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> Weapons and army > Weapons used by Russian special forces soldiers
Since the time of the USSR, special forces used mainly modified military pistols and machine guns, a lot of time has passed, and their arsenal has been significantly expanded with various specialized types of weapons. Back in the late 1980s, the situation began to change with the advent of “Val” and “Vintorez”, and today Russian special forces are armed with quite a large number of weapons for various purposes.
TKB-506
Pistol-cigarette case TKB-506.
In the 50s, the well-known weapons designer I. Stechkin received a non-standard order. For the KGB he needed to create a miniature silent pistol - and he did it. The three-shot TKB-560 had a design that resembled a regular cigarette case. The pistol fired specially designed cartridges, the power of which was significantly increased, thanks to which a bullet could easily pierce three pine boards from literally a five-meter distance. Unfortunately, due to the nature of its use, the details of the operation of this pistol remain a mystery.
Foreign machine guns and assault rifles
SIG SG 550 assault rifle
SIG SG 550 assault rifle.
Heckler & Koch G36 assault rifle
Heckler & Koch G36 assault rifle.
Having adopted the G3 into service in 1958, Germany did not switch to the smaller 5.56 mm caliber ammunition for a long time. Reconfiguring the G3 rifle for the new cartridge did not cause any problems. This was done already in 1968, when the NK 33 model appeared, which was an analogue of the G3, converted from a caliber of 7.62 to 5.56 mm.
FAMAS F3 assault rifle
FAMAS F3 assault rifle.
For several post-war decades, the French army was armed with MAS 49/56 self-loading rifles chambered in a unique 7.5 mm caliber cartridge, which was not used in any NATO country, although the French MAT 49 submachine guns had the standard NATO caliber - 9 mm.
Valmet/Sako assault rifle
Valmet/Sako assault rifle.
After the end of hostilities, Finland, which had a hard time surviving World War II, did not dare to join NATO, fearing the reaction of the powerful USSR. Relying solely on their own forces, the military command introduced universal conscription and a reservist system, which made it possible to quickly deploy a peacetime army into thousands of self-defense troops.
FN SCAR assault rifle
FN SCAR assault rifle.
In 1987, a new structure was formed within the US armed forces - US SOCOM (US Special Operations Command). It united special units of the Army, National Guard, Air Force, Navy and Marine Corps.
M4 and Colt Commando assault rifle
M4 and Colt Commando assault rifle.
Colt, a manufacturer of M16 A2 rifles, established in the 1980s. release of a whole family of assault rifles of the 700 series. Most likely, the number 7 in the designation is the number of types of rifles that Colt produced in different years.
M16 assault rifle
M16 assault rifle.
In 1963, a new weapon was adopted into service in the United States to replace the 7.62 mm M14 rifle. This was an epochal event in the history of wars. For the first time, a rifle with a reduced caliber of 5.56 mm was put into service. It had the designation M16 A1.
Beretta AR70 and AR70/90 assault rifles
Beretta AR70 and AR70/90 assault rifles.
The first standard rifle of the army of post-war Italy was the American M1 Garand self-loading rifle. The famous company Pietro Beretta was involved in the licensed production of this weapon. In 1959, the new model Beretta BM 59 was adopted by the Italian army.
CETME assault rifles
CETME assault rifles.
Immediately after the end of the Second World War, the state enterprise CETME was created in Madrid - Centra de Estudios Tecnicos de Materiales Especiales ("Center for Research of Special Technical Materials"), which was engaged in the production of ammunition, gunpowder and explosives.
TAR 21 assault rifle
TAR 21 assault rifle.
For several decades, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) have had a number of assault rifles of various designs and different manufacturers in service. These are the American M16 and M4, produced both in the USA and in Israel under license, the American CAR 15 rifles from Armalite, as well as modifications of the Israeli Galil rifle.
Galil assault rifle
Galil assault rifle.
Specialists from the Israeli company IMI (Israel Military Industries) have never denied that the prototype of this weapon was the Soviet Kalashnikov assault rifle. From the beginning of its existence, Israel was surrounded by the armies of the Arab League, which were armed with Soviet AK-47 assault rifles.
L85 assault rifle
L85 assault rifle.
The history of the development of this weapon is perhaps the longest in modern practice. Back in the early 1950s. British designer Noel Kent-Lemon presented a completely non-standard EM2 rifle to the British military.
FN F2000 assault rifle
FN F2000 assault rifle.
In the mid-1990s. Leading design bureaus of Western countries were developing a new universal type of small arms to arm soldiers of the 21st century. The customer was the joint command of NATO countries.
FN FAL and FNC assault rifles
FN FAL and FNC assault rifles.
Europe was just beginning to recover from the wounds inflicted by the Second World War, and work was already in full swing in the design bureau of the famous Belgian arms manufacturer, Fabrique Nationale. A group of engineers led by Dieudonne Seve began developing an automatic assault rifle.
Steyr AUG 77 assault rifle
Steyr AUG 77 assault rifle.
After World War II, Austria became one of the founding countries of the NATO bloc. In 1958, the Austrian army adopted the M58 assault rifle, which was a modification of the FN FAL rifle from the Belgian concern Fabrique Nationale.
VSS "Vintorez"
VSS "Vintorez" rifle and AS "Val" assault rifle.
In the 70s, the USSR was tasked with providing snipers with weapons that would not make noise. A conventional silencer that could be “screwed” onto the muzzle of a rifle was not enough - it was simply impossible, so the developers had to rack their brains to create a fundamentally new weapon. A few years later, in 1981, a rifle for snipers, the 6P29, was offered for review by experts; the capabilities of the new product amazed everyone. The weight of the invention was only 2.2 kg; from a distance of 400 m, bullets easily passed through a 25 mm thick pine board and through a metal helmet. Then the design bureau dubbed the weapon “Vintorez”, and since then it has stuck.
Sniper with a VSS rifle.
The main customers for the rifle were the KGB and the GRU General Staff of the USSR, so the development followed their wishes. The newest 9mm cartridge was developed especially for them. The special design of the weapon and charge made the rifle absolutely silent and flameless, and it did not matter whether the sniper fired in bursts or single shots. The only time you could hear the sound of a rifle working and the slight whistle of a flying bullet was in absolute silence.
Sniper in camouflage and with a rifle.
With the advent of this powerful weapon in the ranks of the army, Kalashnikov assault rifles with a silencer were considered obsolete and were sent to warehouses for this reason. These rifles were used by special forces against militants during operations in the North Caucasus, in anti-terrorist operations, as well as during the armed conflict in South Ossetia in 2008. Vympel and Alpha snipers gave a very high assessment of the 6P29 and its capabilities. In addition, Vintorez is used in the protection of the state government. The rifle is also convenient because, when disassembled, it can be easily stored in a small, inconspicuous suitcase.
"Vintorez" disassembled.
Directorate "Alpha" of the FSB of the Russian Federation at work. In the hands of the fighters are “Val” machine guns.
By the way, another silent weapon was developed on the basis of the 6P29 - the Val assault rifle. It has minor differences from its “parent” - the weapon is equipped with a modernized stock and a 20-round clip.
PP-90
The PP-90 submachine gun, which is used by Russian special forces.
At the start of the 90s, the PP-90, a submachine gun, was developed for the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation at the Tula Design Bureau. The weapons were made small in size, because... it is intended for concealed carry and is designed for close combat. If you fold the structure, you get a miniature pencil case, the length of which does not exceed 28 cm. The weapons - PP90 and PP93 - are used in the work of riot police, SOBR, collectors and the Ministry of Internal Affairs. The submachine gun can be additionally equipped with a silencer and a laser pointer.
PP-90 folded.
APS
An assault rifle designed for underwater shooting with a special cartridge.
It became the first machine gun that could be fired underwater. The reason for the development of the APS was the need to equip saboteur divers with weapons. This machine gun was first introduced into the troops in 1975 and remains in faithful service to this day. The main feature of this weapon lies in twelve-centimeter bullets with a caliber of 5.66 mm. While moving underwater, bullets do not experience strong resistance, so their lethal range in water is 30 m, and on land - 100 m. For clarity, bullets from a regular pistol “fly” under water a maximum of 1 meter.
A fighter with an underwater machine gun.
A diver firing an ADS assault rifle.
It’s interesting, but despite the fact that the APS can fire over water, it is of little use for “dry” battles. This forced Tula gunsmiths to refine and improve the design, thereby creating the ADS - a double-medium special assault rifle.
An ADS assault rifle that can be fired both underwater and on land.
TP-82 SONAZ
Pistol TP-82 with a machete butt.
The landing of cosmonauts Belyaev and Leonov in 1965 was in the thick of the taiga, and the men had to fight for life among wild animals for several days. All they had for protection was a Makarov pistol, which has very limited potential. In the future, when Leonov visited the Tula design bureau, he made a proposal to develop weapons designed specifically for cosmonauts.
No sooner said than done, the TP-82 SONAZ was designed and included in the list of mandatory items that were to be equipped with astronauts. The TP-82 has three barrels and is configured for 12.5 and 5.45 calibers, and it can also be quickly modified to a carbine by simply installing a machete stock. With the help of this weapon you can not only protect yourself from attacks by wild animals, but also make a path, cut branches, and also, if necessary, dig holes. Over the entire period, 30-100 units of TP-82 were produced, and all cosmonauts were trained to use this weapon.
