ASM-DT (AAR)

History

The ASM-DT was designed as a combination assault rifle and underwater weapon in service with Russian special forces (these elements were called "frogmen"). The practice of underwater weapons is nothing new for Russian special forces, as Soviet agents relied on the 1975 APS "underwater assault rifle" in the second half of the Cold War.

However, the gun is a large and bulky system that has become a proven underwater weapon. Its dual nature design also allowed firing on land, although its smoothbore barrel and dart-like projectile suffered in terms of accuracy. In addition, barrel wear increased dramatically.

Instead, the task force preferred the earlier "SPP-1" series of underwater pistols for underwater work and carried their trusty AK-74 Kalashnikov for surface work - the obvious disadvantage of the task force Now forced to carry two weapons into battle.

Due to the limitations of the APS family, there has long been a need for a more true dual-purpose weapon that provides the same lethality both underwater and on land. The design of a new weapon to meet this requirement fell to Professor Yuri Danilov, who in the 1990s developed a completely new approach to this requirement.

It was decided to equip the new weapon with a dual feed system, one of the feeds would use Soviet 5.45x39mm cartridges (like the AK-74 rifle) for land-based work, and the other feed 5, 45x39mm MGTS projectiles were accepted for use in Underwater shooting. The underwater projectile has an arrow-shaped body for easy penetration and was originally developed by Vladimir Simonov for the previous APS rifle. In early guns, the barrel could be forged as a smooth barrel, but it was this quality that resulted in less accurate surface action.

The new weapon - designated "ASM-DT" - is equipped with a rifled barrel suitable for use in and out of water, the barrel has specially designed channels to facilitate drainage when firing on land. Regardless of the shooting environment, both types of ammunition use typical pneumatic/rotary bolt action.

Aside from its unique feeding mechanism, the ASM-DT is largely a conventional automatic weapon with a rectangular receiver not unlike the famous Kalashnikov line of assault weapons. The pistol grip/trigger unit hangs under the receiver in its usual position, while the shoulder rest becomes a lightweight two-strut skeleton construction with a padded stock for some comfort. The shoulder rest is designed to fold the receiver along the hinge for a more compact profile. The dual feed/dual magazine design, somewhat awkward due to its depth and odd shape, allows for 30 rounds of 5.45x39mm cartridges and 26 x underwater darts.

Unlike previous APSs, the ASM-DT is designed with modern support for tactical accessories such as optics/sights, foregrips, silencers, bayonets and under-mounted grenade launchers (UBGLs).

It is known that ASM-DT is still an active part of modern special forces special forces. During its decades of use, its use in actual combat has become a closely guarded secret. This weapon was created in the legendary Tula Arms arsenal.

Specification

Roles

Dimensions

Performance

Changes