SG-43 in use by Egyptian Marines.
The SG-43 Goryunov was a Soviet medium machine gun (about the equivalent of the American M1919 Browning) that was introduced during the Second World War and is chambered for the 7.62x54mmR cartridge. It was introduced in 1943 as a replacement for the older M1910 Maxim machine guns and was mounted on wheeled mounts, tripods, and vehicles. After the end of WWII the SG-43 was improved and re-named SGM ("M" for modernized). A tank mounted variant was also developed under the designation SGMT. The SG-43/SGM was widely exported and also manufactured in China and elsewhere. Besides WWII it saw service in the Korean War with North Korean and Chinese forces. In Soviet service it was replaced by the RPK and PK machine gun is 1960, because of the switch in Soviet tactical doctrine to the universal machinegun concept.