Russia’s Rosoboronexport Delivers Underwater Weapons to Foreign Customer

Russia’s Rosoboronexport has completed the delivery of 4.5 mm SPP-1M underwater pistols and 5.66 mm APS underwater assault rifles to the foreign customer.

The weapons were developed by TSNIITOCHMASH of the Rostec State Corporation for arming special forces and combat divers of the customer country, an official release said without naming the customer.

The SPP-1M pistol is capable of hitting underwater targets at a range of up to 17 meters when also fired underwater or up to 20 meters when fired above surface. In turn, the specialized underwater 5.66-mm APS assault rifle hits targets at a range of up to 30 meters under the surface, as well as at a range of up to 100 m when firing in the air.

“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 specialized small arms,” said a speaker from the Rostec Armaments cluster.

Batch of ammunition was supplied to the customer together with the weapons. The weapons fire steel darts with a caliber of 4.5 mm and a length of 120 mm. The ammunition has a pointed conical head, with a special blunted tip. This design creates a cavity of air in front of the bullet when it moves underwater at high speeds, reducing water resistance and stabilizing the cartridge.