Rosoboronexport supplied the foreign partner with special underwater pistols SPP-1M of 4.5 mm caliber and special APS submachine guns of 5.66 mm caliber.
This was reported by the state corporation Rostec, which includes Rosoboronexport.
“Due to their characteristics and reliability, underwater weapons, like many other products of Rostec, are in strong demand abroad, including in the countries of the Middle East and the Asia-Pacific region,” the Rostec weapons cluster said.
The weapon was developed at the Central Scientific Research Institute of Precision Engineering (TsNIITOCHMASH) and is intended for arming special-purpose units.
It is noted that along with the weapons, a batch of ammunition used for underwater shooting was delivered to a foreign customer.
Unique solutions
The development of special underwater small arms began in the USSR in the 1960s.
Soviet designers became pioneers in this area: before that, nowhere in the world did there exist working samples of such weapons and a theoretical scientific base on the basis of which they could be created.
Firearms of traditional design cannot be used under water: due to the high density of the aquatic environment, an ordinary bullet does not have a stable axis of rotation, it quickly loses speed and penetrating power, experts say.
In addition, the bore fills with water, which leads to a dangerous increase in pressure in the barrel and chamber.
“Conventional firearms, such as a Kalashnikov assault rifle, in principle, can fire a shot under water.
But the firing range and bullet power are practically at zero, nothing will work to hit with such a shot.
Due to the density of the water and the shape of an ordinary bullet, it begins to twist and loses energy, "Alexander Butyrin, a columnist for the Fire Frontier magazine, explained in a conversation with RT.
The designers of TsNIITOCHMASH managed to solve these problems by creating an ATP cartridge of 4.5 mm caliber using the principle of throwing an elongated bullet.
Stabilization in water is achieved due to the frusto-conical shape of the head, due to which, when moving at high speed, an empty area is formed in front of the bullet, which reduces resistance.
The SPP-1 pistol was developed for firing this cartridge.
Subsequently, after some modifications of the trigger mechanism, its modification was created - SPP-1M, which is a non-automatic pistol with four smooth barrels.
Fire is fired from each barrel in turn.
Reloading is carried out in the same way as for hunting rifles - the barrel block is folded up with the breech end.
Underwater pistol SPP-1M caliber 4.5 mm
© rostec.ru
The SPP-1M pistol is designed to defeat the enemy under water at a distance of up to 17 m and up to 20 m on land.
At the same time, the effective range of its use under water also depends on the immersion depth - with an increase in the depth and pressure of the aquatic environment, the firing range decreases.
Bullet muzzle velocity - 235-250 m / s.
The main parts of the pistol are made of stainless steel with a special coating, which ensures its safety in sea water.
"Has no analogues in the world"
However, the SPP-1M pistol was not the only domestic model of underwater weapons.
In 1970, TsNIITOCHMASH specialists began to develop APS - a special underwater machine.
It was put into service in 1975, and the serial production of the APS was deployed at the Tula Arms Plant.
Its design and the principle of operation of automation, due to the energy of a part of the powder gases discharged from the barrel, makes it possible to overcome the inert resistance of the liquid inside the mechanisms of the weapon under water.
Special underwater submachine gun APS
© rostec.ru
At the same time, the gas chamber of the machine has a regulator that changes the amount of exhaust gases, thanks to which it also works in air.
The trigger mechanism allows firing both single shots and continuous bursts.
APS uses 5.56 mm cartridges and is capable of striking targets at a distance of up to 30 m under water and up to 100 m on land.
The muzzle velocity of the bullet is 340-360 m / s.
Magazine capacity - 26 rounds.
Military expert, retired colonel Viktor Litovkin, in an interview with RT, noted that, as in the case of the SPP-1M pistol, the high efficiency of the APS submachine gun is ensured through the use of cartridges with a special bullet.
“If an ordinary bullet tumbles in the water, then such an arrow-bullet can successfully pierce or tear a target under water.
Despite the limited range of use, this weapon is capable of stopping any potential enemy, ”said the expert.
"The Soviet designers managed to solve the most difficult problem by creating an automatic machine operating in an environment whose density is hundreds of times higher than that of air," Litovkin emphasized.
It is worth noting that the APS has been classified for a long time.
For the first time, this machine was presented to the public at the IDEX arms exhibition in Abu Dhabi only in 1993.
The uniqueness of this unusual weapon is also recognized by the Western expert community.
For example, last year the American military-analytical publication The National Interest published a material entitled "Russian APS submachine gun for firing underwater - a weapon that has no analogues in the world."
Material from the publication The National Interest "Russian APS submachine gun for firing underwater - a weapon that has no analogues in the world"
© The National Interest
Journalists of the publication noted that the most reliable means for underwater combat is a knife, but "in the USSR they wanted to get a weapon that surpasses everything that an enemy diver could have with him."
At the same time, The National Interest emphasizes that the American armed forces do not have a similar APS weapon.
“The United States has never had underwater assault rifles in service.
A curious discrepancy in priorities - after all, both countries have numerous contingents of naval special forces and military divers.
The APS, until a replacement is found, will continue to make Russian combat swimmers formidable opponents in the underwater environment, ”writes The National Interest.
The United States and other states have so far failed to create effective automatic firearms for underwater combat, Viktor Litovkin emphasized in a conversation with RT.
Foreign developments in this direction are limited to American and German underwater revolvers.
“In principle, foreign countries did not have such machines.
They tried to use traditional firearms, but they worked ineffectively due to the bullet spinning.
Soviet engineers came up with not only a bullet that looked like an arrow, but also generally thought out the design of the machine so that it could be efficiently reloaded under water, ”said the interlocutor of RT.
Dmitry Kornev, the founder of the Military Russia portal, also spoke about the exclusivity of the APS in a conversation with RT.
“Underwater pistols of different models in different countries have appeared relatively long ago.
While submarine guns are a rarity.
The APS, which is in service with the naval special forces in Russia, is a unique weapon that can fire in bursts under water and over water, ”the expert explained.
In addition, according to Kornev, special arrow-shaped APS bullets at high speed can hit not only a living enemy, but also pierce steel cylinders, disabling the equipment of enemy divers.
"The delivery of such weapons, most likely, was carried out to a country friendly to Russia, probably to the naval special forces, whose task is to protect and defend naval facilities, counteract saboteurs, and carry out sabotage actions against enemy ships and naval facilities," explained Dmitry Kornev.
Given the exclusivity of this weapon, the attention of foreign states to it is quite expected, said the interlocutor of RT.
“The interest of foreign customers in the APS is justified, because it is a unique underwater weapon.
I do not exclude that the development of such weapons is being carried out in other countries, for example, in China or in the West.
But the championship in the field of creating such machines is only in Russia, ”the expert concluded.