Russian state-owned company Rostec’s Rosoboronexport has handed over 4.5mm SPP-1M underwater pistols and 5.66mm APS underwater assault rifles to a foreign partner.
Details about the foreign client, value or quantity of the underwater weapons delivered have not been disclosed.
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The weapons were developed by Central Research Institute for Precision Machine Building (TSNIITOCHMASH), a part of Rostec.
The weapons are designed for special forces and combat divers.
According to Rostec, the SPP-1M pistol can hit targets at a range of up to 17m when fired underwater. It can hit a range of up to 20m when fired above the surface.
Meanwhile, the specialised underwater 5.66mm APS assault rifle hits targets at a range of some 30m under the surface and up to 100m when firing in the air.
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By GlobalDataA Rostec Armaments cluster speaker said: “Water, in comparison with air, has a higher density, so it is impossible to use traditional firearms in an aquatic environment.
“This is why divisions of combat swimmers and scuba divers are armed with specialised small arms.
“Due to their characteristics and reliability, underwater weapons, like many other Rostec products, are in strong demand abroad, such as the countries of the Middle East and the Asia-Pacific region.”
Rostec noted that ammunitions were supplied to the foreign customer along with the weapons.
The company noted that the weapons can fire steel darts with a calibre of 4.5mm and a length of 120mm.
The ammunition features a pointed conical head, with a ‘special blunted tip’, creating a ‘cavity of air in front of the bullet’ when it moves at high speeds underwater.
This design reduces water resistance and stabilises the cartridge.
Last month, Rostec demonstrated coordination capabilities between Msta-S self-propelled howitzer and Orlan-10E reconnaissance unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV).
