Underwater automatic device of APS: photo, description, analogues

In ancient times, divers used the knife as their main weapon. In the 1950s, with the advent of the first scuba divers, it became clear that the swimmer is more likely to survive in the battle underwater if he keeps his opponent at a distance. As a result, the knife was replaced by harpoon underwater rifles, which proved effective only for hunting or protection from sharks. This weapon possessed low rates of speed, range, rate of fire and weak lethal force. It was very difficult to confront a specially trained enemy using only a harpoon gun. In this regard, in many countries, design work has been initiated to create underwater multiply-charged firearms. One of them was an automatic submachine gun designed by Soviet gunsmiths for APS.

The article contains information about this underwater weapon and some similar models used by combat swimmers of other states.

History

In October 1955, a terrible catastrophe occurred in the Sevastopol Bay of Novorossiysk, during which a battleship sank. For some time among experts there was an opinion that the cause of unhappiness is sabotage. Despite the fact that there were no signs of external interference in this case, the events of 1955 forced the military to think about the question: how can submarine sabotage groups be effectively countered? In the 1960s, several units of combat swimmers were formed in the USSR, for which Soviet gunsmiths manufactured an underwater automatic weapon system (photos of weapons are presented in the article).

Developers

Research and development work was carried out at the TsNIItotmash enterprise in Podolsk under the leadership of V.V. Simonov. The first version of the APS was assembled by the designer PA Tkanev. Since 1975, the APS are produced serially at an arms factory in Tula. Traditionally, these submarine guns were armed with soldiers of the Soviet special forces of the Navy. Today, this underwater weapon is used by combat swimmers of Russia and Ukraine.

What difficulties did the designers encounter?

In the process of designing underwater small arms, the developers faced a problem that was the presence of high water resistance. As a result of its falling into the barrels of automatic and semi-automatic models, the accumulation of steam occurred, which caused the weapon to become unusable. When creating a submarine special automatic weapon of the APS, these two factors were taken into account.

Solution

Underwater automatic weapon APS is used as an individual weapon by swimmers-scuba divers for firing at surface and underwater targets. Specially designed for this weapon, the designers have developed a special-purpose cartridge (special-purpose marine cartridge) caliber 5,6 mm, which contains a needle (arrow) type bullet, whose mass does not exceed 15 g. The bullet size is 12 cm. The head part has a constriction. Externally, the bullet resembles a double truncated cone. Its head part contains a cavitation cavity, which is designed to provide a bullet:

• Stable movement in water.
• Energy conservation at long distances.

Due to the lack of barrel ruts in the automatic submachine gun during the movement of the bullet, the creation of torque is excluded. When firing on the surface, the bullet does not stabilize and hits the target at a distance of up to 100 meters, which limits the fighting ability of scuba divers on the shore.

To perform combat missions, swimmers use submerged automatic submachine guns and pistols SPP-1 (special submarine), which, like an automatic weapon, is adapted to fire cartridges of MPS and MPT (a marine cartridge special tracer used by combat swimmers to correct shooting).

Due to the action of automation in the APS, the inert water resistance inside the system is overcome. As a result, the submarine automatic submachine gun can be effectively used for firing underwater at line-of-sight distances. The deadly force of such a bullet and the initial speed (365 m / s) is enough to pierce the 0.5-cm organic glass and hit the enemy dressed in a wetsuit.

Device

In the manufacture of the receiver for the automatic submachine gun automatic machine, a stamped steel sheet is used. Despite the fact that these small arms are intended for operation under water, it differs little from the machine of the land sample. APS is equipped with automatic recharging mechanism, which operates due to the energy of the powder gases emitted from the barrel during the shot.

The weapon is equipped with a shock-trigger mechanism, which allows the fighter to fire both single and continuous bursts. To carry out the adjustment of the fire mode, the machine is equipped with a special translator. The place for its location was the left side of the receiver.

Thanks to the retractable metal wire butt, the machine is easy to use. In the marching conditions, this butt is easily pushed into the receiver, and the machines can be attached to the sides of underwater vehicles. APS is designed for 2,000 shots underwater. Its resource in the air is 180 shots.

How does underwater weapons work?

During the shot, the APS shutter moves backward to open the barrel, extract the cartridge from the chamber and extract it. The return spring under the action of the shutter frame is compressed, moves the cut-off and sets the trigger mechanism on the fighting cock. After the trigger is pressed on the spring, the return mechanism begins to act. In the course of its backward movement with the help of the bolt, the next ammunition is sent from the store to the chamber and the trunk canal is closed. The barrel box is equipped with special fighting stops, which are designed to lock the bolt. Locking is considered complete, if the bolt with its fighting protrusions went for these supports. The shutter frame, moving forward, interacts with the drummer, which with the help of a striker breaks the primer of the ammunition, due to which the shot is fired.

Fighting

The place for the maintenance of cartridges was a boxed two-row magazine with a capacity of up to 26 munitions. Separation of cartridges in the store is carried out using a special plate. The stores contain spring grips that fix upper ammunition in the automatic submachine gun. Analogues of this underwater weapon, experts say, are not in the world. However, it is known that in parallel with the development of Soviet weapons designers in other countries, attempts have also been made to create perfect underwater weapons.

QBS-06

Since 2006, this automatic individual small arms are equipped with combat swimmers of the People's Republic of China. QBS-6 is an automatic submersible, with which a diver can hit the enemy's underwater and surface targets.

The barrel of this weapon is locked with a rotary bolt, the handle of which is located on the right side of the machine. In the production of the receiver, a stamped steel sheet is used. Unlike the Soviet APS, the Chinese model has a plastic fore-end. Especially for the gloves wearer it was convenient to use QBS-6, the trigger braces are made quite wide. Barrels not cutting. The machines are equipped with shoulder wire stops. If necessary, they can be added. Ammunition is contained in a box-type plastic store, designed for 25 cartridges of 5.8 mm caliber. For underwater automatic machines QBS-6, unregulated fixed sighting devices have been developed.

Characteristics of the Chinese model

The effective range of fire QBS-6 depends on the depth of immersion. When using submachine guns at a depth of 5 m, the range of the weapon is 30 m, and at a depth of 20 m - the cartridges are effective at a distance of 20 m. If the swimmer is submerged 40 m, then the submachine gun range is only 10 m. This model can also be used On the surface, but this entails a decrease in the accuracy of hits and the life of the machine. QBS-6 uses the same concept and design as the Soviet submarine automatic machine APS.

NATO counterparts: BUW-2

In 1971, the Federal Republic of Germany developed a multipurpose semi-automatic underwater pistol BUW-2. Ammunition for it became active-reactive bullets, which are characterized by hydrodynamic stabilization. The cartridges are contained in a one-off block of four barrels. Range under water does not exceed 10 meters, in air - 250. Ammunition equipped with steel needles caliber 4,5 mm. Their length is from 3 to 6 cm. In addition to the needles are attached ampoules containing poisonous substances. The feeding is carried out from a store with a capacity of 15 to 20 needles.

P11

The German firm Heckler Koch specially designed for combat swimmers developed an underwater pistol P11. This weapon is equipped with a replacement block, in which the trunks are located, the equipment of which is preliminarily performed at the factory, and the recharging can be carried out exclusively in special workshops. After all the charges have been shot, the blocks are removed from the pistol. P11 is characterized by the presence of electrical ignition charges and is equipped with an electronic trigger that initiates each barrel electric cigarette. As a power source, 9-volt batteries (two pieces) are used. The place of their location was a sealed compartment in the handle.

Due to the presence of an electronic mechanism, easy descent is provided. Shooting underwater pistol special ammunition of 7.62 mm caliber, which are equipped with needle-shaped bullets. Standard ammunition contains a bullet in which there is a lead core. Armor-piercing ammunition is equipped with a black-painted bullet, for which a steel core is provided. The pistol has an effective range of fire, reaching 15 meters under the water and 30 - in the air.

Today, these underwater pistols are armed with combat swimmers from Germany, Italy, France, Norway, the United States and Great Britain.