Home » Uncategorized » Vyacheslav Shpakovsky. Submachine gun: yesterday, today, tomorrow. Part 15. The last of the universal ones. From MP5 to Spectrum
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boroda 06/13/2019 1114
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They became a further development of the line of this type of small arms and a response to the next challenges of their time.
Better late than never!
Although surveys of military personnel regarding what weapons they would like to fight with were carried out at the end of World War II, the requirements for modern submachine guns were realized only in the early 60s of the twentieth century. Moreover, as already noted in the previous material, a trend has emerged to create fairly specialized systems for this type of weapon. However, initially both the Uzi and many other images of submachine guns of the post-war period were born as ... a kind of “universal weapon,” that is, the main idea during their development was the same as in the 20s and 30s - those. the designers sought to create a kind of model “for all occasions.” And then the same “Uzi” began to “shrink”, the “Scorpion” appeared, then the “Ingram”, while other designers were concerned either with increasing the armor penetration and increased ammunition capacity of their SMGs, or with their convenience and shooting accuracy, or tried to solve this problem in a complex .
MP5 in service with South Korean special forces.
"Spectrum-UV" with ultraviolet spectrum of work for searching for life
The third device in the series, the Spektr-UV observatory, is designed for point tracking using the T-170M UV telescope for specific objects in the ultraviolet range and was conceived back in 1990.
During this time, both the project itself and its participants have changed several times: today, a significant contribution is expected not only from Russia, but also from Great Britain, Spain, Mexico and Japan.
Its base, a unique 170-centimeter mirror, is already ready and waiting in the wings. On-board equipment (including spectrographs necessary for operation) of partner countries will be delivered by 2022.
The main task of the device is detailed studies of key space objects: galactic nuclei, exoplanets.
The ultraviolet survey will allow us to evaluate the spectrum of objects and obtain data on the isotopic composition, which will make it possible to refine models of the cosmos, learn the composition of planetary atmospheres, and, possibly, find traces of life .
An additional task of the apparatus is to search for hidden diffuse baryonic matter, intergalactic clouds of hot dust and gas that are practically invisible to existing telescopes.
The initial launch of the orbital component of the complex, due to successive budget cuts since 1997, smoothly flowed to 2022, and then, due to the sanctions of 2014, to 2025-2026.
At the moment, it is expected that the telescope will be launched at the end of 2025 on a heavy “Angara” from the Vostochny Cosmodrome and will go into geostationary orbit.
MP5: technically complex, but reliable
Among the latter were engineers (Tilo Müller, Manfred Guhring, Georg Seidl, and Helmut Baureter) of the German company (Heckler & Koch), which in 1963 took part in the tender of the German Ministry of the Interior to create a special submachine gun for arming special police units in Germany , which were just being created at that time. The weapon required high accuracy of fire, high rate of fire and small size. Already in 1964, the company created prototypes of a new submachine gun, which first received the NK54 index, where the number “5” indicated the type of weapon, and the number “4” indicated the ammunition used.
In 1966, the new submachine gun was successfully tested in units of the border service and police of the Federal Republic of Germany, received its current name and was adopted for service. The weapon has been constantly improved and continues to be improved to this day, and is also actively sold throughout the world to everyone.
The MP5 MLI sample is one of the many upgrade options for the 2013 MP5A5, with a Picatinny rail mounted on the receiver cover.
However, it is unlikely that the demand for it would be so significant if it were not for the experience of practical use in a number of military clashes, which demonstrated its high effectiveness. Thus, in 1972, MP 5 was used against terrorists who seized a hotel with Israeli athletes during the Olympics in Munich. In 1977, a German special forces detachment, armed with MP 5, was engaged in the liberation of a hijacked Boeing 737 aircraft. In 1980, British special forces again used this submachine gun during the liberation of the Iranian embassy in London. In addition, the MP 5 has been actively used by various US intelligence services all this time, and in the 1990-2000s it was used by the Pakistani army and police in the fight against the Taliban, both on its territory and in neighboring Afghanistan. All these examples of combat use of MP 5 were analyzed, its high combat characteristics were noted, which caused high demand for it. Today, this submachine gun is sold in more than 100 variants, which certainly indicates its high efficiency and commercial popularity.
Main parts of MP5A3 with telescopic stock. An early model with a grooved forend and a stamped steel trigger module housing.
It must be said right away that the submachine gun was indeed successful by its creators. Although it fires 9x19 mm Parabellum ammunition, standard for most Western SMGs, the muzzle energy of its shot is 650 J, which is 20-30% higher than a number of its competitors. And this is not just interest. First of all, these are higher rates of defeating the enemy. Due to the use of new polymer materials, the design turned out to be quite light, but durable. And being manufactured using high-quality equipment, all its parts together work very well. The compactness of the MP5 is noted, although purely visually it does not seem so small, rather the opposite. But this is the opinion of fighters of special forces groups, who have to fight with this particular submachine gun in city neighborhoods and residential premises, and here its size becomes a very important factor. If it were too bulky, no one would sing its praises!
MP5A3 SD - version with integrated silencer. With its help, the sound of a shot can be muffled so much that it is practically inaudible at a distance of 30 m.
The versatility of additional equipment that can be mounted on the MP5 is noted. This is a large set of tactical flashlights, silencers, collimator and optical sights, which greatly expand the possibilities for using the MP5 SMG. Among its advantages is the phosphating of its metal surfaces, which allows it to be used in a wide variety of climatic conditions.
One of the many MP5 variants.
X-ray “Spektr-RG”, which creates a new map of the Universe
The second device in the series was called “Spektr-Roentgen-Gamma” and went into orbit in 2022 - in fact, 21 years late relative to the original plans of the project, created in 1987 by a joint team of scientists from the USSR, Finland, East Germany, Denmark, Italy and Great Britain.
The device is the same Navigator platform developed by NPO Lavochkin, on which the Spektr-R complex is based, but the composition of the equipment is fundamentally different.
Initially, it was planned to equip the research complex with 3 x-ray and 1 ultraviolet telescopes, as well as a pair of sky monitors and a gamma-ray burst detector.
In the final version, only the Russian ART-XC and the German eROSITA remained.
They operate in different but complementary bands, performing all-sky X-ray mapping with new levels of precision and resolution.
"Spektr-RG" will make it possible to register up to 90 thousand new X-ray objects annually , previously inaccessible to human science.
The observatory, launched in July 2022 (against the planned 2011), became the first Russian device operating at the L2 Lagrange point at an altitude of one and a half million kilometers behind the Earth on the Sun-Earth line.
Thus, only the gravity of the Earth-Sun system acts on the station, so the station is practically motionless relative to the Earth.
As a result, using the new Spectrum, a detailed X-ray map of the Milky Way and nearby galaxies will be built.
The work will take 6.5 years and will allow us to discover new gravitational lenses, discover new nuclei and clusters of galaxies, refine the model of dark energy and, possibly, the process of evolution of dark matter - mysterious cosmological entities.
Expensive, but cute, cheap, but rotten!
High cost is perhaps the most important drawback of this submachine gun, which is a consequence of all the above advantages. The fact is that the designers used a semi-free shutter with a roller delay, which in itself is both complicated and... expensive. Like the bolt of the HK G3 automatic rifle, it consists of two parts, with two cylindrical rollers in the front, which are moved apart by the rear of the bolt as it moves forward. That is, shooting is carried out with the bolt closed, and the trigger on the MP5 is trigger-type, and all this is done on it in order to increase the accuracy of shooting, especially if it is fired with single shots. But still, such a design not only complicates the mechanism of this PP, but also significantly increases the cost of the weapon itself! Compared to older models of submachine guns, its cost is several orders of magnitude higher. Moreover, the reason is not only the high cost of modern structural materials needed for production, but also the high cost of labor in Germany, and, accordingly, expensive spare parts and consumables that are needed for its normal operation. That is why army units, as a rule, are not equipped with these SMGs. This would be very expensive for the military budget.
MP5 device diagram.
Description [ | ]
Shooting is carried out from the closed position of the bolt, the trigger mechanism is double action, the weapon can be cocked and loaded, but the hammer is disconnected. When you pull the trigger, the hammer is released before the bolt is released (as in revolvers with a double-action trigger). This means that in the event of a surprise attack by the enemy, there is no need to waste time chambering a cartridge and cocking the weapon. At the same time, a weapon with a cartridge in the chamber is reliably protected from an accidental shot thanks to the fuse system [1].
But there are still comments...
Purely operational comments about the MP5 are as follows: when fired, the barrel throws up quite strongly, which reduces shooting accuracy. Any weapon with a roller shutter, and the MP5 is no exception, “does not like” contamination and requires regular cleaning and lubrication with “branded” oils. It's not too easy to reload this submachine gun. To do this, you must first pull the bolt back and insert the charging handle into the groove of the bolt stop, and only then remove the empty magazine and insert the full one. But that’s not all: now you should remove the shutter from the delay by pressing its handle. That is, all together it’s about 35-45 seconds. Moreover, all these “features” are characteristic not only of the MP5, but also of all types of weapons based on the G3 rifle. Nevertheless, professionals put up with all these shortcomings and... choose the MP5 to counter terrorists.
Italian police with MP5.
And this is Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia) and here we also see MP 5. And they are also armed with the security of the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, the security of the presidents of Belarus and Ukraine, and many, many more special-purpose units around the world.
Leveling up
- In Crossout, weapon durability increases by 10% – Reinforced;
- Optimal range increases by 10% – Long-Range;
- Damage increased by 5% – Dangerous;
- Recoil reduced by 15% – No recoil;
- The speed of aiming increases by 15% – Aiming;
- Spread is reduced by 10% – Stable;
- Time to overheating increases by 10% – Heat-intensive;
- Cooling duration is reduced by 10% – With cooling.
The guide states that the maximum range is expanded by 10% - Sniper;
Such a strange Finnish sample
Well, now let’s note that there were quite a few attempts to create a “modern” submachine gun for that time, with high shooting accuracy. On VO on April 7, 2014, there was already a material dedicated to the Finnish submachine gun “Yati-Matic”, created by the Finnish designer Yali Timari in 1978, and it described in detail how, in order to achieve this goal, he changed the entire layout of his weapon: I placed a bolt on it, sliding inside the bolt frame at a slight angle, and a pistol grip raised to the level of the barrel. But despite all these tricks, he was unable to achieve any special advantages over other PPs.
Submachine gun "Yati-Matic", since 1995 - GG-95 (production) with a magazine for 40 rounds. By the way, the weapon is cocked when the front handle is opened, which is another of its original features. First, it should be folded forward and then pulled back. So, out of habit, without knowing this “trick,” you won’t even fire from this submachine gun! In addition, with such a magazine, it is very inconvenient to shoot from it while lying down.
Barrel and front sight with protective shields of the Yati-Matic submachine gun.
