ADS - a unique machine for shooting under water and on land

[Eugen]

“Creating a universal underwater surface machine is tantamount to creating a transparent tank,” said one of the American experts involved in the development of such weapons. It is difficult to say how far the designers of the United States have advanced, but the Russian ADF (special two-machine gun) has already been created and even declassified, which allows us to offer it for export. The sample was designed and prepared for production by the branch of the Tula JSC Design Bureau of Instrument Making (KBP) - TsKIB SOO, which is part of the holding of JSC NPO High Precision Complexes.

FROM HARPOON TO THE PULSE

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

Therefore, in many countries immediately began the development of multi-charge firearms. The density of the underwater environment, increasing with each meter of depth, dictated its own conditions. Nobody thought about automation working under water. The development of weapons of a combat swimmer repeated the long journey of the land. When almost all the armies of the world already used automation, the nineteenth 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 trunks allowed for high-speed firing. Only reloading such a unit was often possible only in the factory.

In the USSR, the problem was approached comprehensively. It is clear that for firing under water a special cartridge is needed, and they started from it. To stabilize the bullet made a long, similar to 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 dull. When moving in water, a cavitation cavity (air bubble) was created, which sharply reduces the resistance of water.

The armament of the Soviet Army special submarine weapons were adopted in 1975. It was an SPP underwater pistol and a special submarine submachine gun APS (APS-5). A four-shot and, accordingly, four-barrel special pistol retained lethal force at a distance of 17 m. Foreign counterparts barely exceeded 10 m. APS could hit the target at all at a distance of 25 m. However, the water in the seas and rivers is not so transparent as to engage underwater weapons of not ultimate range . Effectively, these weapons can usually be used no further than 10-12.

Although the APS was praised by foreign combat swimmers, it also had flaws. The most significant is a gas bubble filled with smoke, and therefore opaque, arising after a shot. The swimmer did not see the result of the shooting. These same bubbles, especially with a small dive, bursting on the surface, issued a fighter.

For a long time, except for the Soviet Union, underwater machines were not developed. In the USA, 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 military swimmer in 2006, a clone of the Russian APS called QBS-06. Only the caliber was slightly increased to the base PLA cartridge 5.8x42 mm, which received a steel needle bullet, but with a pointed nose.

There was another drawback with submarines - the inability to use in the air. Without inhibitory density of water, shock loads sharply increased in air in automation. The resource APS-5 on land is only 180 shots, after which the destruction of the bolt frame begins. And the cartridges have to be used underwater. Therefore, combat swimmers have to have two machines - underwater and AKS74U.

ON THE RIGHT WAY

World and Russian combat experience shows that at least 80–90% of the combat tasks of naval special forces are on land. Therefore, an automatic machine capable of equally reliable operation in two environments is required. In our case, this is a weapon-cartridge complex, in which the main element is the cartridge. Its dimensions should be uniform, regardless of the change in the environment. Or the machine should be able to shoot two types of ammunition.

The experimental machine ASM-DT "Sea Lion" was created at the Tula Design and Engineering Institute of Engineering on the basis of APS. It provided for the possibility of supplying both cartridges with a needle-shaped bullet and standard ammunition for a 5.45x39 mm Kalashnikov assault rifle. Unlike the smooth trunk of APS, this one had rifling. But underwater bullets were sub-caliber, of reduced diameter, to pass in the barrel without crashing into rifling. For different cartridges used different stores. The machine was not adopted for service.

KBP OJSC began developing a new generation submarine in the early 1990s. The result was an A-91 automatic grenade launcher system. The export version of 5.56A-91 is under the NATO cartridge. And further modernization of the A-91M, characterized by the installation of a 40 mm caliber grenade launcher, rather than 30 mm.

The complex consists of a 7.62 mm machine gun and a 40 mm grenade launcher. It is arranged according to the bullpup scheme. Balanced by mass due to grenade launcher. The cartridge cases are ejected through a special channel forward and outward near the pistol grip. A closed receiver prevents ingress of dirt.

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

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

A 5.45 mm caliber automatic submachine gun solved the problem of underwater surface use of the submachine gun. And it was intended to replace the APS assault rifle in service as a combat weapon of special units of the Russian Navy. The new machine is designed to defeat manpower and suppress enemy fire weapons:

- on land - firing from a 5.45x39 mm submachine gun with all types of standard cartridges and from a grenade launcher with 40 mm standard 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 grenade launcher is made according to the bullpup scheme, which provides a shorter assault rifle length compared to traditional schemes (with the same barrel length), increased maneuverability, better balancing and eliminates the operation of folding-folding stock. The use of impact-resistant plastics, special materials and coatings provides increased corrosion resistance and weight reduction weapons.

A gas regulator has been introduced into the design of the venting device, which provides switching of gas modes “water-air”.

At present, the ADF assault rifle is undergoing pilot military operation in naval special forces in the Northern, Black Sea and Pacific Fleets of Russia. The machine, due to its versatility, compactness, received positive reviews from the parts where it is operated.

DESIGNER TELLS

For the first time, an ADS machine was shown at the naval salon in 2013 in St. Petersburg. In the autumn of the same year, it was demonstrated at the Russia Arms EXPO 2013 exhibition in Nizhny Tagil. Here, at the stand of KBP OJSC, where the ADF machine was placed in an aquarium with water for clarity, the engineer of the KBP OJSC branch - TsKIB SOO Konstantin Remizov told the NVO correspondent about the unique machine:

- We have created the world's first two-medium machine gun, which allows you to fire both under water and in air. Under water, a fire is fired using special ammunition that we developed. Unlike the predecessor at that time - an automatic machine firing under water - APS, where arrows and stabilization in water were used, was largely due to the length of the arrow, in our cartridge stabilization occurs due to the construction of the bullet. At the moment of exit from the bore, an air bubble forms around the bullet, and this is achieved stabilization. At the same time, we reduced the dimensions of the cartridge, and it is placed in a standard store of a Kalashnikov assault rifle of 5.45 caliber. At the same time, the machine has become universal - it is used both under water and on land. Upon entering land, a combat swimmer simply changes the store to another one of the same, but with 5.45x39 mm cartridges, the fire translator sets from the “water” position to the “air” position. After that, he is ready to perform the task directly on land. At the same time, the targeted firing range of 500-600 m is usual for firing from a Kalashnikov assault rifle.

- When entering land it is not necessary to remove residual water from the machine?

- No, the water just drains, including from the store, it joins, the fire translator was switched - you can fire. Maximum combat readiness is ensured by external fuses of the machine, an integrated grenade launcher and an automatic fuse - its own at the grenade launcher and its own at the trigger of the machine. Shooting from an underbarrel grenade launcher is carried out with standard ammunition VOG-25 and VOG-25P in caliber 40 mm. An aiming device for a grenade launcher is provided, which is installed directly on the machine. When working on land, depending on the task, a low-noise firing device, an optical or collimator sight can be installed. But this is an earlier version, now we have the Picatinny rail installed on the top handle. At the request of the customer, the bar can be installed both on the bottom of the forend and on the side for attaching tactical lights and laser target indicators.

Many bullpup layout machines are lame in that the center of gravity is shifted back, which negatively affects shooting. In our sample, due to the integrated grenade launcher, the center of gravity is brought directly to the axis of the handle, which makes the machine very obedient and comfortable to hold. An integral grenade launcher.

Shooting from both the right and left shoulders is very convenient due to the fact that the ejected sleeve is ejected forward, this allows you to work in a group without covering your teammates with sleeves, to work from cover. In this case, there is no gas contamination in the face of the shooter.

- It is evident that the muzzle brake has a somewhat unusual appearance. Is he any special?

- The design of the muzzle brake was developed for the possibility of firing under water and when firing in the air. This is the know-how.

- Sea water is a rather aggressive liquid. Does salt settle, does the coating corrode?

- The machine is treated with a special coating that prevents corrosion and can be used in a rather aggressive environment of sea water. Moreover, like any weapon, it also requires care and maintenance after the operation. That is, it is necessary to disassemble, lubricate.

- Does the grease flush out?

- Strong washing out as such does not occur, because the design of the machine is closed. That is, the combat swimmer, having worked in the water, goes to land, again I repeat, changes the store, changes the fire translator to “air” and is ready to complete the task. Water is poured inside, but not in such volumes. Even on land, a closed structure allows you to protect weapons from external factors - dirt, dust. There are no windows here. The ejection of the sleeve occurs forward.

The shutter of the machine can be rebuilt both under the right hand and under the left. Automation - gas vent. Under water can also shoot bursts. Several samples are already in trial operation. Fighting swimmers test it both under water and on land, shoot both single and bursts. In August last year, the machine was already adopted. For the first time at the marine salon, we showed it at the stand, but now we decided to place it in the aquarium so that people can see that this is an underwater machine created for these conditions.

It remains only to add: the world's first and only two-medium universal machine, equally effective under water and on land, another breakthrough novelty of JSC NPO High-Precision Complexes is a weapon of a 21st century combat swimmer.

Source [DLMURL] https://nvo.ng.ru/armament/2014-02-28/8_ads.html [/ DLMURL]

 

[Матушкин Андрей Николаевич]

Thanks for working on the Forum.

 

[Плотников Юрий Михайлович]

Thanks, interesting!

 

[Арсен]

Thank!

 

[Андрей Захаров]

Thanks Eugene)) Very informative ...

 

[Детектив-Молдова]

Thank!
Interesting and useful to know.