Special Underwater Assault Rifle APS

Caliber 5.66 mm
Cartridge type 5.66 x 150 mm MPS or MPTS steel darts
Dimensions and weight
Total weight (with loaded magazine) 3 400 g
Total weight (with empty magazine) 2 460 g
Overall length 823 mm
Length (with folded butt-stock) 615 mm
Fire characteristics
Bullet initial speed 365 m/s
Bullet initial speed (under the water) 240 - 250 m/s
Magazine capacity 26 rounds
Sighting range 30 m
Range of effective fire (on the air) 30 - 50 m
Range of effective fire ( in 5 m depth) 30 m
Range of effective fire ( in 20 m depth) 20 m
Range of effective fire ( in 40 m depth) 10 m

The APS was developed as a combat diver weapon intended as a personal weapon for usage under water mainly against the enemy divers. The APS Underwater Assault Rifle has a unique design which has no analogues except a later Russian developments of the improved underwater assault rifle. Russian Federation is the only country which combat divers are armed with the APS Assault Rifles currently. The weapon is produced by Tula city firearms plant.

Until the development of the APS Russian combat divers were armed with a usual firearms which could not be used under the water. Combat divers used firearms mostly for landing operations. Usual firearms were carried under the water to the landing point and used only afterwards when divers reached shore. While under the water the combat diver could use only knive and was quiet defenseless.

Underwater Assault Rifles automatic is based on gas returning principle threw the gas chamber. It's automatic allows to execute fire on the air or under the water in single or automatic fire modes. In the last mention mode the APS executes short 3 - 5 shot series or a long series in 10 shots. A safety-lock is a fire mode changer at once. Overall the APS Special Assault Rifle has very much in common with the AK-74 Assault Rifle. However it has a lighter dimensions and weight comparing with the later mentioned assault rifle.

Rifle fires 5.66 x 150 mm MPS or MPTS steel dart cartridges with a 120 mm length dart bullet. The MPTS cartridges are the tracer one. The bullet dart has a weight of 26 g and is stabilized under the water by a cavitation effect. On the air this bullet isn't stabilized. Combat diver armed with the APS is able to defeat even shark.

On a usual fire trainings on the air the APS can fire a standard 5.45 x 39 mm Russian cartridges by changing it's smoothbore barrel into the rifled one chambered for the 5.45-mm.

The Rifle is fitted with a 26 round magazine. The magazine has uncommon shape determined by a long cartridge. The magazine is divided into two sections to prevent cartridge reloading failures.

Every APS is completed with two magazines and a knife-bayonet. Furthermore it has a folding inside the barrel box buttstock.

Underwater Assault Rifle is fitted with an opened triangle shape fixed sight. The underwater rifle has a depth of effective fire in 40 m. In the every depth a range of effective fire surpasses a range of visibility even in the clearest vision water obstacles. At a maximum range of effective fire the APS defeats combat diver wearing a hydro overall with filled with a foam thinner. It also proofs 5 mm wide organic plexiglas and defeats target covered by it.

Advantages

Since it's development till the last decade the APS was the only assault rifle intended for the combat swimmers. The weapon is extremely effective under the water defending oneself from the enemy combat divers or rapacious fish.

Disadvantages

Low range of effective fire on the air as the dart bullet isn't stabilized and has a low ballistic characteristics. The APS has a short service life in 2 000 shots under the water and only 180 on the air.



To sum it up the APS Special Underwater Assault Rifle is more likely to be suitable under the water than in the air. At the beginning of the last decade Russian designers developed a substitute for the APS. It was ASM-DT Special Underwater Assault Rifle which was approved by the Russian Armed Forces in the year 2000. The new Special Rifle has a greater characteristics and a service life comparing with the APS. It's range of effective fire on the air is similar to the AK-74 Assault Rifle and under the water - to the APS Rifle. Selengkapnya...

Multipurpose Army Rifle "Steyr" AUG (Austria)

Caliber 5.56 x 45 mm
Dimensions and weight
Total weight (with empty magazine) 3500 / 3600 / 3800 g
Overall length 689 / 790 / 892 mm
Barrels length 407 / 508 / 621 mm
Fire characteristics
Bullets initial speed 950 m/s
Rate of fire 650 rpm
Practical rate of fire 40 - 100 rpm
Magazine capacity 30, 40 rounds
Sighting range 400 m
Multipurpose Army rifle was developed by company "Steyr" in close relationship with Austrian army. It was adopted by Austrian armed forces in 1978.

Rifle AUG (Armee Universal Gewehr) has modern design and can be used as airborne assault with 350 mm length barrel, carbine with 407 mm barrel, standard assault rifle with 508 mm and light machine gun with 621 mm barrel. Rifle is supplied with full barrels set and can be recombine by rifleman to modification he needs.


Every rifles type is fitted with 1.5x magnification optical sight made like carrying handle. Furthermore there could be connected with bracket some other optical or night sights.

Rifle AUG was developed using "bullpup" principle what allowed to decrease rifles length and made it comfortable not only in the battlefield but in armored personnel carriers as well. "Bullpup" principle also allows to execute fire holding rifle with one hand. One more this scheme advantage is lighter recoil power and rifles tossing after each shot, cause recoil power is pushing weapon directly back but not up like traditional weapons. So using traditional principle rifleman has to re aim after each shot or series. AUG can be comfortably used by right-handed or left-handed shooter. To execute fire from left shoulder you just have to move cartridge-case ejector and turn cartridge-case ejectors chambers panel.

In rifles construction there are widely used light alloys and composite materials. Barrels box is casted from aluminum under high pressure. Hook, magazine and some other parts are plastic. Magazine can be made from transparent plastic what is very useful and allows to control ammunition reserve easily.

Flame-hider has internal screw for imitational rounds and barrel grenade firing device. It can be also used to cut barbed wire by putting flame-hider on it and shooting through with bullet.

Pistol handle is made with large frame covering all hand. It allows to fire with gloves what is very actual for Alpen riflemen and other troops in winter. At the front barrel box part there is folding additional handle for better weapons stability. Rifle can be equipped with a knife-bayonet or with underbarrel grenade launcher M203. Selengkapnya...

Submachine gun FN P - 90 (Belgium)

Caliber :5.7
Cartridge type :5.7 x 28 mm (SS190)
Dimensions and weight
Total weight (with loaded magazine) : 3 700 g
Total weight (with empty magazine) : 2 800 g
Overall length :400 mm
Barrels length :260 mm
Fire characteristics
Bullets initial speed :850 m/s
Rate of fire :1 000 rpm
Practical rate of fire :50 - 150 rpm
Magazine capacity : 50 rounds
Sighting range :150 m
In 1990 Belgian "Fabrique Nationale" (FN) presented new product - compact submachine gun P-90. It was intended as a main weapon for armored personnel carrier and infantry combat vehicle drivers, artillery crews, staff personnel, communication forces and other secondary purpose units. Weapon is used by Belgium, Saudi Arabian and some NATO countries.

P-90 submachine gun is a new generation weapon. It was designed using Personal Defense Weapon (PDW) conception. Furthermore it was presented with totally new SS190 cartridge, fitting PDW conception.


In development process designers decided that it should be automatic weapon with small recoil power and easy to use. Such weapon had to changesubmachine-guns, carbines and would be suitable for special forces. Belgian company had to develop totally new cartridge which had assault rifles cartridges combat abilities within pistol cartridges barrels pressure. Such cartridge became SS190 (5.7 x 28 mm) with 2.2 g sharp nose bullet. Cartridges recoil power is threefold smaller than standard NATO 5.56 x 45 mm cartridge furthermore it has good armor-piercing abilities: in 200 m range it proofs 48 layers of kevlar, in 150 m range - standard US army helmet and defeats target covered by it. Such high bullet penetration abilities are provided by extremely fast initial bullet speed.

Small cartridge dimensions allowed to increase ammunition in 60%. P-90 submachine gun uses ordinary, tracer bullets, or bullets with subsonic speed, intended to use with suppressor.

A bit later there was built FN "Five-seveN" self-loading pistol chambered for the same SS190 cartridge. "Fabrique Nationale" developers have shown, that it is able to create PDW requirements fitting weapon with ordinary pistol size. Furthermore it's bullet armor-piercing and penetration abilities are almost equal to P-90 submachine gun's abilities.

P-90 design is based on "bullpup" constructional principle. It provides weapon a number of advantages. Firstly it has smaller dimensions comparing with traditional design ones. Weapons built on this principle has about 25% shorter length. Secondly it is ability to fire using only one hand. Thirdly submachine gun's tossing after every shot is decreased, cause barrel and butt-stock are placed in one line, so recoil power is pushing weapon directly backward, but not upward.

It's automatics works on free lock recoil principle. Submachine gun executes single, automatic and 3 shots burst fire. Reloading handles are placed from both sides what is convenient for left-handed soldiers. It has two pistol handles: one main and one additional for better weapons stability.

Barrels box, sight and it's connection bracket are made from black plastic, magazine - from transparent, what allows to control number of ammunition left. Plastic barrel box became a feature for new generation weapons.decrease weapons weight and price. Magazine is the most unordinary submachine gun's part. It is placed on the barrel box, while cartridges are positioned criss-cross to the barrel. In the magazines inclined ramp Cartridges rotate in 90 degrees before lock drives them into the barrels channel. Cartridges are placed in two horizontal lines. Such positioning allowed to increase magazine capacity to 50 rounds. This feature allows to keep good fire density in short distances.

Cartridge-cases are thrown off down forward by a special tube. This tube lowers their speed and increase submachine gun stability. Furthermore it makes P-90 comfortable for left-handed soldiers, as ordinary submachine guns used to throw them cartridge-cases into their faces.

P-90 cleaning and oiling is done without dismantling. Solider just takes off magazine and gets full access to submachine gun's mechanisms.

Submachine gun has built-in collimator sight calibered on 150 m range. P-90 has active flash-hider which partly compensates weapons toss energy after every shot. In special operations it is used with suppressor and lower subsonic speed bullets. Laser sight can be additionally placed in the front side.

Insufficient recoil power, "bullpup" scheme, compensator, collimator sight, and ability to fire in burst mode provide good fire accuracy in close combat. Great magazines capacity is also advantage for this weapon. To sum it up P-90 developers created successful new generation weapon, surpassing traditional submachine guns. It's bullet penetration abilities in a short range distances are equal to assault or automatic rifle abilities, with twofold greater magazine capacity and smaller dimaesions.
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