“If someone wants to carry out this work legally ... they should approach [Russia’s state arms exporter] Rosoboronexport and discuss it,” Russian state-run conglomerate Rostec, which oversees various defense firms, including gun maker Kalashnikov Concern, said in a statement on Oct. 10, 2018. “Otherwise, this would amount to the illegal copying of Russian innovations or theft, simply speaking.” "Several countries hold licenses for manufacturing Russian machine guns of this model, but the US is not among them,” Viktor Bondarev, a member of Russia’s Duma, the country’s top legislative body, and Chairman of the Russian Federation Council's Committee on Defense and Security, told state-run media outlet TASS separately that same day. “If U.S. intentions evolve into real actions, if they start making concrete steps in an effort to use our technologies without permission, if they start re-engineering and manufacturing our heavy machine guns on the US territory, then we should react decisively and promptly.”

US Army A member of Iraq's security forces fires a PK-style machine gun during training overseen by members of the US-led coalition.

The remarks from Rostec and Bondarev highlight one of the core reasons why SOCOM is pursuing this project in the first place. Since 2014, the U.S. government has imposed a raft of sanctions on various arms of the Russia government, including Rosoboronexport, over the Kremlin’s actions in Ukraine and Syria, meddling in the U.S. electoral process, and more. This has made it all but impossible to source weapons like the PKM and NSV from Russia directly. This has already had far-reaching impacts on U.S. military assistance programs, most notably leading to an American-backed decision to replace the Afghan Air Force’s Russian-made Mi-17 helicopters with U.S.-built UH-60 Black Hawks.

NATO A Romanian Gendarmerie, at right, trains a member of Afghanistan's Uniformed Police to fire an NSV machine gun.

Defense contractors situated within certain NATO members, such as Bulgaria, as well as in other ostensibly friendly countries, such as Ukraine, do still produce versions or derivatives of Soviet-era guns, providing alternative sources. They might not have the capacity to meet American demands or do so quickly, though. At the same time, guns such as the PKM and NSV remain extremely popular around the world and in demand, including among U.S. allies and partners. In addition, the U.S. military has its own demands for these types of machine guns in order to train personnel who will act as advisors and mentors for foreign forces. There may also be a need to equip units that will be operating in close cooperation with those forces with similar weapons or to have them on hand to issue to personnel engaged in covert or clandestine operations.

USMC Members of Marine Corps Forces Special Operations Command shoot Kalashnikov AKM-style rifles during a training exercise.

Having a steady supply chain for the weapons based entirely in the United States would simplify the logistics of the situation immensely. It would also help ensure uniformity in the weapons the U.S. military is acquiring for its allies or for its own use. The Soviet-style assault rifles and machine guns the U.S. government has sourced from countries such as Bulgaria, Hungary, and Romania in the past may be functionally identical, but do not necessarily have 100 percent commonality in parts. “Foreign made weapons lack interchangeability and standardization which hinders field and depot level part replacement,” SOCOM said in its 2017 contracting announcement. “Developing a domestic production capability for foreign like weapons addresses these issues while being cost effective as well as strengthens the nations [sic; nation’s] military-industrial complex, ensures a reliable and secure supply chain, and reduces acquisition lead times.” As for Russia’s claims of potential intellectual property theft and plans to try and block the U.S. military program, it’s not clear if they will have any legitimate claims to the American designs. The SOCOM plan specifically calls for guns that “resemble” PKMs and NSVs, but are not necessarily direct copies thereof.

Vitaly Kuzmin A Pecheneg-SP light machine gun, one of Russia's most modern versions of the PK-family.

If the guns use the same types of ammunition, which are widely available, and feature the same basic control arrangement, it would be relatively easy for foreign forces to transition from their Soviet designs. It would also mitigate the logistical and maintenance burdens of switching to an entirely new type of weapon. Even if the new machine guns were to incorporate parts from the PKM and NSV designs, it’s not clear if this would present a legal impediment to their production. Private companies focused on the civilian market in the United States build components for various Soviet-era rifles, shotguns, and machine guns and do not appear to pay licensing fees or royalties to Rostec in order to do so. It wouldn’t be the first time a U.S. company has made a derivative of a Soviet-style military weapon system and sold it commercially without issue, either. American firm AirTronic USA is building its own take on the iconic RPG-7 rocket-propelled grenade and has sold examples to the U.S. military and Ukraine, among others.

US Army A US Army soldier prepared to a fire an AirTronic PSRL-1, an American-made derivative of the Soviet RPG-7.