ISIS & Iraqi Forces Use ‘Techincals’ with Anti-Aircraft Guns Against Each Other

The KPV heavy machine gun, which is actively used by terrorists of the Islamic State (IS) group and the Peshmerga forces against each other, has become one of the most brutal weapons during the Iraqi war.

The KPV heavy machine gun, designed to shoot down aircraft, is one of the most brutal weapons that is used by both sides of the Iraqi war: by soldiers of the Iraqi Army and fighters of the popular forces, as well as by terrorists of the Islamic State (IS) group.

The 14.5×114-millimeter KPV, whose weight is about 50 kilograms, is not as pervasive as the smaller DShK heavy machine gun, but, nonetheless, it is a big and extremely dangerous threat for the Peshmerga forces and the Iraqi Army during their offensive on the city of Mosul.

Dozens of KPVs were seized by IS terrorists in Syria and Iraq and mounted onto their pickup trucks that allowed to increase mobile and intermediate range firepower of the terrorist group. During many years, the KPVs were being supplied to the Syrian and Iraqi Armies by Russia as a gun for vehicles, and as part of multi-barreled ZPU-type anti-aircraft weapons.

A video, showing the KPV, captured from the IS terrorist group during the push toward Mosul, was published online by a Norwegian foreign fighter, serving in the ranks of the Kurdish Peshmerga.

“This one was taken from ISIS after we liberated Batnay last week,” he wrote on his Facebook page. “The weapon technician is seen here checking it for damages. We also took another 14.5 mm machinegun from ISIS after we liberated Sinjar last year, so it’s actually a somewhat common weapon down here.”

Kurdish and Iraqi soldiers have a hodgepodge of bespoke war vehicles, whose level of protection can vary. Some soldiers even go into battle riding aboard unarmored pickup trucks. However, they have their own heavy weapons, including KPVs.

“One of our gunners got a probable confirmed kill with the 14.5 mm during the first days of the offensive,” the Norwegian foreign fighter wrote.

Some 14.5 mm action from the other day. Frontline update. As I predicted recently, the Peshmerga launched an offensive this weekend with the aim of recapturing several villages East of Mosul and putting further pressure on ISIS, who is also under attack by the YPG North of Raqqah and by the Iraqi Army and the PMU in Fallujah. The offensive lasted for three days and the Peshmerga was able to take back several villages, pushing the frontline closer towards Mosul and killing 140 enemy fighters with minimal own casualties. We were expecting counter-attacks from ISIS under the on-going offensive, so we were on high alert for four days, which meant three nights with no sleep and with bearly anything to eat. The counter-attack came, but they were directed at two other fronts… we only had some long range exchange of fire and incoming mortar rounds and rockets. We had some close calls as well, but I’m pretty much used to them by now and they’re not as fun as they used to be. But we had a western volunteer from another unit with us who experienced his first close call… and I must admit his reaction gave me some joy, as he had been bragging for two days straight. Needless to say, both me and @peshmergaswe are pretty exhausted now and we will probably take a break soon as there is no chance of getting the rest we need in this enviroment. We haven’t really had a single night of decent sleep for six weeks and I’m worried about the long-term effects. Regarding the offensive towards Raqqah. The YPG have had some good progress, but unfortunatly, what’s gotten most attention is the incident were US special operation forces were seen wearing YPG patches (which I believe might be standard operating procedure when they work with indegenous groups such as the YPG). Not suprisingly, Turkey got butthurt and made the usual drama and the Obama administration backed down and had the patches removed. One would think that the fact that turkish intelligence is known to support ISIS would be a bigger concern than some patches. Oh, well. Finally, thanks to @bookofchuck, @rmsha, @ianboyce, @raphaeljeb13, J. Dunn and Corporal Martinez, USMC for their financial aid. Appreciate it, guys!

Видео опубликовано Mike (@peshmerganor) Июн 1 2016 в 8:30 PDT

The KPV’s round has kinetic power of the M2 Browning’s. Ammunition for this 14.5-millimeter machine gun is widely manufactured in the post-Soviet world, North Korea and the Middle East, and comes in a variety of armor-piercing incendiary and high-explosive variants. The KPV was actively used by the Soviet Union during the Second World War, however, now this weapon is practically useless, given the heavier armor that is a standard around the world now. At the same time, the heavy machine gun has reappeared in Ukraine thanks to its ability to punch through concrete and lighter vehicles. As an anti-aircraft weapon, the KPV is mainly a deterrent.