In 1942 Vasily Diegtiariow began work on a new handheld machine gun that could replace a machine gun previously used the DP. At the same time, two engineers Jelizarow N. and S. Siemin developed a new type of ammunition arms - intermediate cartridge 7.62 × 39 mm wz.43. Then the W. Diegtiariow developed a new light machine gun, which was one of the first models of weapons designed to shoot a new cartridge. The rifle entered the armament of the Soviet Army in 1949 and received the designation PПД (RPD).

The rifle remained in the Soviet Army equipment to the sixties of the twentieth century, when it was replaced by a manual Kalashnikov RPK rifle. Although formally rifle was withdrawn, still many of his units can be found in the warehouses of the Russian army, as well as in many other armies of the countries of the former Eastern bloc. RPD machine gun was also under the designation RKM-D used by the Polish Army.