The Central Research Institute of Precision Engineering (TSNIITOCHMASH) has developed a new 9-mm cartridge for silent shooting. The ammunition was created as part of the development work on the pistol complex "Udav". This was reported on the website of "Rostec", which includes this company.
“The new ammunition is capable of penetrating bulletproof vests of the 2nd protection class (Br2. - RT ), while maintaining increased indicators of invisibility of the shot ... The innovative solutions used in the cartridge provided its recognition by the invention - a patent was received for the new ammunition,” the statement says message.
As noted in the state corporation, the cartridge breaks through bulletproof vests of the 2nd protection class, despite the reduced speed of the bullet. Other modern cartridges of a similar type can shoot only armor plates of the 1st class. The speed of such bullets is 200-290 m / s.
“Bullets with a speed of more than 400 m / s, which, in turn, do not allow silent firing, cope with this task (the defeat of body armor of the 2nd class. - RT ). The new development of TsNIITOCHMASH specialists combines noiselessness and increased penetration, ”Rostekh explains.
The high damaging properties of the new cartridge for silent shooting are achieved by increasing the mass and the special shape of the core - at its front end “a cutting edge formed by two flat faces” was added.
"Secretive defeat"
In accordance with the state standard of armored clothing (GOST R 50744-95), there are nine protection classes. Bullet-proof vest of class Br2 must withstand hit from a Stechkin pistol (APS) and a Serdyukov pistol (SR-1) from a distance of 5 m.
Speaking at the Army-2019 international military-technical forum last June, the leading design engineer of Department 46 TsNIITOCHMASH, Ivan Kozlov, stated that the Boa constrictor was designed to provide “covert destruction of the enemy’s manpower” in 2nd-class defenses (in particular, the combined arms bulletproof vest 6B23) from a distance of 25 m.
- Samples of body armor
- RIA News
- © Rostislav Netisov
According to the expert, such penetration should be achieved including when using a cartridge with a reduced speed. This ammunition received the code 7U4 and can be used for silent shooting. Its weight is 13.75-14.5 g, the weight of the bullet is 9.8-10.2 g. The bullet, as Kozlov said, is “shaped like a chisel and easily cuts the fabric base of body armor”.
In an interview with RT, the chief editor of the Kalashnikov magazine, Mikhail Degtyarev, explained that the 9 mm cartridge for silent shooting was developed by TsNIITOCHMASH specifically for the Udav pistol complex. According to him, the ammunition is intended for use in special operations, when the soldiers need to "mask their actions as much as possible".
A similar point of view adheres to the expert of the Bureau of military-political analysis Ruslan Sergeev. In a commentary on RT, he noted that the noiselessness of the shot is the most important element in the work of snipers and fighters of various special forces when they need to exclude the likelihood of their detection by the enemy.
“A high initial bullet speed leads to increased noise. For a long time, designers from around the world are trying to reduce the sound of a shot. For this, in particular, the initial bullet speed is reduced to subsonic (less than 330 m / s), which, in turn, negatively affects its penetration, ”Sergeyev stated.
He also said that Russian engineers were among the first in the world to design special ammunition in which unique principles of noise reduction were implemented. So, in the 1980s, the SP-5 and SP-6 cartridges for the Vintorez sniper rifle and the special Val machine gun appeared. In the 1990s, SP-10 and SP-11 cartridges were developed for self-loading pistols of the Gyurza family (SR-1, SR-1MP) and SR-2 “Veresk”, the expert says.
“Obviously, the Boa couldn’t do without a powerful armor-piercing cartridge ... As a result, TsNIITOCHMASH experts developed an ammunition capable of piercing bulletproof vests from multilayer Kevlar materials or lightweight titanium alloys. For this, the bullet mass was increased, but the most important thing is a new core resembling a chisel, ”Sergeyev emphasized.
According to the expert, the need to create a new cartridge for silent shooting is caused primarily by the massive proliferation of bulletproof vests, including 2nd class, among illegal armed groups and terrorist groups.
"Weapons of near and medium range"
"Boa constrictor" is the latest Russian pistol complex. Development work on this product was launched by order of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation. Preliminary tests of the Boa constrictor were completed in 2016, and pilot-military operation last year. In total, the creation of the complex took five years. In 2020, the Ministry of Defense will receive the first 50 products.
The "Boa" includes a self-loading pistol, a device for silent shooting (silencer), a combined laser infrared target designator, spare shops, a cartridge with a reduced speed 7U4, an increased penetration cartridge 7U42, various types of holsters, pouches and wardrobe cases (case). Such data follows from the presentation presented by Kozlov at the Army-2019 forum.
- Gun "Boa"
- RIA News
- © Mikhail Voskresensky
The weight of the 6CH62 silent shooting device is 250 g, length - 208 mm, guaranteed life - 5 thousand shots. The mass of the laser designator with a power source is 166 g, length is 85 mm, the illumination range is 100 m, the continuous operation time is 25 hours.
Directly the standard pistol (6P72) without cartridges weighs 780 g, in a special (6P72-1) - 800 g, length - 205 and 210 mm, respectively. “Boa constrictor” will be produced in four versions: combined arms (army), sports (without a fuse), police and special. The first three versions of the complex are designed for firing 9 × 19 mm rounds, the last - for 9 × 21 mm caliber.
The handle and the Udava store are completely made of plastic. The muffler is made of carbon fiber and equipped with a radiator mesh, which, when fired, significantly slows down and cools the powder gases. The pistol frame is produced by stamping, which reduced the weight of the product and simplified the process of its industrial production.
The resource of the Udava barrel is 10 thousand shots (for other domestic pistols - about 4 thousand). The aiming range "Udava" is 100 m, with silent ammunition - 50 m. The accuracy of shooting the brainchild of TsNIITOCHMASH from a distance of 25 m in the R50 parameter does not exceed 3 cm (for other domestic pistols - 4 cm).
The “Boa” trigger mechanism allows firing from a combat and safety platoon, as well as from a fully pulled trigger. As explained by Kozlov, the procedure for working with a fuse is similar to that implemented on a Makarov pistol, so it does not require retraining of a fighter. The firing force with a fuse is 4 kg, with a combat platoon - 1.5 kg.
Also in the "Boa" provides an automatic shutter delay, which allows the shooter to understand that the cartridges are over. When a fighter inserts a new magazine into the gun, the delay is automatically reset, sending the cartridge remaining after firing into the chamber.
According to Mikhail Degtyarev, "Boa" meets all the requirements for a modern combat pistol complex. According to the expert, the qualifications of TsNIITOCHMASH specialists in this regard are the highest in the country, since the enterprise has considerable experience in developing and improving various kinds of special weapons.
“It can be expected that according to the results of the initial operation, the Boa constrictor will indeed meet the declared characteristics. The designers managed to achieve high results thanks to the correctly selected components of the complex and ammunition. TsNIITOCHMASH has accumulated rich experience in the development of silent weapons. We are talking about dozens of years of development of systems that are unique in all respects, ”Degtyarev emphasized.
Ruslan Sergeyev attributed to the advantages of "Boa" unpretentiousness, ergonomics, power, accuracy and high strength characteristics. He drew attention to the fact that a fighter can fire from such a pistol in different climatic conditions and in the most extreme situations.
The “boa constrictor” is a short and medium range weapon. With it, the shooter can break through the bulletproof vest of any terrorist. Another important advantage is ergonomics. In the "Boa" everything is arranged very conveniently and intuitively. The appearance of such a pistol has been waiting a long time, and I am sure that it will justify the hopes placed on it, ”Sergeyev summed up.