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APS Underwater Assault Rifle
The APS Underwater Assault Rifle (Avtomat Podvodny Spetsialnyy (Автомат Подводный Специальный), "Special Underwater Assault Rifle") is a rather bizarre derivative of the AK-74 developed in the early 70s for issue to divers guarding Soviet naval installations, to give them more firepower and range than the SPP-1 underwater pistols they had been issued previously. The weapon is a smoothbore gun firing 4.7 in (12 cm) long dart-shaped projectiles from modified 5.45x39mm cases: the effective range depends on the depth it is fired at, from about 100 feet at a 16 foot depth to about 36ft at 130ft. A variable gas regulator compensates for depth, and as a result the weapon's rate of fire decreases the deeper it is used.
While the APS achieved the difficult challenge of building a fully automatic weapon that can be fired underwater, it had numerous shortcomings. When fired in air the rifle has an effective range of just 55 yards, and because of the gas seals in the weapon's action its lifespan drops dramatically above water, from 2,000 shots to just 180. The APS's magazine is also bulky and the sights are extremely crude.
These shortcomings meant that while it was fine for defensive use, Spetznatz amphibious warfare teams tended to stick with the SPP-1 pistol as otherwise they would have to carry two full-sized rifles. This lead to the development of the ASM-DT, a rifle that could used a 5.45mm dart round but also load standard AK-74 magazines, in 2000, but this proved problematic due to its complicated magazine well and requirement to carry a set of bulky underwater magazines very much like those of the APS. Further work led to the ADS Amphibious Rifle in 2013, a bullpup rifle derived from KBP's A-91 design which uses a thin saboted round that can fit in a standard 5.45mm magazine. This is planned to totally replace the APS in service.
Specifications
(1975 - Present, partly replaced in Spetnatz use by the ASM-DT in 2000, full replacement with ADS Amphibious Rifle began in 2013)
- Type: Underwater Assault Rifle
- Caliber: 5.66x39mm MPS dart (dart is 120mm)
- Weight: 7.5 lbs (3.4 kg)
- Length: 24.2 in (61.4 cm) (Stock Retracted), 32.4 in (82.3 cm) (Stock Extended)
- Barrel length: 11.8 in (30 cm)
- Capacity: 26 round detachable box magazine
- Fire Modes: Semi-Auto/Full-Auto
- Rate of fire: 600 RPM (in air), cyclic rate of fire decreases with depth
The APS Underwater Assault Rifle and variants can be seen in the following films, television series, video games, and anime used by the following actors:
Anime
| Film Title | Character | Note | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Black Lagoon | Revy | 2006 - |
Video Games
| Title | Referred As | Mods | Release Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Delta Force: Land Warrior | APS Assault Rifle/Water Rifle | 2000 | |
| Call of Duty: Ghosts | APS Underwater Rifle | 2013 |
See Also
- TsNIITochMash - A list of all firearms manufactured by TsNIITochMash.