And if the bandits failed to capture or buy something, they have to be smart - handicraft workshops provide the insurgents with artillery and even missile weapons.
Zvezda talks about the most unusual weapons of rebel groups.
М16А4
A mangled rifle with the inscription on the receiver “Property of US government” (that is, “property of the United States”) was certainly the most interesting example of the captured weapon display at the Army 2017 exhibition. How does modern American rifle ended up with the militants? Most likely, the M16 was captured by ISIS (an organization banned in Russia) in the warehouses of the Iraqi army, to which they were officially supplied.
R-40
If a primitive savage had been lucky enough to find a gun, he would probably have been delighted with such a good, strong club. The photo shows a primitive rocket launcher. Only the missile installed on it is far from primitive - it is a Soviet R-40, intended to arm the MiG-25P fighter-interceptor. A hypersonic projectile made of titanium, with a thermal imaging guidance head, resistant to electronic countermeasures, is used by ISIS in a installation compared to which the ancient Katyusha BM-13 is the crown of engineering.
RBG 40mm/6M11
Another example that raises many questions is the Serbian revolver grenade launcher. It recently appeared in service with opposition groups and ISIS militants. The weapon itself is not too remarkable, especially since it is a copy of the South African Milkor MGL 40x46mm. However, there is no information about export sales of the RBG 40mm/6M11; the grenade launcher is generally not widespread in the world. This indirectly indicates shadow channels for the supply of weapons to Syria from South-Eastern Europe.
Fortress rifle
Deficiency of modern precision weapons forces action films to construct real monsters. In the photo there is something like a serf gun from the 17th-18th centuries, that is, something between a musket and a cannon. Of course, in a more modern guise: this stationary gun was probably chambered for a heavy Soviet machine gun DShK. In addition, it pays attention to the cheap optical sight Most likely taken from an air rifle.
A more serious example: an Austrian high-precision rifle, which is in service with NATO countries. It was demonstrated among other trophies at the Army 2017 exhibition. Developed in the early 70s, the SSG-69 rifle today remains a serious argument in the hands of a trained shooter - for a series of 10 shots, the dispersion diameter at 800 meters is no more than 40 cm. That is, at this distance an experienced sniper can still hit the height figure. At the same time, at 300 meters the spread will not exceed 9 cm. Perhaps this high-quality weapon was initially provided to the Syrian opposition, from where it came to ISIS.
Gas mortars
In war, all means are good, especially those that are inherently flammable. Household gas cylinders have long been loved by ISIS terrorists as shells for homemade large-caliber mortars (from 218 to 305 mm). However, it cannot be said that progress stands still: in Lately Stabilizers began to be welded to the cylinders. This is unlikely to seriously improve the accuracy of throwing household containers; on the other hand, shooting at residential areas does not require scrupulous calculations.
Chemical weapon
Perhaps the most frightening specimen captured Russian special forces in Syria, this is a facility for the synthesis of toxic substances in field conditions. It is a concrete mixer into which reagents are poured - in themselves they are relatively harmless, but when mixed they form organophosphorus toxic substances (OA) such as tabun or sarin. Note that this kind of binary method for obtaining OM for a long time was used by the USA - let's say artillery shells equipped with precursors, which were mixed during the firing process, forming
nerve agent V-gas.
Illustration copyright AFP Image caption A tank captured by Islamists from the Syrian army is one of many trophies taken from government forces during the war.
Russia entered the war in Syria when the conflict had already lasted more than four years. The main and most well-equipped force in it was and remains the Syrian army, which, due to the prevailing circumstances, became the main supplier of captured weapons for the other participants.
Another important “supplier” was the Iraqi army, which, in turn, had in its arsenal American weapons And military equipment.
Other sources of weapons that have flooded the region - help Western countries and Gulf states to Syrian oppositionists, supplies modern weapons government army from Russia, Iran and other countries.
Syrian army
Government forces are equipped primarily with Soviet weapons, or those made from Soviet patterns. Most often it is quite old, but quite effective against rebels who are much less armed.
The weapons and equipment of the Syrian army allow it to fight opposition rebels and militants" Islamic State", but the military is significantly short of ammunition, which makes up a significant part of the current Russian supply.
Illustration copyright AFP Image caption MiG-23 of the Syrian Air Force at the Abu Duhur airbase after its capture by IslamistsThere is no exact data on the number of military equipment that the Syrian army has, since it participates in battles and suffers losses. It is quite difficult to calculate the latter due to lack of information. On the other hand, armored vehicles can be restored after some even quite serious damage.
The ground forces are armed with about three thousand obsolete Soviet tanks T-55 and T-62 (a modernized version of the T-55), as well as relatively new T-72s in the amount of about one and a half thousand units. All of them are quite vulnerable in battle with the use of modern anti-tank weapons, but they represent a serious force when used correctly.
The troops have about five thousand Soviet light armored vehicles BRDM, approximately two thousand infantry fighting vehicles BMP-1 and BMP-2, which have proven their reliability during numerous conflicts around the world and the Middle East region.
The armored vehicle fleet also includes outdated PT-76 light amphibious tanks, as well as 300 to 500 BTR-152 wheeled armored personnel carriers and approximately the same number of BTR-50 tracked armored personnel carriers.
It is known that Syria received a number of relatively new BTR-80 armored personnel carriers from Russia, and in the footage that was distributed by the Syrian military in early September, there was.
The country's air force is armed with several dozen MiG-23 fighters of attack, combat and training modifications, about two hundred MiG-21s, mainly attack aircraft designed to destroy ground targets, and up to 80 front-line MiG-29 fighters.
Illustration copyright AFP Image caption T-72 - the most modern tank in the Syrian armySu-24 front-line bombers and Su-17 heavy strike fighters, which the Syrians also have, are better suited for these purposes. There is no exact data on their number, but there could probably be several dozen.
In addition, the country's air force has several dozen Soviet attack helicopters Mi-24 and French SA 342M.
The Syrian air fleet is in need of a major overhaul; it is barely sufficient to counter the rebels.
The Syrian military has an impressive arsenal of Soviet-made towed artillery, going back to World War II era cannons, as well as various systems volley fire, starting with the very ancient Soviet BM-14 and ending with the BM-21 "Grad", tactical ballistic missiles, among which are the R-17 (SCUD B) and Tochka.
Anti-tank weapons, in addition to artillery, include Russian complexes"Cornet" and "Bastion", French HOT and others.
The Syrian air defense is armed with Soviet stationary systems S-200, S-75 Dvina, S-125 Pechora, mobile Osa, Buk and Strela, as well as the latest Pantsir S1. Russia, but the fate of this contract is unknown.
Russia
Russia provides air support to the Syrian army and attacks ground targets. Moscow insists that these goals are related to the Islamic State; the Syrian opposition claims that Russian planes bombing her positions.
Currently, the Russian air group includes attack and multi-role aircraft. According to Russian ministry defense, these are 12 Su-24M front-line bombers, 12 Su-25SM attack aircraft, four Su-30SM fighters, six Su-34 bombers, Mi-24 and Mi-8 helicopters.
Illustration copyright RIA Novosti Image caption Su-34 is the newest aircraft that is participating in combat bombing for the first timeThe Su-25 attack aircraft, whose main task is to support troops on the battlefield, is a veteran of many conflicts involving Soviet and Russian troops, starting in the 1980s.
Su-24M is all-weather front-line bomber, and it can fly to the target at low altitude. It's pretty efficient machine, which, however, has been in service since the early 1970s and has a fairly high accident rate. During the period of operation, more than 80 aircraft were lost due to emergency situations.
Su-34 bombers, which were also deployed to Syria, are intended to replace the Su-24 in Russian Air Force. The Su-34 is based on the Su-27 fighter; it is equipped with a powerful weapon control system, which allows the use of high-precision systems, but has not yet been used in combat conditions for its intended purpose.
Su-30SM is one of latest modifications Su-27. This is a modern multi-role fighter that can attack ground targets and conduct air combat.
Russia has a service point for naval ships on Syrian territory, and an operational group of ships is constantly on duty off the Syrian coast. It is currently headed by missile cruiser"Moskva", capable of striking both surface and underwater, ground and air targets. The group includes patrol and landing ships.
Accurate information about Russian armored vehicles not in Syria.
In early September, American sources told Reuters on condition of anonymity that seven Russian T-90 tanks and artillery installations, which, judging by their location, are intended to protect Russian personnel.
In addition, it is possible that the BTR-82, which appeared on Syrian chronicles in September, was driven by a Russian crew.
Islamic State
Data on the weapons and military equipment at the disposal of the Islamic State vary so much depending on the sources that there is no firm certainty about the presence of certain systems.
Illustration copyright AFP Image caption In the hands of this sniper from the Syrian opposition is a Mosin rifle, the first modification of which was created in 1891The main “suppliers” of ISIS have become the Syrian and Iraqi armies - as a result of several successful operations fell into the hands of Islamic militants significant amount weapons and equipment.
The number of combat vehicles captured by ISIS often goes down to just a few self-propelled units"Carnation", anti-aircraft systems"Shilka" launchers"Grad", BMP-2.
There are also such exotic things as M1 Abrams tanks captured from the Iraqi army. True, there were no reports of their use, but videos appeared on the Internet in which people resembling militants blew up these tanks, allegedly for propaganda purposes.
Other vehicles were seized large quantities- several dozen T-55 tanks, Soviet-made BRDM, American M1117 armored vehicles, MRAP.
The Islamic State, as they believe in the United States, is trying. Moreover, in the West it is not ruled out that IS already tried to use it in August, although without achieving much effect.
Syrian opposition
The units, which are united under the name "Syrian opposition", are armed in a variety of ways - from modern anti-tank guided missiles"Cornet" and "Metis" to such museum samples as the Soviet "three-line" from the Great Patriotic War, German STG-44 and British Lee Enfield assault rifles of the same period.
Illustration copyright AFP Image caption A pickup truck with a machine gun in the back is a classic guerrilla fighting vehicleBoth the opposition and IS are armed with light-duty pickup trucks, which have already become classic for guerrilla warfare, with a heavy machine gun mounted in the back, or even the Soviet ZU-23 twin anti-aircraft gun (which is more often installed on full-fledged trucks).
So improvised combat vehicles vulnerable to fire from any small arms, but capable of moving quickly, and are very effective in surprise attacks on fortified government positions.
During the war years, the oppositionists also acquired a tank fleet from vehicles captured from the Syrian army. Among them are T-55, T-62, as well as lighter armored vehicles - BMP-1, BMP-2, BTR-60 and others.
Coalition
The international coalition operating against the Islamic State includes the United States, Saudi Arabia, the United States United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Australia, Canada, Jordan, Turkey and other countries.
Illustration copyright AFP Image caption F-22 during a combat mission in SyriaCoalition members have different relationships with members of the opposition camp. For example, relations between Turkey and the Kurdish Peshmerga forces are hostile, but at the same time the Turks help other groups.
The international coalition does not conduct ground operations, limiting itself to air strikes against IS targets.
First of all, the US Air Force is participating, which uses a full complement of fighter-bombers for the strikes, including the F/A-18 Super Hornet, F-16 Falcon, F-15E Strike Eagle, as well as the latest fifth-generation fighters, the F-22 Raptor.
In addition, U-2 and RC-135 reconnaissance aircraft, MQ-1 Predator and MQ-9 Reaper drones, AH-64D Apache and UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters are participating in the operation.
The remaining members of the coalition also use American military equipment, modernized taking into account the interests of the customer, so strike missions as part of their air contingents are carried out by the same F-15, F-16 or F-18 in various modifications (the F-22 is in service only with the Air Force USA).
In Syria, the civil war continues in full swing: some rebel groups are fighting with others, the army is fighting the remnants of terrorists and Islamists of various kinds. The military is pushing back militants in the south of Aleppo province and recording its own successes on video. In one of these videos, Soviet M-30 howitzers of the 1938 model, which, despite their venerable age, are actively used in the fight against jihadists. I looked at what other weapon rarities took part in battles in the Arab Republic.
Over the years of confrontation in Syria, machine guns, rifles and machine guns from almost all times and peoples have been mixed: some came into the country from abroad, some were captured by rebels and terrorists in army warehouses, or even stolen from museums. A similar fate befell the Mosin rifles, from which the armed opposition fighters had to blow off the dust due to a shortage of other guns. Most of them fell into the hands of carbines of the KO-91/30 type, created on the basis of the Mosinka, but there are also older modifications of the three-line.
Over 125 years, about 37 million Mosin rifles and its various modifications were produced. They were used in a dozen wars and conflicts and still serve as the basis for various modifications.
No less interesting specimens appeared in the battles for Syria firearms- Sturmgewehr 44 assault rifles, mass-produced in the Third Reich. According to some sources, Sturmgewehrs came to the Arab Republic at the turn of the 1950s-1960s from the GDR, where they were used by units of the people's police before the transition to self-loading carbines Simonov and Kalashnikov assault rifles. The same GDR and Czechoslovakia, which were armed with this machine gun, supplied the Syrians with the appropriate ammunition. These cartridges can still be obtained now: their production continues at the Serbian plant “Prvi Partizan”, but production volumes are very limited and are not designed for mass supplies.
Over time, the Sturmgewehrs became no longer needed by the Syrian military, but were not sold or disposed of, but were carefully stored in warehouses. There they were discovered by “” fighters in August 2012. They received five thousand StG 44s along with ammunition. Moreover, the rebels did not even immediately understand that in front of them were not the usual AKs, but entire deposits of German rarities. Soon, machine guns were seen in street shootouts. Probably, more benefit could be gained by trying to sell them to collectors: in 2012, one original Sturmgever in excellent condition was estimated at 30-40 thousand dollars, and over the years its value has been growing.
DP machine guns, like many other things, came to Syria from the GDR and other countries of the Organization Warsaw Pact. In the USSR, the Degtyarev infantry machine gun was adopted for service in 1928 and was widely used by the Red Army until the end of the Great Patriotic War. After the war, the DP was replaced by the RPD and distributed to countries friendly to the Soviet regime. These machine guns were used in Korean War, Indo-Chinese conflicts, in civil wars in Yugoslavia and Libya, and are now found among participants in the armed conflict in Donbass and Syrian rebels.
A similar situation arose with large-caliber DShK machine gun, which, like DP, went through the entire Great Patriotic War. It was used as an easel and anti-aircraft machine gun, and was also installed on tanks, self-propelled guns and small ships. The DShK has a high rate of fire and is capable of hitting lightly armored vehicles. The mass of a machine gun without a wheeled machine exceeds 33 kilograms, but in Syria there were their own Rambos, which would be enough for even a heap of rubbish.
Anti-tank rifles also received a second life in the Arab Republic. This weapon was most widely used in World War II as a forced replacement for the missing anti-tank artillery. In addition, PTRs influenced the psychological state of the defending infantry: they helped soldiers overcome fear at the sight of enemy armored vehicles.
As the armoring of military equipment increased, anti-tank rifles began to be used as large-caliber sniper rifles, capable of disabling, for example, enemy trucks or optical instruments tanks, or break through an obstacle behind which the enemy was hiding. For these tasks, fighters of the Syrian armed forces modified anti-tank rifle Simonov (carried by a man in the background), and government troops were seen carrying a single-shot rifle of the Degtyarev system, used for its intended purpose.
Armed pickup trucks are widespread in Syria, as in other Middle Eastern countries fighting terrorism. Both the military and militants equip SUVs with twin anti-aircraft installations, and then cross the desert in search of adventure. This could be the ZU-23-2, modifications of which are produced in Bulgaria, Poland and China, but most often something less massive is installed, for example, the ZPU-2 with coaxial 14.5-mm KPV machine guns.
In the USSR, these installations have been used since 1949, and ZPU-2 is also available in the armies of a dozen African countries. Instead of fighting aircraft, they were adapted for surprise raids on enemy checkpoints and shelling of personnel in city neighborhoods. A Toyota Land Cruiser 70 pickup truck was used as a platform.
As for more serious types of weapons, German ones stand out here field howitzers type 10.5 cm leFH 18M. These guns were used by the Wehrmacht and Finnish army in World War II and were adapted for transportation on a horse-drawn cart. Then a number of howitzers were transferred to Syria, and one of them was preserved in the military museum in Damascus.
70 years after World War II, at least one similar howitzer ended up in the hands of militants from the Islamic Front, and it turned out that the weapon was in fully operational condition. It is not known for certain whether this howitzer served for the glory of Adolf Hitler: according to one version, it could have been one of the post-war
Syria has been at war for five years. It uses a wide variety of weapons from all over the world.
There has been a bloody war in Syria for five years, in which 470,000 people have already died. Five million Syrians have fled the country. More than a thousand armed groups are involved in the conflict: rebels, Kurds, extremists, jihadists of all kinds and foreign military specialists. The variety of the arsenal is also striking: from homemade barrel bombs to modern high-precision weapons supplied by the United States to the so-called “moderate opposition”, but reaching all other groups. Let's see what they are fighting with there.
Weapon
The arsenals of the Syrian army have accumulated about two million small arms of Soviet and Russian production. 700 thousand guns were in the hands of the civilian population. After the start of the conflict weapon began to act together with militant groups from Jordan, Lebanon, Turkey, Iraq, the USA, Qatar and Saudi Arabia. More than fifty types of small arms from twenty countries are now used in Syria.
At the beginning of the conflict, rifles and carbines were the main weapons of all sides. Syrian security forces used it during clearing operations. The jihadists are using small arms in a third wave of attacks following artillery attacks and suicide attacks. They worked this tactic well in Iraq.
MANPADS and ATGMs
The first MANPADS in service with militants based in the Aleppo region appeared in July 2012. They were supplied from Turkey. Already in August, a MiG-23 of the Syrian Air Force was shot down. Later, Chinese FN-6 MANPADS appeared, with which the militants were allegedly supplied by the United States, Sudan and Qatar.
From the looted military arsenals of the Syrian Army, the militants received Soviet Strela-2 MANPADS. This is a fairly old complex, against which modern aircraft have protection. Later, the Needle from the arsenals of Libya will appear in the theater of operations.
In 2014, the United States supplied TOW ATGMs to the so-called “moderate opposition.” It was from this weapon that they fired at the helicopter of the search team, which flew out to search for the pilots of the Su-24 shot down by the Turks. The famous video of the shelling of a Russian-made tank also features a TOW. Russian ATGMs have also been spotted in battles.
Tanks
The tanks were first used by the Syrian army on April 24, 2011 in the city of Daraa. From this point on, the police operation turns into a full-scale war. The Syrian army was armed with 1,200 T-55s, 500 T-62s and 700 T-72S tanks. Not all of them were working properly. During the entire period of hostilities, about a thousand vehicles were lost. With the start of deliveries of TOW anti-tank guided missiles by the Americans, the Syrian army began to lose more tanks.
Air Force
At the beginning of the war, Syria had more than 500 aircraft and 160 helicopters. They were armed various ammunition: conventional, thermobaric and incendiary bombs, as well as different types missiles, incl. air-to-air missiles converted to hit ground targets.
In 2012, the “rebels” began to receive portable anti-aircraft missile systems, which forced Syrian aircraft to fly at high altitude, making their use ineffective. Then the Syrian troops switched to helicopters, from which they bombed the bandits using homemade so-called. barrel bombs.
In addition to the Syrian Air Force, US-led coalition aircraft and Russian Aerospace Forces operate in the country’s airspace. The Israeli Air Force stands separately, which pursues its own goals. Interesting fact. By May 2016, the US Air Force had dropped 41,500 bombs, and that was the end of the bombs. The Pentagon had to borrow ammunition from the allies. In total, 29 types of airplanes and helicopters are participating in the operation of all forces.
Other types of weapons
Russia, the USA and France used to attack militant targets cruise missiles. For the United States, these were Tomahawks, which are not the first time they have been used in military conflicts. For the first time since the war in Libya, France used Scalp cruise missiles against jihadists in Iraq, launching them from Rafale aircraft. Russia demonstrated its Kalibr cruise missiles for the first time, launching them from ships of the Caspian Flotilla, submarines in the Mediterranean Sea and from strategic missile-carrying aircraft.
Chemical weapons entered the agenda in 2013 after footage of victims of their use spread around the world. The United States hastened to blame Damascus for everything, but the accusations turned out to be premature. After Russian diplomatic efforts, Bashar al-Assad agreed to the destruction of the Syrian chemical weapons. However, some of the chemical munitions have fallen into the hands of militants, and they use them from time to time.
Weapons exhibition
Probably, since the Second World War there has not been a conflict in which so many types of weapons were involved at once. Some of them, of course, have already been used in various military operations, and some are being used in combat for the first time. Syria today is like a working weapons exhibition, where everyone can choose something to their liking and test it in battle. But it seems that the time has long come to close this exhibition and give the Syrian people the opportunity to rest.
Evgeniy Sizov
Millions of units remain from World War II various weapons, and not all of them were melted down or on the dusty shelves of arsenals. The unit continued its war, only in the hands of other soldiers.
We have written more than once about soviet weapons, which still serves its new owners, but German samples have also been distributed throughout the world. In its material, the site took a closer look at weapons from the Wehrmacht era, which are now used in Syria.
StG 44
During World War II, assault StG rifles 44 were armed mainly by elite SS units. At that time, the weapon was considered advanced, and indeed the StG 44 was the first weapon in its class to be mass-produced. In total, about 450 thousand of these machines were produced.
Terrorists from StG 44, Syria. flickr.com
Most of these weapons came from Czechoslovakia in 1950-1965. Moreover, for a short time this assault rifle released in Turkey.
Honor guard with StG-44, Czechoslovakia. Photo: axishistory.com The rifle could be equipped with optical and infrared sights. Among the shortcomings - heavy weight weapons (5.2 kg), an easily deformable receiver and a stock, the fastening of which could break in hand-to-hand combat.
A militant fires from StG 44, Syria. Image: youtube.com As an advantage, one can note the accuracy when firing single shots. However, the bursts also worked well: on a target with a diameter of 11.5 cm at a distance of 100 m, more than half of the bullets fit into a circle with a diameter of 5.4 cm.
Wehrmacht light howitzer
The light howitzer le.F.H.18M could well have been used in the Battle of Stalingrad or any other fierce battle during the Great Patriotic War. This weapon- modernized version light howitzer le.F.H.18, which participated in Wehrmacht companies from the first days of World War II, but it had disadvantages, for example, a relatively short firing range.
Production of the modernized version began in 1940. Especially for shooting maximum range the Germans created high-explosive fragmentation projectile 10.5 cm FH Gr Fern weighing 14.25 kg (TNT weight - 2.1 kg). When firing with charge No. 6, the initial speed was 540 m/s, and the firing range was 12,325 m.
A total of 6,933 such guns were produced. During modernization, it was not possible to get rid of one serious drawback - heavy weight. To solve this issue, the barrel of the le.F.H.18M howitzer was placed on a 75-mm carriage anti-tank gun Cancer 40. The resulting “hybrid” was adopted under the designation le.F.H.18/40. The new gun weighed almost a quarter ton less in firing position.
After the war, these German howitzers were modernized in Czechoslovakia, where the le.F.H.18/40 barrel was placed on the carriage of the Soviet 122-mm M-30 howitzer. This weapon was designated le.F.H.18/40N. In Syria, such a howitzer was seen among militants of the Ahrar al-Sham group.
MP-38/40
German MP-38/40 submachine guns were purchased in small quantities by Damascus starting in the 60s. This weapon was not particularly popular in Syria. It was rarely seen in the hands of security forces in the 70s, some of which were transferred to the Lebanese military.
This weapon has a number of advantages and disadvantages. The low rate of fire of the MP-38/40 allows an experienced shooter to conduct single fire with short presses of the trigger.
The ammunition used in the MP-40 - 9x19 Parabellum - has a good stopping effect, but makes the SMG useless at a range of more than 150 meters.
MP-40 is sensitive to dirt due to the presence of a damper in the design. If dirt got inside the bolt frame, then shooting was impossible.
MG-34
MG-34 - the first single machine gun ever put into service. The machine gun could be used in a manual or easel version, and the installation of an optical sight was allowed.
Syria, Latakia. In the hands of a machine gunner MG-34. Image: youtube.com It has a high rate of fire (up to 1000 rounds/min) and has lethal ammunition (7.92x57 Mauser). This machine gun was portable and could easily support infantry units with fire.
Weapons captured from militants by the Syrian army. There is an MG-34 in the center. Photo: colonelcassad.livejournal.com Despite a lot of advantages, the MG-34 had obvious disadvantages - heavy weight, great sensitivity to contamination of the receiver and to thickening of the lubricant when low temperatures, which led to delays in firing.
At first civil war in Syria, the machine gun was used quite often - this weapon was one of the first to be stolen by militants from warehouses.
MG-42
This machine gun was created to replace the MG-34. The MG-42 turned out to be more reliable, cheaper, and its metal consumption was reduced by 50%. New machine gun It was not afraid of dirt and allowed almost continuous shooting.
ISIS fighter with MG-42. Image: youtube.com The rate of fire of the MG-42 reached 1500 rounds/min. After World War II, the career of this machine gun did not end, and it is still in service in many countries around the world.
By the way, the gunsmiths from Beretta made a version called MG-42/59 for the Italian army during cold war(7.62 NATO cartridges are used), but the rate of fire was lower (800 rounds/min.).
This version was seen in service with ISIS militants. Regarding original MG-42s, Syria received a small number of original WWII MG-42s from France and Czechoslovakia in the late 1940s and early 1950s.
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