Constraint engineering and the architecture of the PK machine gun

The article analyzes the creation process of the PK machine gun, challenging the myth of a purely technical triumph of Kalashnikov's genius. The author indicates that the project's victory over the more advanced TKB-521 did not result from the mechanical superiority of the artifact, but from the optimization of the entire logistical system. While Nikitin's design introduced innovations requiring costly infrastructure changes (e.g., a new ammunition belt), the PK maintained compatibility with existing standards. The text utilizes evolutionary economics theory and the concept of path dependence to demonstrate that in the institutional selection of weaponry, minimizing implementation costs and systemic risk is key, rather than merely striving for the technical perfection of a single device.