Project Kuski
Project Kuski (Slavic: Части проекта), was an advanced assault rifle program that took place in 1984 to 1993.
Contents
History
The PA-64 replaced the PA-45 as the main rifle for the Zloveshchiyan infantry during 1964. The PA-64 proved itself to be effective and capable during the war. However, due to the aging design, subpar efficiency in the battlefield over the later years, and tactics changing, it became clear that the weapon would fall out of favor and become obsolete.
Thus causing the Zloveshchiyan Government to issue an order to manufacturing facilities to design a new assault rifle to replace the PA-64 in 1984.
Specifications
Zloveshchiyan analysts determined that modern battlefield tactics require short bursts of fire from shooting positions including standing, kneeling and prone (lying down). The requirement for more accurate bursts of fire was one of the most important aspects of the order specification for any replacement of the PA-64. Because of the expensive and time-consuming nature of manufacturing and adopting a new assault rifle this order specified that any new assault rifle had to be 1.5 to 2.0 times more "combat effective" than the PA-64.
The complexity of modern firearms design and manufacturing dictated that design bureaus with dedicated manufacturing facilities were enlisted to design and manufacture prototypes. The prototypes were produced after three years by Plamya Building Plant, Kubok Mechanical, Voskhod and Potoki Mechanical Engineering plants.
Trials
First Stage
By August 1987, eight prototypes from eight designers were ready to be tested. Preliminary trials on the technical design stage in August and November 1987 were subjected to assault rifles:
| Bureau | Model | Designer |
|---|---|---|
| Plamya | ||
| PA-0111 | Gavriila Morozova | |
| PA-0136-3M | Vanya Egorov | |
| PA-0146 | Afon Plamya | |
| Kubok | ||
| KL-971 | Efrosin Makarov | |
| KL-978 | Gleb Kuznetsov | |
| Potoki | ||
| PME-9 | Yaropolk Lebedev | |
| PI | Tit Ilin | |
| Voskhod | ||
| VK-3 | Demyan Baranov |
The Commission, appointed by the Ministry of Defence of Zloveshchiy, reviewed the test results and confirmed the possibility of finding a candidate that meets the initial order specifications. Two designs were eliminated after this first stage of testing: the automatic VK-3, because of the initial malfunction that caused the death of one tester, and the PA-0111 (the least promising). The remaining designs went through 18 months of further development to improve manufacturing details and accuracy.
Second Stage
From May to June 1989, following the 18-month development period, one of the remaining six designs, the PME-9 was replaced by the PE-1 and new prototype was added, the PI-89 assault rifle (designed by Nikifor Kozlov and Samuil Egorov).
Tests included firing a high volumes of rounds under extreme conditions including dust, extreme temperatures and altitudes. No prototype met all requirements. Only the KL-978 and PI-89 met the requirement of accurate grouping.
Designers were given three months to update their designs before the tests were repeated in late October 1989. Two designs were modified fundamentally for this round of testing; the PI-89M construction by Tit Ilin (shift in momentum returns in the stationary store) and the battery instead of PE-1 design (balanced automatics).
Further developments of the prototypes were limited to muzzle devices. Halfway through the tests it became clear that it was not viable to continue further work the PA-0111, KL-971 and PE-1.
Result and Outcome
The PI-89/PI-89M and PA-0146 showed excellent accuracy. Testers and members of the commission all noted the great comfort with which both of these weapons could be fired. The recoil was also light enough that the weapons could be fired without having to shoulder them. Both were capable of firing a two-shot burst at such a high rate of fire that it sounded like a single shot. Observers could also see the trajectory of the two bullets. Eventually, the PA-0145 was selected and designated the PA-93.
