Cool names of Russian weapons. Funny names of Russian peaceful weapons. Machine guns, pistols, machine guns

07.03.2020

Voting on the choice of names for several types of new weapons has ended on the website of the Russian Ministry of Defense, which the President of the country spoke about on March 1 during his message to the Federal Assembly, reports RT .

As a result, the new combat laser complex was named "Peresvet", the unmanned underwater vehicle will be called "Poseidon", the newest cruise missile will be called "Petrel". About eight million people took part in the action. NSN .

Participants of the competition often offered very outstanding names. For example, it was proposed to name the combat laser "Bagheera", "Viem", "Gepard", "Gorynych", "Stargazer", "Ophthalmologist", "Matryoshka" and "Fly Swatter", reports FAN .

The main battles flared up around the naming option for a nuclear-powered cruise missile. "Alyonushka", "Albatross", "Blagovest", "Berdysh", "Vatnik", "Retribution", "Guarantor", "Argument", "Hummingbird", "Swallow", "Robin", "Peacemaker", "Nadyusha ”,“ Surprise ” - a far from complete list of names proposed by the Russians.

The editor-in-chief suggested calling the rocket "Volodya". The head of Chechnya said that the newest strategic weapon has earned the name "Palmyra" - in memory of the Russian soldiers who died in Syria.

The first example of Russia's latest strategic weapons, which Putin presented during his address, was a missile system with a heavy intercontinental ballistic missile "Sarmat" (Satan-2 according to the classification). At the moment, together with the enterprises of the rocket industry, they have already begun the active phase of testing the missile system. "Sarmat" will replace the complex "Voevoda" (Satan according to NATO classification), which was created back in the USSR.

The flight range of the Sarmat missile (16,000 km) exceeds the flight range of the Voyevoda (11,000 km), and the missile also has a large number and power of warheads, Putin explained. The Sarmat rocket weighs over 200 tons. What makes it difficult to intercept by missile defense means is that it has a short active flight segment. "Sarmat" will be equipped with a wide range of high-yield nuclear weapons, including hypersonic ones, as well as modern systems to overcome missile defense.

The head of state announced that Russia has developed unmanned underwater vehicles capable of moving at “very great depths” and at intercontinental ranges. The speed of drones is many times higher than the speed of submarines, the most modern torpedoes, as well as all types of surface ships, including the fastest ones.

Underwater vehicles have low noise, high maneuverability and are practically invulnerable to the enemy, the president added, noting that at the moment there are no means in the world that could resist them.

The latest Russian submarine drones are low noise, highly maneuverable and virtually invulnerable to the enemy, which will allow them to hit a wide range of targets, including aircraft carrier groups, coastal fortifications and infrastructure. A multi-year test cycle of an innovative nuclear power plant for a drone was completed at the end of 2017.

Its uniqueness lies in its small dimensions and, at the same time, its ultra-high power-to-weight ratio. Its volume is 100 times smaller than that of the installations of modern nuclear submarines, but at the same time it has a stronger power and switches to combat mode 200 times faster, the president said.

The tradition of naming Russian weapons by association with certain objects, sensations or objects is far from new. This practice took place as early as the 16th century. At that time, grenades appeared in the French army, which were so named after a popular fruit. Indeed, the ammunition resembled it in shape, and the fragments looked like flying seeds. By a similar principle, the “lemon” received its nickname. The famous bazooka (a popular World War II grenade launcher) was named after a musical instrument. Most often, the nicknames of equipment and different types of weapons were given on the principle of persuading the enemy in aggressiveness and lethality. Everyone knows the German "Tiger" and "Panther".

Features of the names of Russian weapons

In Russia, the principle of intimidation is somewhat veiled and not always used. Many domestic engineers have gone the other way. They relied on wit, flirtatiousness and originality. Sometimes the opinion arises that the nicknames of self-propelled guns, mortars, MANPADS and even aircraft are some kind of mockery of a potential enemy. It is unlikely that anyone will be surprised if suddenly the developers and designers at one time took an active part in KVN.

For comparison: the Germans have a Leopard, France has a Leclerc, the Israeli army has a Merkava war chariot, and the Americans have an Abrams. As you can see, the names refer to animals or famous generals. In our army, the model of the T-72B2 tank is referred to only as the "Slingshot". Another example is in the field of artillery. In the US, a self-propelled gun mount is called "Paladin", among the British - "Archer". Quite understandable and logical nicknames. If you pay attention to domestic counterparts, there is very often a flower bed: "Peonies", "Acacias", "Tulips", "Carnations", "Hyacinths". It is unlikely that at least one potential adversary will like such a bouquet.

More about "flowers"

In the cool names of Russian weapons, the garden and berry theme occupies one of the leading places. Regarding missiles: in the American army, anti-tank units are called "Cudgel", "Dragon", as if everything is clear. Russian approach: "Malyutka" - 9M-14M missile, "Chrysanthemum" - 9M123. ATGM "Metis" is equipped with a no less original (by name) night vision sight "Mulat". Some of the "garden" representatives of the Russian army are given below:

"Hyacinth" - a self-propelled gun with a caliber of 152 mm, the second nickname, more reflective of the essence - "Genocide".
Self-propelled guns "Peony" - equipped with a 203-millimeter cannon.
"Carnation" - self-propelled guns 2S1.
"Tulip" - self-propelled mortar caliber 240 mm.
"Acacia" - self-propelled guns of type 2S3.
"Bouquet" - handcuffs used by escorts to accompany five people at the same time.

The above list of names of Russian weapons is constantly updated, which cannot but rejoice compatriots and make enemies shudder once again.

About sentimentality

Many other names of domestic military equipment are no less original and sometimes cause a smile until you find out the characteristics and capabilities of the product. Sentimentality is also not alien to our military engineers.

Below is a list of romantic and slightly funny names for Russian weapons and military equipment:

"Ulybka" is a radio direction-finding meteorological complex.
"Weasel" - a rocket with a chemical warhead caliber 240 mm.
"Decoration" - a 122-mm cluster rocket projectile of the 9M-22K type.
"Excitement" - thermobaric warhead.
"Naughty" - military UAZ-3150.
"Visit" - body armor.
"Hello" - rubber ammunition caliber 23 mm.
"Pozitiv" - ship's radar station.
Multiple stun grenade "Ecstasy".
"Tenderness" - handcuffs.
infantry shovel-grenade launcher "Variant".

Animal world

This theme is also relevant in the names of Russian weapons. Tigers, cheetahs and other representatives of predatory fauna do not play a leading role here. Although the Russian army could not do without them, completely different nicknames, more honest ones, are of greater interest. Next on the list:

Since there are a lot of squirrels in the domestic open spaces, the developers could not forget this beast. A complex is named after him, which includes a 140 mm M-14S rocket projectile, a 4TUD military radio station, and an RM-207A target ammunition.
"Raccoon" - a torpedo with a homing system caliber 533 mm (SET-65).
"Canary" - a complex of automatic-grenade launcher type 6S-1 with the possibility of silent firing.
"Boar" - a multifunctional missile system 96M-6M.
"Grasshopper" - robotic mobile station MRK-2.
"Kozlik" - an experienced automatic grenade launcher TKB.
"Woodpecker" - grenade-pistol.
"White Swan" - Tu-160 bomber.

In addition, among the names of Russian weapons associated with animals, there are "Shrimp" (ground-based specialized radio receiver R-880M) and "Hummingbird" (aircraft anti-submarine torpedo with a caliber of 432 mm). Among the representatives of foreign fauna there is also a "Panda" (aiming radar system for Su-27 fighters). Among the most famous insects is the “Fly”, an anti-tank 64 mm ammunition for RPG-18 grenade launchers, the photo of which is presented below. It is logical that such a gathering of animals crowns the artillery reconnaissance and management complex "Zoo" (1L-219).

Health

Animals and flowers in the names of Russian weapons are far from the only topics. Military engineers beat the age-old health problems. So, in this direction, the following types of weapons and equipment are presented:

"Tonus" is a software and hardware station of the 65C941 type.
"Diagnoz" is a heavy transport complex R-410M.
"Travmatism" - a special medical vehicle for the Airborne Forces (BMM-1D).
"Violent" - armored personnel carrier configuration 80A.
"Fool" - Soviet atomic bomb RDS-7.

Professions

The next topic is professions. It is not entirely clear why, but most of the names correspond to journalists. Evaluate for yourself:

Radar station with ensuring compatibility "Subtitle" (MKZ-10).
"Paragraph" - a rocket used by the Uragan MLRS (9m-27D). It is worth noting that the profile of this 220-mm ammunition is a campaign direction.
"Newsman-E" - protection for radar.
The list continues with representatives of other professions. For example, "Ballerina" is an aircraft automatic gun with a caliber of 30 mm.
"Stewardess" - a mobile complex of state identification and secondary location (ATC).
Mobile ground missile system 15P-159 "Courier", aggregating with small-sized ICBM RSS-40.

Other items

There are several more interesting and funny names of Russian weapons that are difficult to group into a single group. Among them:

Flamethrower for manual use RPO-2 "Priz".
"Semi-final" - non-contact type fuse (9E-343).
The original Russian nickname "Gzhel" is body armor.
"Bukovitsa" - EW L-183 control and verification equipment.
"Well done" - ICBM RT-23 UTTH.
"Solntsepek" - heavy flamethrower system TOS1M.
"Spark" - a ship's grenade launcher with seven barrels of 55 mm caliber.
"Baby" - rocket 9K-11.
"Vampire" - hand-held anti-tank grenade launcher.
The Cactus is a ground-launched ballistic missile.
"Ironia" is an optical-electronic surveillance system.
"Pinocchio" - TOS-1.

Logical interpretation of the specified terms

If we take the names of Russian weapons and military equipment seriously, then all these names are not without a logical chain. They are given not just from the "ceiling", but in connection with established traditions.

The following trends are visible:

According to the project letters (S-200A - Angara, 200D - Dubna, 200V - Vega, and so on).
Taking into account the displayed abbreviations (new ground artillery weapon - "Nona", Kovrov gunsmiths from Degtyarev - "Kord").
In connection with research and development (for example, "Judge", "Rook").
Serial features associated with natural phenomena are varieties of MLRS ("Tornado", "Grad", "Hurricane").
The flower line includes representatives of SAU ("Tulip", "Carnation", "Peony").
River direction - air defense systems ("Tunguska", "Dvina", "Neva", "Shilka").
Means of masking and setting radio interference ("Kikimora", "Moshkara", "Leshy").
Taking into account the clearly manifested action ("Hoarfrost", "Sunshine").
Dynamic type protection ("Contact").
Soldier - "Pinocchio" (TOS), "Foundling" (underbarrel grenade launcher), "Excitement" (infantry shoulder blade), "Tenderness" (handcuffs).
In honor of the designers or manufacturers - "Vladimir" (T-90), "Antey" (SAM).

Name of Russian weapons according to NATO classification

The purpose of a particular object is indicated by the initial letter. For example: F (fighters), S (surface-to-surface missiles), SS (ballistic missiles). It is worth noting that names with two syllables indicate the reactive nature of the action, and with one - piston parameters. If any system is not provided for in the adopted table, they come up with a new turkey or put it in the “M” category (for military aircraft).

In the USSR and Russia, combat aviation did not receive official second names. For example, the American F-15 fighter could, according to the documentation, be indicated as "Eagle" (Eagle). The Russian MiG-29 was simultaneously and unofficially called "Grach". Usually, Soviet pilots did not use NATO terms, since they were either unknown, or it was more common to hear the unofficial nickname of the combat vehicle in use.

Often the names of Russian weapons in Western terminology sounded offensive, especially during the Cold War. For example:

The MiG-15 was called differently - Falcon ("Falcon"), Fagot (bundle of firewood or homosexual).
MiG-29 - Fulcrum (fulcrum).
Tu-95 - Bear (bear).
Tu-22M - Backfire (return or reverse fire).

Transport aircraft were designated with the letter "C". Accordingly, the nicknames began with her: Careless (careless), Candid (sincere). This feature is due to the fact that the names were given alphabetically.

Other "Western" nicknames

We sorted out the domestic "nicknames" of our weapons. The names that NATO refers to Russian military equipment usually correspond to the initial letter denoting a certain class of ground, surface, underwater or flying equipment. Below are a few nicknames in a Western way.

Among them are many planes and helicopters:

Flanker (flanking) - from Su-27 to Su-35.
Fullback (defender in football) - Su-34.
Foxhound (fox hound) - MiG-31.
Blinder (blinding) - Tu-22.
Mitten (mitten) - Yak-130.
Mainstay (base) - A-50.
Midas (in honor of King Midas) - IL-78.
Condor (condor) - An-124.
Cub (puppy) - An-12.
Hind (doe) - Mi-24.
Havoc (devastator) - Mi-28.
Hoodlom (hooligan) - Mi-26.

A potential adversary should be given credit: most of the names are chosen quite skillfully and accurately. But many experts are puzzling over why the Americans called the multifunctional armored attack aircraft Su-25 Frogfoot (frog's foot)?

Outcome

The names of weapons, invented by domestic military engineers, have a lot of creative and original approach. Often the nicknames are a bit flirtatious or are directly related to the carrier of the threat. At the same time, some experts believe that such high-profile and unusual names are a kind of marketing ploy.

"Foundling", "Sled", "Zoo": what deadly weapon is hidden behind funny names

About the verbal names of domestic military equipment, which is capable of destroying all life in large areas, ordinary people know little. However, Grads, Tornadoes, Tornadoes, Hurricanes, Vladimirs, Acacias, Tulips and other verbal usages that are mysterious for the majority appear in the headlines every now and then. Behind every pretty name in the national weapons school is a difficult fate, and more often than not, a great story about its use or service. Almost all copies of domestic weapons, no matter what kind of troops they belong to, have impressive firepower or just very serious military functionality.

They have and we have

Only Soviet and Russian designers know how to call equipment with unusual names. There is nothing unusual in the foreign names of military equipment, no matter what troops it belongs to. American designers, for example, call their combat vehicles almost constantly in a peculiar, militant style. Judge for yourself: they called the combat helicopters “Cobra” and “Apache” - it’s quite logical, because the cobra is a poisonous snake, and the Apaches are a tribe of native North American Indians, who were pretty good with melee weapons. However, glancing at domestic weapons and studying this topic in detail, you involuntarily begin to smile, because “Sled”, “Foundling”, “Tenderness”, “Dubna”, “Vega” are not the names of some fantastic works, but real offensive and defensive means.

About titles

"Chrysanthemum". Photo: Bogdan Rudenko

Sometimes cute, gentle and kind names for formidable army equipment are given in such a way that a person who is not initiated into the intricacies of military affairs will not immediately understand what type of weapon they are talking about. For example, when you hear that Pinocchio successfully hit the target at the training ground, you, as a person familiar with Soviet cartoons, involuntarily wrinkle your forehead in an attempt to remember when Pinocchio learned to shoot and what target he hit. However, the "Pinocchio" in the Russian Ministry of Defense is nothing more than a heavy multiple launch rocket system built on the basis of the T-72 tank and capable of literally burning out all life on an area in 40.000 square meters. "Pinocchio" with a 12-cylinder diesel engine has been successfully operating in military conflicts for a long time - first in the Charikar Valley in Afghanistan and South Salang, and then in 2000 in Chechnya. The thermobaric ammunition of the “son of Papa Carlo”, who instead of legs has impressive tracks, was enough to neutralize any enemy.

Also for lovers of floristry there is a special flower series. Only we are not talking about a family of bright and colorful, pleasantly smelling flowers, but about formidable self-propelled artillery mounts: Carnation, Hyacinth, Chrysanthemum, Tulip, Peony.

Jokes about innocent names, when you personally observe the work of these machines, immediately disappear. 2S1 "Carnation" - the "smallest" artillery system in this "dimensional grid". It fires 122 mm ammunition at a range of up to 15 kilometers. But in the case of another "flower" - the Pion self-propelled artillery system, everything is somewhat more interesting, because it is this self-propelled unit that is capable of firing special ones, as the military say, or, simply, nuclear weapons over a distance of over 20 kilometers. The history of the creation of a nuclear weapon for this self-propelled gun is also full of surprises. First of all, because of the name, because the special nuclear munitions are called "Kleshchevina", "Sapling" and "Perforator".

The last name, according to the memoirs of a retired lieutenant colonel of the armed forces of the USSR Andrei Mikhailovich Savenkov, generally, terrified even on experienced foreign military men: “Yes, the story with the name is, of course, the plot for the film, at least. Then the term "limited nuclear destruction" was in common use, for which, in fact, artillery of a similar plan was intended. Ammunition, of course, came up with good ones from a practical point of view. But from the point of view of names, apparently, they decided to unleash fear on the enemy, while still standing at the drawing board. As far as I remember, when the NATO headquarters found out how the name for the ammunition sounds in Russian and what it means, I think the gray-haired generals were added there instantly, ”the expert said in an interview with Zvezda.

"Svirel", "Foundling", "Sled" and "Zoo"

"Zoo". Photo: Konstantin Semyonov

Funny names, according to the stories of the military, are innumerable in the Soviet and Russian armies. “He runs with a good hundred, or even more,” ironically remarks in an interview with Zvezda the commander of one of the EW ZVO units Andrey Tikhonov. And it is true that no name, then irony, then laughter, then awareness, and only then - the study of history. When you read about the types of shots for underbarrel grenade launchers, in general, you don’t expect a funny catch, because a grenade flying out of a device placed under the barrel of an assault rifle is capable of completely turning a small fortification. But even here, the creators of Soviet weapons distinguished themselves by creating the "Foundling" - a 7P24 grenade with a detonation mechanism after a collision with an obstacle. The expelling charge of a grenade throws it to a height of about two meters and then an explosion occurs. That's really, truly, a foundling!

Also, the Svirel deserves a separate story - a 40-mm round for a standard GP-30 underbarrel grenade launcher with acoustic impact. The principle of this ammunition is difficult to describe in words. However, if for a second you imagine the explosion of a meteorite flying into planet Earth, the simultaneous play of a thousand orchestras and the buzzing of a hundred or two bees, you can get a little closer in sensations to what the enemy experiences when such ammunition is used on him. A strong noise when a grenade is detonated is also accompanied by light exposure. In simple terms, the Svirel light and sound grenade provides the enemy with such a musical part that the mental and physical health of any, even the most prepared enemy, will be undermined for several minutes.

"Sled"

When the military asks: "Where is the one hundred and twentieth sled?" the subconscious says that even the usual, traditional for Russia types of winter entertainment have some use for the military. And only a minute later, when the mortar crew delivers a heavy 120 mm mortar with an impressive ground stop, you understand that the "Sled" is a heavy army mortar, weighing more than 200 kg, which is simply impossible to cope with alone. However, "Sled", "Foundling" and "Svirel" are just the tip of the iceberg. The easiest part for Western linguists to learn.

"Zoo"- this is what can baffle even a highly erudite civilian. The problem is that, having heard the name with a certain type or object, most people, building an associative array, will move towards something alive in their reasoning, without even thinking about what the military calls the unique development of Soviet designers “Zoo”, designed to determine enemy artillery positions. 1L219M, according to the Russian military, is a "complex for controlling artillery fire." If we talk about the unique development in a simple and understandable language, then the "Zoo" is a complex of special radar and auxiliary equipment that can detect and detect the coordinates of any enemy artillery at an impressive distance and almost instantly direct aircraft or own artillery there.

great and mighty

The current opinion that some specially trained person gives funny names to Soviet and Russian technology does not correspond to reality. The reality with the names of domestic technology is simple, like the Soviet weapon itself.

“The names of Soviet technology almost always came from the ciphers of research and development. Hence, such unusual names appeared, ”an authoritative Russian military expert and editor-in-chief of the Arsenal of the Fatherland magazine tells about the real state of affairs in an interview with Zvezda. Viktor Murakhovsky.

However, according to Murakhovsky, there were exceptions in the domestic military design business. “It used to happen that the names were given only later to the officially adopted equipment. For example, the T-72 tank, which was put into service, was later called "Ural", in honor of Uralvagonzavod. And although the name was not considered official at first, even in the technical operation manual it was later called "Ural".

"Vladimir". Photo: Bogdan Rudenko

The story with another tank, no less famous, T-90, the development of which once literally pulled the entire tank-building industry of the country out of the abyss. The T-90 is a formidable tank, the appearance and armament of which terrifies NATO headquarters, in addition to the official, factory name, it also has a proper name - "Vladimir". However, the tank was named, despite the general misconception, not in honor of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief of Russia Vladimir Putin, but in honor of the chief designer of the tank - Vladimir Mikhailovich Potkin, who, having endured a huge amount of stress, suddenly died right at the workplace on May 13, 1999.

The history with the names of domestic military equipment is a real treasure for lovers of interesting things in weapons. For many more years, according to the confessions of the military themselves, the topic with the names of weapons will excite our potential opponents. “The Western mind will never think of calling the handcuffs “Tenderness”, and the jamming system “Moshkara”. You see, here understanding is still at the mental level, if not subconscious, ”says a military representative of the Ministry of Defense in an interview with Zvezda Nikolai Koshkin.

"Poplar"

The rich and powerful Russian language played with domestic weapons in a pair sport, in fact, driving the entire Western designation system to a standstill. Concluding the theme of unusual names, a beautiful song by Mark Bernes suddenly appears in my head “Do Russians Want Wars?”. And knowing that "Silence" (shooting complex) and "Topol" (mobile missile system) are not just the author's fantasy, but also weapons embodied in metal, Mark Bernes' song takes on a completely different meaning.

During the Great Patriotic War and the pre-war era, Soviet inventors had no time for verbal experiments. New models of military equipment were simply assigned the appropriate index. However, there has always been a tradition to give a nickname to weapons. Affectionate names were awarded to the most reliable and effective samples that protected the lives of soldiers.

How can one not recall the BM-13 jet complex - the legendary Katyusha. The first machine was manufactured on June 27, 1941 at the Voronezh excavator plant. The firepower of the Katyusha was used as artillery preparation. An easy-to-use machine destroyed everything alive in the square marked by the gunners, causing enormous damage to the enemy.

Jet complex BM-13 "Katyusha"
RIA News

There are a huge number of such examples during the years of the war. The ISU-152 heavy self-propelled artillery mount was nicknamed the St. John's wort, the B-4 203 mm howitzer was nicknamed the Sledgehammer, the Il-2 ground support aircraft became the Flying Tank, the I-16 monoplane fighter became the Ishak, and the Pe-2 dive bomber became Pawn.

After the war, the tradition of giving funny nicknames to military equipment migrated to the offices of design bureaus. This is not surprising, because Soviet scientists closely monitored the operation of weapons, and some of the young specialists went to the front, adopting soldier habits. From the 1950s, instead of nicknames on the battlefield, military equipment began to be awarded official names at the development stage.

In this regard, many samples received such names that do not give an idea about the purpose of the weapon and its tactical and technical characteristics. Some of them may seem rather strange and absolutely “unmanly”. However, the original approach to the name only fuels interest in what this military equipment is actually capable of.

Artillery bouquet and natural disasters

In Russia, there is a galaxy of artillery pieces that have received "flower" names. These are the 152-mm self-propelled gun 2S5 "Hyacinth", the self-propelled anti-tank missile system 9M123 "Chrysanthemum", the self-propelled gun 2S7 "Peony", self-propelled artillery mounts 2S1 "Carnation" and 2S3 "Acacia", 240-mm self-propelled mortar "Tulip" and 82 -mm automatic mortar 2B9 "Cornflower".

At the same time, Russian multiple launch rocket systems (MLRS) received associative names. Gunsmiths decided not to call the descendants of "Katyusha" female names and turned to natural phenomena.

The world's most popular MLRS BM-21 was named "Grad". Following the deadly "precipitation" appeared 9K57 "Hurricane" (220 mm), 9K58 "Smerch" (300 mm), 9K51M "Tornado" (122 and 300 mm) and TOS-1M "Sun" (220 mm). Currently, some of this military equipment causes “natural disasters” in Syria every day.

water family

Since Russia has the richest water resources, the love for the rivers appeared in the names of many examples of air defense and other types of weapons.

The Volga, the main river of Central and Southern Russia, became the champion. "Volga" was named the first large ballistic missile R-1, the export version of the S-75 anti-aircraft missile system (SAM), the 12.7-mm V-94 (OSV-96) sniper rifle, the KSR-5 aircraft control system equipment, the ship radio-electronic station (radar) MR-310U and early warning radar P-8.

Gunsmiths could not ignore the rivers where Russian statehood was forged. Dnepr is a launch vehicle based on the R-36M intercontinental ballistic missile, an anti-missile defense radar, a portable VHF radio station 70RTP-2-ChM, and a radio-technical control and intelligence receiver PRKR-1 (1RK-9).

"Desna" (a tributary of the Dnieper) was called the S-75M air defense system, the 22Zh6M radar, the 8P775 silo launcher for the first generation R-9A missiles and the air-dropped sea mine. "Dniester" was considered an appropriate name for a variety of military and civilian electronic equipment (radar and echo sounders).

The designers did not forget other rivers: the mighty Siberian Yenisei (self-propelled anti-aircraft gun ZSU-37-2), the Trans-Baikal Shilka (self-propelled anti-aircraft gun ZSU-23-4), the Amur tributary Tunguska (2K22 anti-aircraft gun-missile system), the largest in the north to the west, the Dvina River (SA-75M air defense system) and the St. Petersburg Neva (export version of the S-125 Pechora air defense system).

adult pranks

Some names of military equipment, at first glance, do not fit into any logical scheme at all and seem to be a manifestation of either the bold imagination of the author or his sense of humor.

For example, the TOS-1 Pinocchio heavy flamethrower system, the 9M14M Malyutka anti-tank guided missile, the MRG-1 Ogonyok 55-mm shipborne seven-barreled grenade launcher, fragmentation ammunition for the GP-25 Foundling grenade launchers, and the Variant shovel grenade launcher , a heavy control station R-410M "Diagnoz", body armor "Visit" and a 23-mm rubber bullet "Hi".

The gunsmiths, apparently, were not shy in expressing their feelings, creating the BTR-80A “Violent” armored personnel carrier, the UAZ-3150 “Shalun” car, the “Ecstasy” multiple-action flash and noise grenade, and the “Tenderness” special escort handcuffs.

Car UAZ-3150 "Naughty"

Of course, not without "female" names. "Katyusha" did not become the beginning of a tradition - as a rule, proper names were rarely used. Nevertheless, one can recall Tatyana (tactical atomic bomb 8U69 and ZUR 215), Azalea (jamming station LO24 and LO27) and Lydia (120-mm mortar).

Female images are reflected in the 30-mm aircraft gun 9A-4071 "Ballerina", in the autonomous radar of state recognition "Stewardess", in the cluster warhead "Decoration", in the meteorological complex RPMK-1 "Smile", light women's body armor "Grace" , in rockets GS 9M216 "Excitement" and MS-24 "Weasel".

Also gunsmiths were clearly not indifferent to the fauna. "Swallow" - Tu-95LAL flying laboratory, "Aistenok" - portable artillery reconnaissance radar, "Fox" - armored reconnaissance and patrol vehicle BRDM-2, "Frog" - 122-mm towed howitzer D-30A, "Tiger" - car special purpose GAZ-23301, "Vepr" - an armored car GAZ-3902 and a machine gun for special forces.

122-mm towed howitzer D-30A "Frog"
Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation

From the fields of war

You should not look for any clear system in the names of military equipment, said Dmitry Kornev, founder of the Military Russia portal, in an interview with RT. “Firstly, this tradition does not apply to all weapons, and it migrated to the Soviet Union, most likely from the fields of the Second World War, where the interchange of cultures took place,” the expert believes.

Kornev recalled that Soviet soldiers used foreign samples en masse:

“In particular, captured German weapons were renamed in the Russian manner for convenience. Also, under Lend-Lease, the USSR received US equipment, which had official nicknames. Perhaps the American tradition of giving names was borrowed by Soviet designers.

“Was there any practical use for fancy names? There is no clear answer to this question. There is a version that the inexplicable names of weapons were needed to maintain the secrecy of the development. It was a kind of cipher, and in this way we allegedly confused and continue to confuse foreign spies, ”explained Kornev.

It is generally accepted that the security and protection of citizens in the state is carried out by the police. But this does not mean that there is an armed law enforcement officer at every dark entrance, back alley, private house. It's just not possible.

And crime in our country can threaten the average citizen everywhere. In addition, criminal communities do not experience a shortage of firearms of criminal origin.

Against this background, the desire of law-abiding citizens to ensure their safety and the safety of their loved ones by any means (only legal means are implied) is quite understandable.

And there are not so many ways. One of them is the confrontation with a legal firearm against a criminal armed with a firearm (usually a combat one). The law prohibits ordinary citizens from owning a rifled "short-barrel" (pistol).

We will not discuss now how right or wrong it is, what projects are emerging to mitigate weapons legislation. This is a different story. Law is law.

While it is in effect, anyone (subject to certain conditions) can acquire several legal firearms and their equivalents, produced specifically for the civilian population.

Of course, for example, it cannot be compared in efficiency with some “Tula Tokarev”, but still, an average person, with an injury in his bosom in an emergency, will meet an armed attacker not with his bare hands.

Kinds

All firearms are subdivided by our legislation into:

civilian samples;
service samples;
combat hand weapon.

Combat pistols and machine guns are available only to such categories of citizens as the military, law enforcement officers, representatives of other paramilitary state organizations (weapons are in service with special services). For this reason, we will not dwell on it in detail in this article, but will consider those types of firearms that are available to other wider categories of citizens.

Official

Pistol "Makarov" - a bright representative of service weapons

Service “firearms” are legally available to those officials who, by the nature of their activities, are obliged to protect the life and health of people, important objects, engage in environmental protection, and engage in cash collection.

Basic list of requirements:

should not fire a burst;
visually determined differences from models of military small arms;
magazine can hold a maximum of 10 rounds;
lead-filled bullets, hard metal cores are prohibited;
compliance with state standards of the Russian Federation.

Produced in smoothbore and rifled versions, with long and short trunks. Muzzle energy - a maximum of 300J. Private security companies can arm themselves.

civil

Used by hunters, athletes, as a means of self-defense. The types of weapons that are allowed for civilian circulation on the territory of the state can be seen in the special resolutions of the Government of the Russian Federation.

These are the samples of Russian and foreign gunsmiths who received a certificate from the Russian State Standard.

The range of "citizen" today is simply huge, respectively, and the price for it can be different. There are also rare samples on sale that were released back in the 80-90s of the 19th century (for example, in the photo of Webley Mars - the “Desert Eagle” of the late 19th century).

Useful information: You can get comprehensive information about any type of modern and rare weapons on the Soldierweapons website. It can be called an encyclopedia, which presents the entire list of weapons.

The main types of civilian weapons:

For self defense:
Sports in smooth-bore and rifled versions (small-caliber rifle, pistol or shotgun for clay shooting);
hunting produced in smoothbore, rifled or combined versions, Russian “fenced” is in great demand from rifled (a new invention of Russian gunsmiths, when a pin is driven into the barrel of a combat machine, a tide for a bayonet is sawn off, etc.), military weapons of the Second World War, inexpensive samples of foreign manufacturers certified by state bodies of the Russian Federation;
(rocket launchers), his device is simple, the purpose is to give a signal.

On the shelves of stores, modern samples of hunting weapons of Russian and foreign production with hard-to-pronounce names today coexist with “civilian” military weapons.

For example, the first thing that comes to mind is the Kalashnikov assault rifle - a real symbol of a bygone era! Any citizen who has permission to purchase a rifled weapon can become its owner (though without a bayonet and with a smaller capacity store).

Watch an interesting video TOP-10 about the most unusual types of weapons in the world: