Combat diver: Shooting underwater

Rosoboronexport, part of the Russian state corporation ROSTEC, has completed the delivery of 4.5mm SPP-1M underwater pistols and 5.66mm APS underwater assault rifles to undisclosed foreign partners. The weapons were developed by TSNIITOCHMASH of the ROSTEC State Corporation for arming special forces and combat divers.

The SPP-1M pistol is capable of hitting underwater targets at a range of up to 17 meters when fired underwater or up to 20 meters when fired above water.

The specialized 5.66mm APS underwater assault rifle, on the other hand, hits targets at a range of up to 30 meters below the water surface and up to 100 meters when fired in the air.

"Water has a higher density compared to air, making it impossible to use conventional firearms in an aquatic environment. For this reason, units of combat swimmers and divers are armed with special firearms. Due to their characteristics and reliability, underwater weapons, like many other Rostec products, are highly sought after abroad, such as in the countries of the Middle East and the Asia-Pacific region," said a representative of the ROSTEC armaments cluster.

Disassembled APS assault rifle: 1 - housing cover; 2 - gas discharge pipe; 3 - recoil spring with piston rod; 4 - locking hook; 5 - fat; 6 - barrel with pistol grip and stock; 7 - bolt; 8 - magazine

A batch of ammunition was delivered to the customer along with the weapons. The weapons fire steel arrows with a caliber of 4.5mm and a length of 120mm.

The ammunition has a pointed, conical head with a special blunt tip. This design creates an air space in front of the bullet as it moves through the water at high speed, reducing water resistance and stabilizing the cartridge. All underwater weapons at Russian Defence Export.

ROSTEC on the internet: rostec.ru