| Malyuk | |
|---|---|
 Malyuk on display at the 2021 'Zbroya ta Bezpeka' military fair. | |
| Type | Bullpup Assault rifle |
| Place of origin | Ukraine |
| Service history | |
| Used by | Ukrainian Army |
| Wars | 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine |
| Production history | |
| Designer | Interproinvest (IPI) |
| Manufacturer | Krasyliv Assembly Manufacturing Plant |
| Specifications | |
| Mass | 3.8 kg (8.38 lb) |
| Length | 712 mm (28 in) |
| Barrel length | 415 mm (16 in) |
|
| |
| Cartridge |
5.45×39mm 7.62x39mm 5.56×45mm NATO |
| Rate of fire | 660 rounds/min |
| Effective firing range | 500m |
| Feed system | 10/30/45 round detachable box magazine |
| Sights | Iron sights and Picatinny rail, others as required by end user. |
| References | [1][2] |
The Malyuk (Ukrainian: Малюк), also known as Vulcan[3] or Vulcan-M,[4] is an assault rifle developed by the Ukrainian arms company Interproinvest (IPI).[5] The Malyuk is an development of the Russian Kalashnikov assault rifle, reconfigured into a bullpup layout.
History[]
According to IPI Vice CEO Serhiy Luhovskoy, development of the Malyuk started back in 2005 based on an earlier attempt for a bullpup rifle known as the Vepr and the mistakes made with it.[6] The development was based on a contract placed by the Security Service of Ukraine with prototype rifles provided before inquiries were made by the Ukrainian Ministry of Defence in 2008.[7] In February 2015, feedback was provided by then president Petro Poroshenko and the Department of State Security Guard.[7] Production was made in cooperation with the Electron Corporation as they can quickly produce the rifles with modern manufacturing equipment[7] with the Krasyliv Assembly Manufacturing Plant.[8]
The Malyuk debuted in 2015 at the Arms & Security Expo in Kyiv in 2015.[9] The rifle was first seen in public outside of Ukraine at the International Defence Industry Fair in May 2015 at Istanbul, Turkey[10] and at the Azerbaijan International Defence Exhibition in September 2016 at Baku, Azerbaijan.[5]
In 2016, it was known that 200 Malyuks were delivered to the Ukrainian Army.[5] Limited trials were conducted on the Malyuk with the Ukrainian Army in the same year.[11]
The Malyuk is used by Ukrainian special forces units in the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine,[12] but the rifle was observed to be used with the National Guard of Ukraine, the Ukrainian Territorial Defense Forces[13] and the Azov Battalion.[4]
On February 27, 2022, an alleged saboteur was arrested in Odesa by the State Border Guard Service and the National Police of Ukraine in a joint operation.[14] Among the items confiscated included a loaded Malyuk rifle with a Makarov PM, an RPG-22 and two T-62M anti-tank mines.[14]
The weapon has been demonstrated in Indonesia[15] and Sri Lanka[3] for potential contracts.
Design[]
The Malyuk is made from polymer materials and is chambered in 5.45×39mm, 7.62x39mm and 5.56×45mm NATO ammo.[4] It can be equipped with an IPI-made suppressor as required.[5] It weights 3.8 kilograms and has a total length of 712 mm and part length of 415 mm. The Malyuk is cooled down by air convection, which allows the rifle to have a longer barrel life.[5] The rifle's effective firing range is at 500 m[16] at a rate of 700 rounds/minute. It can use 10/30/45-round AKM/AK-74/RPK-based magazines.[9][16] The magazine release button is located next to the trigger. As the magazine well is specifically designed to facilitate better loading, it allows the magazine to fall down by itself.[5] To solve the problem of excessive gas emissions, a deflector shield is placed over the ejection port.[6] This allows spent catridge cases to fall alternatively between 45 degrees or downward while reduced gas is sent to the receiver.[6]
Recoil is reduced by 50% and the design allows the user to fire the rifle, unload and load the magazine with one hand.[8] The Malyuk can either retain the AKM-based fire selector or an ambidextrous low-profile two-position selector for semi and full auto fire.[9]
The Malyuk can be equipped with a RSP2W Shoot Corner for the user to fire it from around the corner.[15] It is possible to mount an underbarrel grenade launcher.[2]
Left or right-handed shooters can easily use the Malyuk as its ambidextrous.[5]
A commercial version of the Malyuk was developed at the Krasyliv Assembly Manufacturing Plant in cooperation with Electron Corporation.[8]
Variants[]
- Malyuk - Assault rifle variant
- Malyuk K-01/02 - Civilian variant which fires one shot.[17] The K-01 variant is chambered in 7.62x39 and the K-02 variant is chambered in 5.56x45.[17]
- Shepit - Meaning Whisper in Ukrainian, is a Malyuk built with a long barrel, bipod and suppressor.[9]
- Riff - Man-portable anti-drone weapon powered by a 100 Watt portable battery.[9]
References[]
- ↑ "Vulcan". https://interproinvest.com/en/vulcan.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Our goal is to have the Malyuk Rifle replace Soviet-designed 5.45/7.62mm AK weapons in Ukraine. 2. April-June 2015. p. 49. https://issuu.com/ukrainian_defense_review/docs/udr-02-2015_issue__1_. Retrieved March 23, 2022.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 "Ukrainian assault rifle Vulcan presented in one of the countries of Southeast Asia". 2022-02-01. https://mil.in.ua/en/news/ukrainian-assault-rifle-vulcan-presented-in-one-of-the-countries-of-southeast-asia.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Suresh, Meera (2022-03-14). "Homegrown Malyuk Assault Rifle Is Ukrainians' Prized Weapon To Fight Russia". https://www.ibtimes.com.au/homegrown-malyuk-assault-rifle-ukrainians-prized-weapon-fight-russia-1800566.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 5.5 5.6 "Ukraine-made Malyuk assault rifle makes first public appearance at ADEX 2016 22909164". 29 September 2016. https://www.armyrecognition.com/adex_2016_official_online_show_daily_news/ukraine-made_malyuk_assault_rifle_makes_first_public_appearance_at_adex_2016_22909164.html.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 Our goal is to have the Malyuk Rifle replace Soviet-designed 5.45/7.62mm AK weapons in Ukraine. 2. April-June 2015. p. 47. https://issuu.com/ukrainian_defense_review/docs/udr-02-2015_issue__1_. Retrieved March 23, 2022.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 Our goal is to have the Malyuk Rifle replace Soviet-designed 5.45/7.62mm AK weapons in Ukraine. 2. April-June 2015. p. 48. https://issuu.com/ukrainian_defense_review/docs/udr-02-2015_issue__1_. Retrieved March 23, 2022.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 Interproinvest Malyuk Assault Rifle. 1. January-March 2016. p. 39. https://issuu.com/ukrainian_defense_review/docs/udr-01-2016./40. Retrieved March 23, 2022.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 9.3 9.4 "Small Arms Defense Journal". http://www.sadefensejournal.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/sadjv13n5.pdf.
- ↑ "The new Malyuk bullpup design assault rifle from the Ukrainian defense industry 05051510 | IDEF 2015 Show Daily News Coverage Report | Defence security military exhibition 2015". https://www.armyrecognition.com/idef_2015_show_daily_news_coverage_report/the_new_malyuk_bullpup_design_assault_rifle_from_the_ukrainian_defense_industry_05051510.html.
- ↑ "Malyuk assault rifle (Ukraine)". January 2018. https://modernfirearms.net/en/assault-rifles/malyuk/.
- ↑ Neville 2019, p. 173.
- ↑ Trevithick, Joseph (11 March 2022). "Ukraine's Indigenous "Malyuk" Bullpup Rifle Is The Weapon Of Choice For Its Special Operators". https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/44687/ukraines-indigenous-malyuk-bullpup-rifle-is-the-weapon-of-choice-for-its-special-operators.
- ↑ 14.0 14.1 "Weapons & equipment seized from alleged Russian saboteurs in Ukraine". 2022-03-25. https://armamentresearch.com/weapons-equipment-seized-from-alleged-russian-saboteurs-in-ukraine-2022.
- ↑ 15.0 15.1 "News - EGI OPTICS". http://egi-optic.com/portfolio-details2.html.
- ↑ 16.0 16.1 "Malyuk bullpup out of the Ukraine -". October 2015. https://www.thefirearmblog.com/blog/2015/10/01/malyuk-bullpup-out-of-the-ukraine/.
- ↑ 17.0 17.1 "MALYUK K-01/02 hunting rifle – Interproinvest". https://interproinvest.com/en/malyuk-k-01-02-hunting-rifle/.
Bibliography[]
- Neville, Leigh (2019). The Elite: The A–Z of Modern Special Operations Forces. Oxford: Osprey Publishing. ISBN 978-1472824295.
External links[]
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The original article can be found at Malyuk and the edit history here.