Ksp 58

Ksp 58
A Ksp 58 in the Swedish Army Museum
Type	General-purpose machine gun
Place of origin	Belgium Sweden
Service history
In service	1958–present
Used by	Swedish Armed Forces
Wars	War in Afghanistan Russian Invasion of Ukraine
Production history
Designer	Ernest Vervier
Designed	1950s
Manufacturer	FN Herstal Carl Gustafs stads gevärsfaktori
Produced	1958–present
Specifications
Mass	11.79 kg (26.0 lb)
Length	1,263 mm (49.7 in)
Barrel length	630 mm (25 in)
Width	118.7 mm (4.67 in)
Height	263 mm (10.4 in)
Cartridge	6.5×55mm Swedish 7.62×51mm NATO
Action	Gas-operated, open bolt
Rate of fire	650–1,000 rounds/min
Muzzle velocity	840 metres per second (2,800 ft/s)
Effective firing range	800 m
Maximum firing range	1,800 m from tripod
Feed system	Non-disintegrating DM1 or disintegrating M13 linked belt
Sights	Folding leaf sight with aperture and notch, front blade

The Ksp 58 (Swedish: Kulspruta 58, English: Machine Gun 58) is a Swedish variant of the Belgian FN MAG general-purpose machine gun, adopted by the Swedish Armed Forces in 1958.

History

After 1945, many countries were trying to produce their own machine guns based on the MG 42 design. In the early 1950s, Belgian arms manufacturer FN Herstal succeeded in developing a general-purpose machine gun called the MAG. The initial Ksp 58A version used by Sweden was chambered for 6.5×55mm, while the B and later models were chambered for 7.62×51mm NATO.

Users

• Estonia: Ksp 58B version in use. Was first received from Sweden in 1990's as military aid.
• Latvia: Ksp 58B version in use. Was first received from Sweden in 1990's as military aid.
• Lithuania: Ksp 58B version in use. Was first received from Sweden in 1990's as military aid.
• Sweden: Used by the Swedish Armed Forces since 1958 to the present.
• Ukraine: Ksp 58B version in use. Received as military aid

External links

• Swedish Armed Forces Ksp 58 website