Vz.59

The Univerzální kulomet vzor 59 was developed in Czechoslovakia during the 1950s as a general-purpose machine gun, entering service under the designation Model 1959.

The weapon is belt-fed and uses a lever-type feed mechanism derived from Louis Stange's MG 39 Rh design, with the feed lever mounted on the outside of the right receiver wall. The pistol grip doubles as the charging handle. Barrel and mount are interchangeable according to role: a light barrel paired with a bipod for the light machine gun configuration, and a heavy barrel with a tripod for the medium machine gun role.

The vz. 59 remains in service with the Czech Army and the Slovak Armed Forces. Variants include the vz. 59L in the light machine gun configuration, the vz. 59T for co-axial vehicle mounting, and the vz. 59N chambered for 7.62×51mm NATO. Users have included Afghanistan, Biafra, the Czech Republic, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda, Georgia, Libya, Mali, Slovakia, Tajikistan and Tanzania. The PAVN and the Viet Cong employed the type during the Vietnam War. In 2022, the Czech Republic transferred 3,200 UK vz. 59 machine guns to Ukraine as part of a military aid package following the Russian invasion.