Weapons that fire underwater. Underwater special automatic rifle (APS)
The APS assault rifle (“underwater special assault rifle”) entered service with the USSR Navy in the mid-1970s. The leading designer for this machine gun at the Central Research Institute TOCHMASH was V.V. Simonov. The APS is chambered for special cartridges MPS and MPST type 5.66x39 with high elongation bullets (developed by P. F. Sazonov and O. P. Kravchenko). The MPS cartridges (with a regular bullet) use a cartridge case from a standard 5.45x39 machine gun cartridge.
The bullet is a “needle” with a narrowing head in the shape of a double truncated cone; it moves along the bore with a gap. This design of the bullet is associated with the characteristics of movement in water, which are significantly different 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 lines of the oncoming flow 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 ogival head and a small relative length under such conditions forms a cavity of large transverse dimensions and soon overturns. If you give the bullet a greater elongation (about 20 calibers) and a flat cut in the head, when moving in water in the mode of developed cavitation, only the flat cut of the bullet is washed by water, which significantly reduces the drag force and contributes to the formation of a cavity of smaller diameter. The stability of the bullet's movement in the cavitation mode is ensured by its oscillatory movements relative to the flat cut 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. As the bullet slows down, the cavity decreases in size, and as soon as its rear part “captures” the bullet’s shank, the bullet sharply loses speed, and the cavity completely “collapses” - the bullet finds itself “in complete washout mode.”
The destructive power of a bullet depends on the depth of immersion. At depths of up to 5 m, the lethal range is 30 m, at a depth of 40 m it decreases to 10 m. But the use of the MPST cartridge with a tracer bullet allows you to adjust shooting along the routes.
The automatic weapon has a gas engine with 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.
APS assault rifle in incomplete disassembly: 1 - receiver cover; 2 - gas outlet pipe; 3 - return spring with guide rod; 4 - bolt frame; 5 - shutter; 6 - barrel with receiver, pistol grip, butt; 7 - contactor; 8 - store
The trigger mechanism of the machine gun is striker type. The shot is fired from the rear sear using the energy of the return spring. The trigger mechanism is assembled in a separate housing and allows single or automatic fire, and is equipped with a non-automatic safety switch.
Food comes from a detachable box magazine. The characteristics 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 upward. A cartridge cutter is mounted inside the receiver to prevent jamming or double feeding of cartridges.
The stock is retractable. The machine is adapted for mounting on board an underwater vehicle.
The production of APS assault rifles was supplied by the Tula Arms Plant.” The assault 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, high elongation bullets that are not stabilized by rotation turn out to be unstable in the air. For targeted shooting in the air, other ammunition is required.
Tactical and technical characteristics of the APS assault rifle
Caliber: 5.66 mmCartridge: MPS, MPST (5.66 x 39)
Weight without magazine: 2.46 kg
Weapon length:
with stock extended: 840 mm
with stock retracted: 620 mm
Initial bullet speed under water: 340-360 m/s
Initial bullet speed in air: 365 m/s
Rate of fire: 600 rounds/min
Sighting range underwater: 10-30 m
Sighting range in air: 100 m
Magazine capacity: 26 rounds
Without water, a person can only live for a short time. However, it can survive even less underwater. Special units of combat swimmers are taught to overcome the resistance of this unsuitable environment for life. They know how to survive under water, but they also need to fight somehow. And this is where the problems begin: these super-soldiers are most often forced to kill each other the old-fashioned way - with cold steel. The fact is that an ordinary bullet cannot swim: it quickly loses speed and begins to tumble. The shot range can reach only a few meters, or even one meter. Therefore, not many companies have been able to develop full-fledged firearms for Navy SEALs - real machine guns. And Russia is ahead of the rest here. Western armies are content with pistols and knives.
Underwater assault rifle
special (APS-5)
The APS-5 was adopted by the Soviet Army in 1975 and is still used by combat swimmer units. Under water, a long bullet-arrow of a special cartridge MPS or MPST of 5.66 mm caliber hits the target at a distance of 30 m at a diving depth of 5 m. The deeper, the shorter the effective firing range: 20 m at a depth of 20 m and only 10 m at 40 -meter depth. At extreme ranges, the arrow hits a scuba diver in a diving suit with foam insulation and pierces the plexiglass of a 5 mm thick mask. APS was invented to fight enemy “seals” and for self-defense from sharks and other predatory marine fauna.
The machine gun can fire both single shots and bursts. If necessary, it can be used on land, but practically only for self-defense. Firstly, the range of targeted shooting by shooters in the air is small - no more than 100 m. Secondly, the resource of the APS, designed for the aquatic environment, is consumed too quickly. All automatic weapons are designed to move in a water-filled receiver, when water reduces the speed of movement of the bolt frame, and without water, instead of 2000 design shots, the strength of the parts is only enough for 180. The weight of the equipped machine gun is 3.4 kg.
1 Front sight post of a non-adjustable mechanical sight.
2 Smooth trunk. An ordinary bullet under water would travel a very short distance and overturn: hydrodynamics due to the density of the medium are very different from aerodynamics. Therefore, the APS shoots not with bullets, but with steel arrows about 12 cm long. The cartridge case is typical, like that of 5.45 mm ammunition, but the arrow in diameter is larger than a typical bullet of an army rifled machine gun - not 5.45, but 5.66 mm. There are no rifling protruding in the barrel.
3 Retractable stock.
4 Enlarged trigger guard for a comfortable grip for gloved scuba divers.
5 Special magazine for 26 rounds.
6 Due to the very long cartridge, the bolt has a very long stroke. Because of this, the fuse—the fire mode translator—had to be placed not on the right side of the receiver, like in Kalashnikov assault rifles, but on the left.
7 MPS cartridge (5.66×39 mm). Length 15 centimeters.
Underwater pistol
Heckler & Koch P11
The P11 pistol was developed by the German company Heckler & Koch in the 1970s. It is in service with saboteurs in the armies of Germany, Norway, Italy, France, England and the USA. The weapon has a block of five barrels, into each of which a cartridge with a 7.62 mm caliber needle-shaped bullet and an electric igniter is inserted at the factory. After this, the block is hermetically sealed with membranes and is essentially a disposable, replaceable cartridge. After all five bullets are used up, the block of barrels is discarded in combat conditions; in training conditions, it is returned to the factory for reloading. The electric igniter is activated by a pair of 9V batteries when the trigger is pulled. The pistol weighs 1.2 kg without cartridges and is capable of hitting a target at a distance of 15 m at a diving depth of 30 m. But you can shoot in the air at 30 m.
1 Front sight of a simple open sight.
2 A block of five loaded barrels.
3 Handle with sealed compartment for a pair of 9V batteries.
4 Sealing the release switch.
5 Fuse.
6 Pin for fastening the replaceable barrel block.
7 Cartridge P11 (7.62x36 mm). Length 5.87 centimeters.
Special pistol
underwater SPP-1M
SPP-1 was developed at the Central Research Institute of Precision Engineering and in 1971 was adopted by combat swimmers of the USSR Navy. Produced at the Tula Arms Plant. The pistol shoots long needle-shaped bullets (their length is almost equal to the length of the barrels) with a caliber of 4.5 mm. In air, the lethal range is 20 m, in water at a depth of up to 5 m - 17 m, and when immersed at 40 m - 6 m.
SPP-1 has a block of four smooth barrels and fires from them alternately. The firing pin is located on a rotating base and with each press of the trigger it is cocked and rotated a quarter turn, approaching the next barrel. For reloading, the barrel block was hinged downwards. All barrels are reloaded at once: the cartridge cases of four cartridges are combined into one block using a flat steel clip, which is inserted into the barrels from the breech and removed from them manually. This operation takes 5 seconds underwater. If the barrels were loaded with separate cartridges, it would take much more time.
1 Block of four smoothbore barrels.
2 The safety pin has three positions: “fire”, “safety” and “loading”. When the fuse is moved to the upper position - loading - the barrel block is unlocked, and then it can be folded down for loading.
3 Enlarged trigger guard for a comfortable grip by a gloved scuba diver.
4 Hinge for tilting the barrel block for reloading.
5 SPS cartridge (4.5×39 mm). Length 14.5 centimeters.
Double-medium automatic
special (ADS)
This unique machine gun was created in the Tula Instrument Design Bureau (KBP) after 2005. In 2009, it underwent military tests. The machine gun is unique in that it can fire standard 5.45 mm ammunition on land, and to fire underwater it is enough to attach a magazine with special PSP cartridges of the same caliber. Since their sizes are standard, the magazines for both types of ammunition are standard and interchangeable - from the AK-74. All earlier types of underwater weapons could be effectively used almost only under water, but on land they were inferior to a conventional machine gun.
An underwater armor-piercing bullet weighing 16 g moves in water, reducing drag due to the cavitation cavity created around the bullet due to its cut nose. The bullet pierces body armor or the bottom of small boats. The firing range under water depends on the depth: at a depth of 5 m it is 25 m, and at a diving depth of 20 m it is only 18 m. However, visibility at depth is low, so it will not be possible to notice the target at long distances.
1 Silent firing device (tactical silencer) - on land. And under water it works as a diffuser of powder gases, reducing the bubble when fired. This is important, since a huge bubble of powder gases and water vapor makes it difficult for the shooter to observe the results of the shot and aim to continue shooting, and even unmasks it in shallow water - all this gaseous rubbish rises to the surface of the water.
2 Sight for an underbarrel grenade launcher.
3 Front sight post with the ability to mount a laser target designator.
4 The Picatinny rail is a universal bracket for mounting all kinds of sights: optical, night, thermal imaging, hydroacoustic, etc.
5 The bullpup layout reduces the length of the weapon, helping to fit into the hatches of underwater vehicles, and reduces recoil. The latter is especially true under water, where the shooter does not always have a foothold.
6 Magazine for 30 rounds of 5.45×39 caliber. On land, mass-produced machine gun cartridges of this caliber are used, and under water, special ones with a sub-caliber bullet are used.
7 Trigger with safety.
8 The trigger of an underbarrel grenade launcher.
9 40-mm underbarrel grenade launcher.
10 Grenade launcher fuse.
11 PSP cartridge (5.45×39 mm). Length 5.67 centimeters.
Underwater special automatic rifle (APS)
Time, country: XX century. Russia/Small arms
Weapon type: Small arms
The 5.66-mm underwater special assault rifle is designed to arm 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 by V.V. Simonov in the 60s.
The automation works on the principle of removing powder gases from the table channel. Locking is accomplished by turning the bolt. The automatic gas engine, which includes a gas regulator, ensures that the automatic machine fires both in water and in air. Sights consist of a rear sight and a front sight. The machine gun has a smooth barrel, and to ensure effective shooting, it has a retractable wire shoulder rest. The flag fuse is, in turn, a fire translator.
For firing from a machine gun, 5.66 mm MPS cartridges with steel bullets are used.
All parts of the cartridge are connected to each other using 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 barrel for securing a bullet and a bottom. On the outside, at the bottom of the sleeve, there is an annular groove for hooking the ejector. At the bottom of the case there is a socket for the primer, an anvil and two priming holes through which the flame from the primer penetrates to the powder charge.
MPS cartridges are packaged in cardboard boxes 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, the box contains 416 rounds of ammunition.
The machine gun fires in bursts or single shots. Burst shooting is the main type of machine gun shooting; it is fired in short (3-5 shots) and long (up to 10 shots) bursts. When firing, cartridges are supplied 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;
sighting range in the air - up to 30 m;
rate of fire - 600 rounds/min:
combat rate of fire, rds/min:
When firing single shots - 40;
When firing in bursts - 80-100;
initial bullet speed - 340-360 m/s;
the range to which the lethal effect of a bullet on an unprotected living target in the air is maintained - 100 m;
machine weight, kg:
Without magazine - 2.46;
With an empty magazine - 3.03;
With loaded magazine - 3.6;
magazine weight - 0.57 kg;
magazine capacity - 26 rounds;
machine length, mm:
With the butt extended - 840;
With the butt folded - 620;
caliber - 5.66 mm;
sighting line length - 290 mm;
cartridge weight - 23 g; .
bullet weight - 20.7 g;
sleeve - varnished steel;
bullet - varnished steel.
Sources:
- Special underwater atomizer Praila of circulation and application Moscow Military Publishing House 1983
- Monetchikov S.B. "History of the Russian assault rifle" LLC "Atlant Publishing House" 2005
- http://tulatoz.ru - Tula Arms Factory
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Since the late 1960s, developments have been carried out in the USSR aimed at creating effective weapons for combat swimmers of the Navy. The work was carried out at the Central Research Institute of Precision Engineering (TSNIITOCHMASH) by O. P. Kravchenko and P. F. Sazonov. By the early 1970s, special ammunition for underwater firearms was theoretically and practically developed, using elongated non-rotating bullets with hydrodynamic stabilization using a cavitation cavity generated when the bullet moves in water. The bullets looked like elongated needles about 20 calibers long, with a head part in the form of a truncated cone. The flat area at the head of the bullet was precisely responsible for creating a cavitation cavity that stabilized the bullet when moving in water. Initially, the 4.5 mm SPS cartridge and the SPP-1 4-barrel non-self-loading pistol chambered for these cartridges were developed and adopted by the USSR Navy.
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Around 1975, the USSR Navy adopted a weapon complex consisting of the Submarine Special APS Automatic, developed by designer V.V. Simonov, and 5.66 mm special MPS ammunition. The MPS cartridge is created on the basis of the standard 7N6 5.45x39 mm cartridge case, equipped with a 120 mm long needle-shaped bullet, and specially sealed. Later, MPST ammunition with a tracer bullet appeared. In an underwater position at a depth of 5 meters, the MPS cartridge provides an effective firing range at scuba divers of up to 30 meters; at a depth of 20 meters, the effective range decreases to 20 meters, and at 40 meters – to 10 meters. It must be borne in mind that the line-of-sight range at the specified depths without the use of special equipment does not exceed the effective firing range from the APS - that is, if the enemy is visible, he can be hit. The machine also allows shooting in the air, however, due to the fact that the bullets do not have dynamic stabilization sufficient for a significantly less dense air environment, the shooting accuracy is low, and the effective range in the air is significantly less than 100 meters. In addition, even taking into account the use of a gas regulator, the service life of the machine gun when firing in the air is reduced by more than 10 times - from 2000 shots under water to only 180 shots in the air.
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A number of design solutions used in the APS machine gun, including the automatic gas regulator and the trigger mechanism, are protected by copyright certificates of the USSR and patents of the Russian Federation.
Currently, the APS underwater assault rifle is in service with special units of the Russian Navy and is produced in limited quantities at the Tula Arms Plant. APS is offered for export through Rosoboronexport, but there is no data on its supplies abroad.
The APS automatic machine is built on the basis of automatic equipment with a gas exhaust engine and locking by turning the bolt. The design of the gas outlet duct provides an automatic gas regulator, which ensures the operation of automation in such different environments as water and air. The operation of the gas regulator uses differences in the density of media (water or air) to automatically discharge part of the powder gases when firing in air.
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The main parts and mechanisms of the APS assault rifle: 1 - barrel with receiver, trigger mechanism, pistol grip, front sight and retractable butt; 2 - receiver cover with rear sight; 3 - bolt frame with gas piston; 4 – shutter; 5 - gas tube; 6 - return spring; 7 – clamp; 8 – store; 9 - fuse-translator; |
Unlike the vast majority of modern assault rifles, the APS fires from an open bolt. The trigger mechanism is striker-fired, provides fire with both single shots and automatic fire, and is driven by a single return spring of the bolt group. The safety switch is located on the left side of the receiver, above the pistol grip. The charging handle is located on the right side of the bolt frame. The receiver is made from stamped sheet steel. The design feature of the APS is that it has a smooth (without rifling) barrel, since the bullets are stabilized hydrodynamically.
Sights are of the simplest design, including a non-adjustable open rear sight on the receiver and a front sight on the gas chamber. The stock is telescopic, retractable, made of steel wire.
The Tula Instrument Design Bureau showed at the Interpolitex-2013 exhibition in Moscow a new double-medium ADS assault rifle, capable of effectively hitting targets both in water and on land. The weapon will have to make life significantly easier for the special forces of the Russian Navy, who so far have to take two “barrels” with them to complete their missions: a special machine gun for underwater shooting and an AK-74M. By decree of the Russian government, the ADS has already been adopted for service and will soon begin to enter service with the troops.
In the 1970s, combat swimmers of the USSR Navy received special types of small arms for firing under water: APS (Avtomat Podvodny Special) and SPP-1 (Special Pistol Underwater). For all its positive qualities (relatively long range for hitting targets under water, reliability and corrosion resistance), this weapon had a number of disadvantages. The main one is its inability to be used on land, where its effectiveness is significantly inferior to conventional machine guns and pistols. In addition, when firing in the air, the life of underwater small arms is reduced much faster than when firing underwater. Because of this, combat swimmers today are still forced to take two sets of weapons on missions: the APS and the land AK-74M, as well as the SPP-1M and the traditional Makarov pistol.
Underwater small arms are necessary to combat enemy swimmers and conduct sabotage operations. Conventional weapons, although capable of firing underwater, are of little use for these purposes for several reasons. Firstly, the inertial resistance of the fluid and b O The density of water, which is higher than that of air, does not allow the automatic “barrels” to quickly reload the weapon (and sometimes makes it completely impossible). Secondly, the materials of land assault rifles and pistols are not initially designed to work in an aquatic environment and are not resistant to prolonged exposure - they lose lubrication, rust and quickly fail due to water hammer.
Finally, ordinary bullets in cartridges, which hit the target accurately on land, are completely unsuitable for shooting under water. The aerodynamic shape of a conventional bullet makes its “flight” trajectory difficult to predict. For example, at the boundary of warm and cold water layers, a bullet can “ricochet”, deviating from the longitudinal axis of the shot. In addition, due to its shape, a small arms projectile under water quickly loses its energy and begins to noticeably “slow down.” As a result, hitting a target with the same Kalashnikov assault rifle in an aquatic environment becomes a non-trivial task even at a short distance. That is why the USSR decided to develop firearms for military swimmers.
In the first half of the 1970s, the Central Research Institute of Precision Engineering (TSNIITOCHMASH) began developing a special APS automatic machine for the aquatic environment. In 1975, tests of this weapon took place, the automation of which is capable of overcoming inert resistance inside the mechanisms. The weapon can fire both single shots and bursts. The safety box and fire mode switch on the machine gun are located on the left side of the receiver. The 5.66 mm APS barrel has no rifling, since the stabilization of the bullet in the aquatic environment does not occur by imparting torque to it.
Automatic APS operates on the principle of removing excess pressure of powder gases from the barrel bore. The length of the machine gun is 832 millimeters with a barrel length of 300 millimeters. The mass of the APS is 3.7 kilograms with a loaded magazine with a capacity of 26 rounds. The effective range for hitting targets for a machine gun at a depth of five meters is 30 meters, and at a depth of forty meters - up to ten meters. The automatic weapon provides a rate of fire of 600 rounds per minute in air and up to 500 rounds per minute under water. On land, the effective range of the shot is one hundred meters. The machine's lifespan allows it to fire two thousand shots under water, but only about 180 shots on land.
A special MPS cartridge of 5.66x39 caliber with a long needle-type bullet weighing 15 grams was developed for this machine gun. It is this shape of the projectile that allows it to avoid sharp braking in water and loss of energy over a relatively long distance, and also stabilizes the trajectory of its “flight”. The stabilization of a swept-type bullet under water is largely ensured by its movement within the cavitation cavity created by the blunt end of the projectile. An MPST cartridge with a tracer bullet was also developed for the APS assault rifle to adjust fire at depths with a short line of sight range.
Nevertheless, to facilitate the equipment of combat swimmers and due to the short service life of the underwater assault rifle on land, it was necessary to develop a special double-medium assault rifle capable of firing equally effectively both in water and in the air. The development of the ADS (Automatic Double Medium Special) began in 2000 and initially on the initiative of the Central Design and Research Bureau of Sports and Hunting Weapons (TsKIB SOO) of the Tula Instrument Design Bureau (KBP). The Russian Ministry of Defense became interested in the new development later.
The two-medium machine was developed on the basis of the experimental machine ASM-DT, which, in turn, was created on the basis of the APS. The ASM-DT, nicknamed the “Sea Lion,” was structurally similar to the basic version of small arms, but its distinctive feature was the ability to fire both special cartridges with a needle bullet and conventional ground ammunition of 5.45x39 millimeters. The weapon already used a rifled barrel, which imparted torque to ordinary bullets. Bullets for underwater shooting were slightly reduced in caliber in order to pass through the bore without touching the rifling.
The first tests of ASM-DT were considered successful, but the project was not completed. In parallel with the new double-medium weapon, a special cartridge for underwater shooting was also being developed, which would correspond to the dimensions of a conventional land cartridge. Such ammunition was created by the Tula KBP and received the designation PSP. It was identical in size to conventional 5.45x39mm cartridges. Its peculiarity is the use of a needle-shaped steel bullet with a length of 53 millimeters and a weight of 16 grams. In the cartridge, the bullet is recessed over most of its length, which ensures that the overall dimensions of the ammunition correspond to standard 5.45 cartridges.
When moving underwater, the PSP bullet creates a cavitation cavity due to the flat area at the tip of the projectile. The effective firing range of the PSP cartridge under water is up to 25 meters at a depth of five meters and up to 18 meters at a depth of 20 meters. At the same time, the new cartridges are superior in efficiency to the MPS from the APS assault rifle. What is noteworthy is that, thanks to the standard dimensions of PSP cartridges, they can be equipped with a regular magazine from an AK-74M assault rifle. Based on the PSP, a PSP-U training cartridge with a bronze bullet weighing eight grams with significantly lower effective range and penetration was also developed.
Photo: Ilya Shaidurov / all4shooters.com
After KBP created the PSP cartridge, the development of a new double-medium assault rifle continued. This time it was decided to create a weapon based on the A-91M land assault rifle designed by Vasily Gryazev. The caliber of this machine gun is 5.45 millimeters. The weight of the A-91 without cartridges with a grenade launcher is 4.3 kilograms with a length of 660 millimeters (barrel length - 415 millimeters). For firing, the weapon uses 5.45x39 mm caliber cartridges and VOG-25 40 mm caliber grenades. The sighting range of the assault rifle is 500 meters, and that of the under-barrel grenade launcher is 400 meters. The grenade launcher unit can be replaced with a regular handguard.
The A-91M automation operates on the principle of removing powder gases from the barrel. The weapon is created according to the bullpup design, and in it the displacement of the center of mass (usual for such a design) is compensated by a grenade launcher. The spent cartridges extractor is made in the form of a special channel that takes them slightly forward and to the right. Thanks to the latest technical solution, the machine can be used by both right-handers and left-handers. The safety switch is located on the right side of the receiver. The machine gun is capable of firing single shots and bursts. The underbarrel grenade launcher is equipped with its own sight and trigger. The latter is located in front of the machine gun.
The ADS submachine gun, derived from the A-91M, in addition to working moving elements, is made with extensive use of composite materials, which made it possible to increase the corrosion resistance of the weapon. According to declassified KBP data, the weight of the machine gun is 4.6 kilograms (including the integrated grenade launcher) with a length of 685 millimeters. The rate of fire of the ADS is 800 rounds per minute, and the effective range on land is 500 meters. The weapon, like the A-91M, is created according to the bullpup design. The ADS can be equipped with a muffler. In addition to special PSP cartridges, the machine gun is capable of firing conventional 7N6, 7N6M, 7N10 and 7N22.
According to the head of the department of foreign economic relations of TsKIB SOO Nikolai Komarov, to fire from the ADS after landing on land, you only need to change the magazine with ammunition. In fact, in addition to changing the magazine on the weapon, it is also necessary to move the flag of the gas release mechanism operating mode switch from the “water” position to the “air” position. The flag is located on the right side of the machine closer to the barrel. By switching the mechanism, the automatic weapon switches to working with the shot energy that is excessive for land, which in water is spent on overcoming the inertia of the liquid.
In general, the new weapon will significantly reduce the weight of equipment for combat swimmers of the Russian Navy, who in the near future, instead of two machine guns, will need to take only one with them on a mission, which means minus 3.6 kilograms of AK-74M without ammunition. If, over time, Russian developers also create a double-medium pistol, then the equipment of the special forces of the Russian Navy will be reduced by one more weapon.
