with a window at the rear end of the outer periphery of the barrel to form an air duct with the barrel, and use the forward rush of gunpowder gas during shooting to force the cold air to dissipate heat.

PKP did this, but PKP removed the replaceable barrel function and moved the bipod from the gas regulator to the muzzle. In the end, this improvement was severely criticized. Forced heat dissipation is not new, but Zhao Gong and his team understand it.

"But if this happens, the gun might become heavier, right?" The most important thing about this gun is to reduce its weight.

Gao Zhendong laughed and said, "You can try a lightweight barrel + detachable, a non-replaceable forced-cooling barrel, and a forced-cooling barrel + detachable. Make sample guns for each of these options, modify them, and give them to the comrades in the army to choose from. They will naturally know what they want. Let them choose a heavier or lighter one."

In experimental research, it is impossible to always produce finished products directly. Gao Zhendong's incredible methods are rare. Usually, multiple plans are made for comparison.

"Oh, yes, yes, this is a good idea. We will do our best and then ask the comrades in the army to choose."

In fact, Gao Zhendong is still confident about the total weight of the induced-fire gun barrel that they have improved. The PKP weighs 8.2 kilograms, but Gao Zhendong is confident that the weight they can make can be below 8 kilograms, because the materials they have are much better than those of the Russians.

Except for parts like the bolt that cannot be reduced in weight at will, it should not be a big problem to reduce a little weight, such as the bipod.

"By the way, for the buttstock part, I suggest you go find someone and ask him for high-strength engineering plastic and use it to make the buttstock."

Compared to PK's original wooden buttstock, engineering plastic is a better choice with much higher strength. Moreover, wood is expensive. The Russians used to like to use good wood on their guns, which was heavy and expensive, but not as durable as engineering plastic.

The high-strength engineering plastics developed by Mr. Xiang and his team have been used by 61 Fire in many places such as plateaus and snowy areas. It has been proven that they have excellent performance and can be used to make gun stocks.

"Okay, okay." Not to mention Engineer Zhao, even Professor Liu thought this was a good idea, although he didn't know what the butt of his gun looked like yet.

Everything was almost communicated, and Gao Zhendong turned around and greeted the Beijing Institute of Technology students at the shooting range.

"Classmate, come on, give me a few more bullet chains."

All belt-driven machine guns can be called logistics happiness devices. Gao Zhendong is preparing to make the logistics comrades of Beijing University of Technology happy.

This is called loading bullets for ten minutes and pouring water for ten seconds.

This is a new imported weapon, and I have to help my comrades test it carefully.
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As the new year of the Gregorian calendar begins, there are naturally many things that need to be carried forward from the past and into the future.

At this time, somewhere in Beijing, the comrade in charge of the science and technology committee was looking at the recommendations of various ministries and commissions.

The science and technology committee is very interesting. The recommendations are relatively concentrated in the natural sciences, but in the technical sciences, due to the large number of technical branches, the recommendation votes are very scattered. Basically, each of them is in charge of their own area and have almost no understanding of anything outside their own field.

This made it almost impossible for scientific committee members for technical sciences to be selected through industry recommendations. In the end, there was no other choice but to change the method, where the Academy of Science and Technology discussed with leaders of various ministries and finally selected the list.

What they are looking at now is the list pushed forward by various ministries.

"Haha, they finally couldn't bear it anymore and pushed this comrade out." A comrade laughed.

The other person leaned over to take a look at the name on his hand and laughed, "That's natural. If we delay any further, I'm afraid we'll lose our objectivity. Whether it's for protection or something else, we can't go on like this. A laser from two years ago is basically enough."

"He has many achievements that are worthy of his name. Is it because of his family situation that it has been delayed until now?"

This committee has only three requirements, which seem simple: academic achievement, contribution to the promotion of science and technology, and loyalty to the people's cause.

Although the people here don't know all about Gao Zhendong's situation, the part they know is enough for the first two items. It's just that each of them knows different things about Gao Zhendong's achievements. It can be said that you want the city gate tower, and I want the hip axle.

As for the third item, some people know a little about Gao Zhendong's family situation, especially those in the medical department.

"Impossible, he...he...is very capable." This comrade must have known something. He hesitated for a moment and used a very vague statement.

Someone laughed and said, "It's far more than that. However, his situation is not suitable for further discussion. Let's focus on the selection of scientific committee members." This person should be a leader and knows a lot.

"Yes, yes, but there is a big problem with him now. Do you think we can solve it?"

The other comrades were all very confused. What serious problem could there be with this comrade? It was impossible.

(End of this chapter)