Afanasev A-12.7

A-12.7 aircraft machine gun
Type	Single-barrel aircraft machine gun
Place of origin	Soviet Union
Service history
Used by	Soviet Union, Russia
Production history
Designer	Nikolay M. Afanasev
Designed	1949–1953[1]
Manufacturer	Tulamashzavod Tula Izhmash Izhevsk Kovrov KMZ[1]
Produced	1953–1983[1]
Specifications
Mass	25.5 kg (56 lb)[2]
Length	1,423 mm (4 ft 8 in)[2]
Barrel length	1,005 mm (3 ft 4 in)[2]
Width	154 mm (6 in)
Height	154.5 mm (6 in)
Cartridge	12.7×108mm
Caliber	12.7 mm (0.50 in)
Barrels	1
Action	Gas operation
Rate of fire	800–1,100 rpm
Muzzle velocity	818 m/s (2,680 ft/s)

The Afanasev A-12.7 is a heavy machine gun developed by Nikolay M. Afanasev in 1949 and adopted for service in 1953. This gun was supposed to have a considerably higher rate of fire than its predecessor, the Berezin UB aircraft machine gun. Due to excessive barrel wear however, it was eventually limited by an electrical trigger to a rate comparable to the Berezin UB. Initially intended to be mounted in the defensive turrets of the Tu-4 bomber, the A-12.7 was ultimately installed only in trainer aircraft and helicopters. Nevertheless, it was produced for 30 years.