APS (Automatic Underwater Special) - a special underwater submachine gun, is an individual weapon of a scuba diver and serves to destroy both surface and underwater targets. This machine gun is in service with units of combat swimmers in Russia and Ukraine, and was also offered for export through Rosoboronexport.

History of creation

The special underwater assault rifle (APS) was developed in the late 1960s by the specialists of the Federal State Unitary Enterprise TSNIITOCHMASH under the guidance of the chief designer V.V. Simonov. By the beginning of the 1970s. special ammunition in the form of elongated metal needles was created and tested. Approximately in 1975, a complex of underwater weapons as part of the APS and ammunition for it was adopted by combat swimmers of the USSR Navy.
The APS submachine gun is produced in limited quantities at the Tula Arms Plant.

Description

For APS, a cartridge with a needle-type bullet was developed, this made it possible to solve two problems - stabilizing the bullet in water without imparting torque to it (since the barrel has no rifling) and saving the energy of the bullet at a sufficiently large distance. The principle of operation of APS automation allows you to overcome the inert resistance of the liquid inside the mechanisms of this weapon. The range of effective fire exceeds the range of direct visibility in the water. When firing in the air at a distance of 30 m, all hits fit into a circle with a diameter of 15 cm. The lethal force of a bullet in the air is maintained at a distance of up to 100 m. organic glass up to 5 mm thick.

The receiver is stamped from a steel sheet. USM allows you to fire both single and continuous bursts. The fuse-translator of modes is located on the left side of the receiver above the pistol grip. The wire butt in the stowed position slides into the receiver. Resource machine - 2000 shots under water or 180 shots in the air. In addition to the standard MPS ammunition, the ammunition also includes an MPST tracer cartridge for correcting fire.
It has no analogues in the world.

Purpose

The APS submachine gun is a personal weapon of a combat swimmer and is designed to destroy underwater (combat swimmers) and surface (inflatable motor boats, high-speed boats, underwater transporters) targets, as well as to protect against marine predators.

The defeat of combat swimmers is ensured at ranges that exclude serious opposition from them.
Automatic APS operates due to automation with a gas engine. The design of the gas duct ensures the use of APS in water and in air due to the gas regulator, which uses their different densities and automatically dumps part of the powder gases when firing in air. Unlike the vast majority of modern assault rifles, the APS fires with an open bolt that locks the barrel when turning. The trigger mechanism provides a single and continuous automatic fire and is actuated by a common return spring of the bolt group.

The loading handle is located on the right side of the bolt carrier, the fuse translator is located on the left side of the receiver above the pistol grip. The receiver is made of stamped sheet steel.
The barrel of the machine has no rifling. This is due to the fact that the stabilization of the bullets is carried out hydrodynamically and does not mechanically interact with the barrel. Sights are an unregulated open rear sight on the receiver and a front sight on the gas chamber.
The butt of steel wire is made telescopic, retractable inside the receiver.

The magazine with a capacity of 26 rounds has an unusual shape, which is explained by the shorter length of the feeder spring in comparison with the cartridges. To increase the reliability of the action, the machine shop is equipped with spring grips (in its front part) and a cartridge separator that prevents them from being skewed by bullets upwards.

The receiver, in order to prevent the simultaneous supply of several cartridges into the chamber, is equipped with a cutter. The pistol grip is made of plastic.
For firing from underwater transporters, there is a trunnion on the barrel of the machine gun for fixing it on a support.

Due to the use of the machine mainly under water and the actions of a swimmer in gloves, the APS does not have a forearm.
The MPS cartridge is a cartridge case of a traditional design (from the standard cartridge 7N6 5.45x39 mm) with a bullet in the form of a needle-shaped steel rod (120 mm) with a narrowing of the head in the form of a double truncated cone. In the cartridge case there is a propellant powder charge that ejects a bullet from the barrel and activates the automatic weapons that use the energy of gases. When moving in the input, the bullet is stabilized due to the formation of a cavitation cavity around it, the formation and retention of which is ensured by the selection of the shape and size of the bullet in combination with its speed.

The bullet does not stabilize in air.
Cartridge length - 150 mm, weight - 27-28 g.
Later, MPST ammunition appeared with a tracer bullet.

At a depth of 5 m, the MPS cartridge provides an effective firing range for scuba divers up to 30 m, 20 m - up to 20 m and 40 m - up to 10 m.

At the specified ranges, the machine ensures the defeat of live targets in hydro overalls with foam insulation and protective plexiglass up to 5 mm thick. Shooting from APS in the water is possible from all positions of the swimmer, as well as from under water at surface targets and from the air at underwater ones.

The machine allows you to fire in the air. However, due to the lack of dynamic stabilization of the bullet, the shooting accuracy is low, and the effective range is significantly less than 100 meters. In addition, when firing in the air, the resource of the machine gun is reduced by more than 10 times - up to 180 versus 2000 when firing under water.

To provide the possibility of correcting shooting, an MPST cartridge with a tracer bullet was developed and can be used.

The APS submachine gun (“special underwater submachine gun”) entered service with the Soviet Navy in the mid-1970s. V. V. Simonov was the lead designer for this machine at TsNII TOCHMASH. APS is made for special cartridges MPS and MPST type 5.66x39 with high elongation bullets (developed by P.F. Sazonov and O.P. Kravchenko). MPS cartridges (with an ordinary bullet) use a cartridge case from a standard 5.45x39 automatic cartridge.

The bullet is a "needle" with a narrowing of the head part in the form of a double truncated cone, it moves with a gap along the bore. This design of the bullet is associated with the peculiarities of movement in water, which differ significantly from the conditions of movement in the air. When a bullet (or other projectile) moves in water at high speed, not only a change in the shape of the oncoming flow lines is observed, but also a violation of its continuity with the formation of a cavity. The bullet of the standard cartridge of the 5.45-mm AK 74 assault rifle has an ogive warhead and a small relative length under such conditions forms a cavity of large transverse dimensions and soon capsizes. If, however, the bullet is given a greater elongation (about 20 calibers) and a flat cut in the head part, when moving in water in the developed cavitation mode, only the flat cut of the bullet is washed by water, which significantly reduces the resistance force and contributes to the formation of a cavity of smaller diameter. The stability of the movement of the bullet in the cavitation mode is ensured due to its oscillatory movements relative to the flat section of the head part as a result of the interaction of the tail part with the boundaries of the cavitation cavity. That is, the cavity serves as a stabilizer for the bullet. When the bullet slows down, the cavern decreases in size, and as soon as its back part “captures” the bullet shank, the bullet loses speed sharply, and the cavern completely “collapses” - the bullet is in “full washout mode”.

The striking ability of a bullet depends on the depth of immersion. At depths up to 5 m, the lethal range is 30 m, at a depth of 40 m it is reduced to 10 m. But the use of an MPST cartridge with a tracer bullet allows you to adjust the shooting along the tracks.
Automatic weapon has a gas engine with the removal of powder gases through a hole in the barrel wall and a long stroke of the gas piston, there is a gas regulator. The barrel bore is locked by turning the bolt.

Automatic APS in incomplete disassembly: 1 - receiver cover; 2 - gas outlet tube; 3 - reciprocating mainspring with a guide rod; 4 - bolt carrier; 5 - shutter; 6 - barrel with receiver, pistol grip, butt; 7 - contactor; 8 - shop

The trigger mechanism of the machine is a striker type. The shot is fired from the rear sear due to the energy of the reciprocating mainspring. The trigger mechanism is assembled in a separate housing and allows single or automatic fire, equipped with a flag non-automatic fuse-translator.

Food is from a detachable box magazine. Features of the cartridge required a number of devices to ensure reliable operation of the power system. The two rows of cartridges in the magazine are separated by a plate, the upper bullets are held by spring grips from tipping the bullets up. A cartridge cutter is mounted inside the receiver to prevent sticking or double feeding of cartridges.

The example is retractable. The machine is adapted for the day of attachment to the board of the underwater vehicle.

The production of APS assault rifles was supplied by the Tula Arms Plant. The automatic rifle is equipped with two magazines and accessories. There are no analogues of APS among serial foreign weapons.

Although firing MPS and MPST cartridges “in the air” is possible, bullets of high elongation that are not stabilized by rotation in the air turn out to be unstable. For aimed shooting in the air, other ammunition is required.

Tactical and technical characteristics of the APS machine

Caliber: 5.66 mm
Cartridge: MPS, MPST (5.66 x 39)
Weight without magazine: 2.46 kg
Weapon length:
with butt extended: 840 mm
with stock retracted: 620 mm
Muzzle velocity underwater: 340-360 m/s
Muzzle velocity in air: 365 m/s
Rate of fire: 600 rds / min
Sighting range underwater: 10-30 m
Sighting range in air: 100 m
Magazine capacity: 26 rounds

Automatic underwater special (APS)

Time, country: XX century. Russia/Small arms

Weapon type: Small arms

The 5.66-mm underwater special assault rifle is intended for arming light divers, in order to destroy manpower at depths of up to 40 m. Developed by order of the KGB of the USSR and the GRU of the General Staff of the USSR Ministry of Defense V.V.

Automation works on the principle of removing powder gases from the table channel. Locking is carried out by turning the shutter. The automatic gas engine, which includes a gas regulator, provides automatic shooting both in water and in air. Sights consist of a rear sight and a front sight. The assault rifle has a smooth barrel, and to ensure effective shooting - a retractable wire shoulder rest. The flag fuse is, in turn, a translator of fire.

For firing from a machine gun, 5.66-mm MPS cartridges with steel bullets are used.

All parts of the cartridge are interconnected by means of a sleeve. The sleeve protects the powder charge from external influences and prevents the breakthrough of powder gases towards the bolt when fired. It has a body for placing a powder charge, a muzzle for fixing a bullet and a bottom. Outside, at the bottom of the sleeve, an annular groove is made for the ejector hook. At the bottom of the sleeve there is a nest for the primer, an anvil and two seed holes through which the flame from the primer penetrates to the powder charge.

MPS cartridges are packed in cardboard packs of 26 cartridges each. Packs of cartridges are sealed in metal boxes, each box contains eight packs. Two hermetically sealed metal boxes with cartridges are placed in a wooden box. In total, there are 416 rounds in the box.

Shooting from a machine gun is carried out in bursts or single shots. Burst shooting is the main type of automatic shooting; it is conducted in short (3-5 shots) and long (up to 10 shots) bursts. The supply of cartridges during firing is made from a box magazine with a capacity of 26 rounds.

Characteristics

lethal range in water, m:

At a depth of up to 5 m - 30;

At a depth of up to 20 m - 20;

At a depth of up to 40 m - 10;

effective range in the air - up to 30 m;

rate of fire - 600 rds / min:

combat rate of fire, rds / min:

When firing single shots - 40;

When firing bursts - 80-100;

muzzle velocity - 340-360 m/s;

the range to which the lethal effect of a bullet on an unprotected live target in the air is maintained - 100 m;

machine weight, kg:

Without a store - 2.46;

With an unloaded magazine - 3.03;

With an equipped magazine - 3.6;

store weight - 0.57 kg;

magazine capacity - 26 rounds;

machine length, mm:

With extended butt - 840;

With a folded butt - 620;

caliber - 5.66 mm;

aiming line length - 290 mm;

cartridge weight - 23 g; .

bullet weight - 20.7 g;

sleeve - steel lacquered;

bullet - steel lacquered.

Sources:

1. Special underwater atomator Rules of handling and application Moscow Military publishing house 1983
2. Monetchikov S.B. "History of the Russian machine gun" LLC "Publishing house "Atlant" 2005
3. http://tulatoz.ru - Tula arms factory

Taking into account the positive experience in solving problematic issues of developing an underwater pistol complex, in 1970 TsNIITOCHMASH was given the task of creating underwater automatic small arms to equip underwater vehicles of the Triton-1M type and arm combat swimmers (as individual weapons). On a competitive basis, the designers of TsNIITOCHMASH began to work on the design of an underwater machine gun and an underwater machine gun, and the designers of the Tula TsKIB SOO began to work on the creation of an underwater machine gun.

As in the work on the pistol, research and development work began with the development of an automatic cartridge for underwater shooting. In the new submachine gun cartridges for underwater shooting, developed by designers P. F. Sazonov and O. P. Kravchenko using the cartridge case of the standard 5.45 mm cartridge 7N6, the problem of achieving a high initial velocity of bullets and ensuring their stable movement along the trajectory was successfully solved. The MPS cartridge was a cartridge case of the standard 7N6 cartridge, where a needle-shaped bullet 120 mm long was inserted. When moving under water, the bullet also stabilized due to the appearance of a cavitation bubble (cavity) in the head part. In the air, such a bullet did not stabilize in flight. In submachine gun cartridges of the MPS, the seats of bullets and primers had additional sealing to keep the powder charge dry in conditions of prolonged exposure to water. 5.56 MM automatic automatic cartridges of active action - with a steel bullet (MPS) and with a tracer bullet (MPST) had a relatively high accuracy of fire.

In the early 1970s, after the creation of automatic cartridges, V.V. Simonov began to design a special submachine gun underwater complex, which included a 5.66-mm submachine gun AG-022. This sample was a weapon system with a rigid locking of the bore, the original design elements of which were an automatic gas engine that ensures the functioning of the weapon in water and in air, as well as a magazine with a capacity of 26 rounds with their cut-off, which works reliably in various operating conditions. The AG-022 assault rifle had a lower weight and dimensions compared to the AK-74 assault rifle, despite the use of a more (one and a half times) powerful cartridge and a longer (twice) 5.56 mm cartridge compared to the 5.45 mm cartridge 7H6. The appearance of such a shooting complex, designed to combat underwater targets, had no analogues in the world and was a unique development of domestic gunsmiths. These works for the first time laid the foundation for the creation of automatic small arms, effective for firing in the aquatic environment.

Automation of the new weapon works on the principle of removal of powder gases from the bore. Locking is carried out by turning the shutter. The original elements of its design is the automatic gas engine, the design of which includes an automatic gas regulator that ensures the reliable operation of the weapon both in the aquatic environment and in the air. The operation of the gas regulator uses differences in the density of the media (water or air) to automatically release part of the powder gases when firing in air. The striker trigger mechanism, powered by a reciprocating mainspring and assembled in a separate assembly, allows single and automatic fire (short - 3-5 shots or long - 10 shots in bursts).

Unlike most modern machines APS fires from the rear sear, i.e. with the shutter open. The reload handle is located on the right side of the bolt carrier. The safety lever, mounted on the receiver on the left above the pistol grip of fire control, simultaneously performs the role of a translator of the type of fire. The receiver is made by stamping from sheet steel. The APS submachine gun has a smooth barrel (without rifling), as the bullets are stabilized hydrodynamically. Sights consist of a simple unregulated open rear sight on the receiver and a front sight mounted on the gas chamber. To ensure effective shooting, the machine has a retractable wire shoulder rest.

Cartridges are fed from a metal magazine with a capacity of 26 rounds, which have a special design. The unusual shape of the magazine is due to the elongated cartridge (150 mm) and the relatively short length of the feeder spring. Inside the store (in the transition part) a vertically located limiter plate is mounted, separating the two rows of cartridges in it. This limiter eliminates the crossover of elongated cartridges during feeding and exit to the chambering line. In addition, special parts are provided in the design of the magazine and its receiver in the receiver to prevent the bullet from tilting the cartridge upwards when fed into the barrel or double feeding cartridges into the barrel.

Sights - the simplest design, include an unregulated open rear sight on the receiver and a front sight on the gas chamber. Butt - telescopic, retractable, steel wire.

To use the APS machine on underwater vehicles, both for combating the enemy and for self-defense against marine predators, a trunnion is mounted on its barrel, through which the weapon is mounted in the ball bearing of the embrasure. APS is completed with two magazines and accessories.

In a submerged position at a depth of 5 m, the MPS cartridge provides an effective range of fire against scuba divers up to 30 m, at a depth of 20 m the effective range is reduced to 20 m, and at a depth of 40 m it is only 10 m. specified depths without the use of special equipment does not exceed the effective firing range of the APS, that is, if the enemy can be visually detected, then he can be hit. Therefore, submachine-gun systems are capable of solving special tasks at depths of up to 40 m from all positions, including afloat, and at all diving depths they provide a reliable defeat of divers at ranges significantly exceeding their visual visibility.

At the maximum firing range in the water, a bullet hits a swimmer dressed in wetsuit with insulation, and also pierces 5 mm thick plexiglass. The new weapon allows it to be used by combat swimmers for shooting not only under water, but also on land. However, due to the fact that the MPS and MPST bullets do not have dynamic stabilization sufficient for a less dense air environment, the firing accuracy turns out to be low, the effective firing range is 100 m. air is reduced by more than 10 times - from 2000 shots under water to only 180 shots in the air.

The 5.66 mm special underwater assault rifle (APS) was adopted by the Soviet Navy in 1975. APS submachine guns are armed with combat swimmers from the underwater sabotage forces and means (PDSS) of the Navy. It is with machine guns APS and SPP-1 pistols were armed with Soviet combat swimmers who ensured the safety of the ships of the heads of two states: the USSR and the USA (MS Gorbachev and George W. Bush) during their negotiations off the coast of Malta in December 1989. The production of APS assault rifles was carried out by the state enterprise Tula Arms Plant.

Tactical and technical characteristics of the APS machine
Weight, kg:
2.46 (no magazine)
3.7 (with loaded magazine)
Length, mm: 832/615 with unfolded / folded butt
Barrel length, mm: 300
Width, mm: 65
Cartridge: 5.66x39 mm MPS, MPST
Caliber, mm: 5.66
Principles of operation: removal of powder gases, butterfly valve
Rate of fire, rounds / min: 600 (in air), 500 (in water)
Muzzle velocity, m/s: 365 (in air) 240-250 (at a depth of 5 m)
Maximum range, m: effective:
30 m (at a depth of 5 m)
20 m (at a depth of 20 m)
10 m (at a depth of 40 m)
100 m (in air)
Type of ammunition: box magazine for 26 rounds
Sight: unregulated open

“The creation of a universal underwater-surface assault rifle is tantamount to the creation of a transparent tank,” said one of the American experts involved in the development of such weapons.

It is difficult to say how far the US designers have advanced, but the Russian ADS (special two-medium assault rifle) has already been created and even declassified, which allows it to be offered for export. The sample was designed and prepared for production by TsKIB SOO, a branch of the Tula OJSC Instrument Design Bureau (KBP), which is part of the holding company NPO High Precision Complexes.

When scuba gear came into wide circulation in the 1950s and the first units of combat swimmers appeared, the question of special underwater weapons immediately arose. First, it was about protection from sharks, and then about military weapons to fight the same enemy swimmers. Therefore, the first generation of underwater weapons was a harpoon gun for spearfishing with a rubber chime, spring, pneumatic. In one of the James Bond films, a fight is shown between two squads of combat swimmers, cheerfully harpooning each other. In fact, the effectiveness of such guns was extremely low. First of all, the harpoon speed, range, rate of fire and lethal force were low. It was possible to fight off a shark with such a weapon, but it was extremely difficult to fight off a trained enemy with the same harpoon gun.

Therefore, in many countries, the development of multi-shot firearms immediately began. The density of the underwater environment, increasing with each meter of depth, dictated its conditions. No one even thought about automatics working under water. The development of the weapon of the combat swimmer repeated the long journey of the ground. When almost all the armies of the world were already using automation, the 19th century came under water - the first revolvers appeared. In them, as befits the first revolvers, the charging chambers, in fact, were muzzle-loading barrels. A drum block of 3-6 short barrels made it possible to conduct high-speed firing. Only to recharge such a unit was often possible only in the factory.

ADS assault rifle with an attached 40 mm underbarrel grenade launcher and its sight on the left side of the barrel

In the USSR, the problem was approached comprehensively. It is clear that a special cartridge is needed for shooting under water, and we started with it. To stabilize the bullet, they made it long, like a dart (needle). The length of the ATP cartridge therefore reached 120 mm. In the mid-1970s, based on a standard 5.45x39 mm cartridge with the same bullet, but slightly blunted. When moving in water, a cavitation cavity (air bubble) was created, which sharply reduces the resistance of water.

Special underwater weapons were adopted by the Soviet army in 1975. These were the SPP underwater pistol and the special APS submachine gun (APS-5). A four-shot and, accordingly, a four-barreled special pistol retained lethal force at a distance of 17 m. Foreign analogues barely exceeded 10 m. . Effectively, this weapon can usually be used no further than 10-12.

Although the APS was highly appreciated by foreign combat swimmers, it also had its drawbacks. The most significant is a gas bubble filled with smoke, and therefore opaque, that occurs after a shot. The swimmer did not see the result of the shooting. The same bubbles, especially with a slight immersion, bursting on the surface, betrayed the fighter.

For a long time, underwater machines were not developed anywhere except the Soviet Union. In the United States, in general, such projects were not accepted for consideration at one time, along with a perpetual motion machine and a transparent tank. The exception was China, which adopted a clone of the Russian APS called QBS-06 in 2006 for combat swimmers. Only the caliber was slightly increased to the base 5.8x42 mm PLA cartridge, which received a steel needle bullet, but with a pointed nose.

Underwater machines had another disadvantage - the inability to use in the air. Without the retarding density of water, in air, shock loads sharply increased in automation. The APS-5 resource is only 180 shots on land, after which the destruction of the bolt frame begins. Yes, and underwater cartridges have to be used. Therefore, combat swimmers have to have two assault rifles - underwater and AKS74U.

special underwater machine APS

The experimental automaton ASM-DT "Sea Lion" was created at the Tula Design Technological Institute of Mechanical Engineering based on the APS. It provided for the possibility of feeding both cartridges with a needle-shaped bullet, and standard ammunition for a Kalashnikov assault rifle of 5.45x39 mm caliber. Unlike the smooth APS barrel, this one had rifling. But underwater bullets were sub-caliber, with a reduced diameter in order to pass through the barrel without crashing into the rifling. Different magazines were used for different cartridges. The machine gun was not adopted.
JSC "KBP" began to develop a new generation submachine gun in the early 1990s. The result was the A-91 automatic grenade launcher. Export version 5.56A-91 - under the NATO cartridge. And further modernization of the A-91M, which is distinguished by the installation of an underbarrel grenade launcher of 40 mm caliber, and not 30 mm.

The complex consists of a 7.62 mm machine gun and a 40 mm grenade launcher. Arranged according to the bullpup scheme. Balanced in mass due to the grenade launcher. Cartridges are ejected through a special channel forward and out near the pistol grip. The closed receiver prevents dirt from getting inside.

In 2005, KBP created a PSP cartridge based on the 5.45x39 mm cartridge case for the AK-74. A steel bullet weighing 16 g and 53 mm long was placed in the sleeve. Deeply recessed into the sleeve, it did not go beyond the dimensions of the automatic cartridge. A rather large length and a flat bow, due to the formation of a cavitation cavity, ensured the accuracy of firing under water. A training cartridge PSP-U was also created with a bronze bullet weighing 8 g.

The A-91M complex became the basis for the two-medium special ADS automatic machine developed at the branch of OAO KBP - the Central Design and Research Bureau of Sports and Hunting Weapons (TsKIB SOO) of the High-Precision Complexes holding. Development was completed in 2007.

automatic ASM-DT "Sea Lion"

The ADS assault rifle with a caliber of 5.45 mm solved the problem of the underwater-surface use of the machine. And it was intended to replace the APS assault rifle in service as a combat weapon for special units of the Russian Navy. The new assault rifle is designed to defeat manpower and suppress enemy firepower:

- on land - firing from a 5.45x39 mm machine gun with all types of regular cartridges and from a 40-mm grenade launcher with regular VOG-25 and VOG-25P rounds;

- under water - firing 5.45x39 mm cartridges with special underwater PSP.

The ADS assault rifle with a built-in underbarrel grenade launcher is made according to the bullpup scheme, which provides a shorter automaton compared to traditional schemes (with the same barrel length), increased maneuverability, better balancing and eliminates butt folding and unfolding operations. The use of impact-resistant plastics, special materials and coatings provides increased corrosion resistance and reduced weight of the weapon.

The ADS is superior to the AK-74M and APS in terms of accuracy of fire in air and under water, respectively.

Main characteristics

Caliber: 5.45×39 PSP, PSP-U (for shooting under water) / 5.45×39 7N6, 7N10, 7N22
Weapon length: 660 mm
Barrel length: 415 mm
Weight without cartridges: 4.6 kg.
Rate of fire: 650-800 rds / min
Magazine capacity: 30 rounds

ADS assault rifle with attached silencer and night sight