Underwater firearm
Encyclopedia
An underwater firearm is a firearm specially designed for use underwater by frogmen.
Underwater firearms were first conceived during the Cold War
during the 1960s and 1970s as a way to arm frogmen, and remain in arms inventories today.
; the fired projectile is kept in line underwater by hydrodynamic effects, and is somewhat inaccurate when fired out of water.
One of the continuing design challenges of underwater firearms has been the need for a weapon useful both in the water and in air, although the ASM-DT Underwater Assault Rifle
seems to have solved this problem by allowing it to fire both ordinary ammunition for above water use and steel darts for underwater use.
The underwater rifles are more powerful than the underwater pistols, but the underwater pistols can be swung more easily underwater.
A variant of the Gyrojet
called the Lancejet was considered for use by the United States military, but the inaccuracy of the weapon eventually removed it from consideration.
Underwater firearms were first conceived during the Cold War
Cold War
The Cold War was the continuing state from roughly 1946 to 1991 of political conflict, military tension, proxy wars, and economic competition between the Communist World—primarily the Soviet Union and its satellite states and allies—and the powers of the Western world, primarily the United States...
during the 1960s and 1970s as a way to arm frogmen, and remain in arms inventories today.
Design
A common feature of all underwater firearms is that they fire steel darts instead of standard bullets, because standard bullets do not work well underwater. Their barrels are not rifledRifling
Rifling is the process of making helical grooves in the barrel of a gun or firearm, which imparts a spin to a projectile around its long axis...
; the fired projectile is kept in line underwater by hydrodynamic effects, and is somewhat inaccurate when fired out of water.
One of the continuing design challenges of underwater firearms has been the need for a weapon useful both in the water and in air, although the ASM-DT Underwater Assault Rifle
ASM-DT Underwater Assault Rifle
-History and design:The introduction of the APS Underwater Assault Rifle solved the problem of how frogmen guarding a naval base could be armed, but there remained the problem of how to arm naval Spetsnaz combat frogmen when they were deployed on assault missions...
seems to have solved this problem by allowing it to fire both ordinary ammunition for above water use and steel darts for underwater use.
The underwater rifles are more powerful than the underwater pistols, but the underwater pistols can be swung more easily underwater.
Soviet Union / Russia
- ADS amphibious rifleADS amphibious rifleThe ADS is an Assault rifle of Russian origin specially made for combat divers. It is of a bullpup layout and is chambered in the 5.45x39mm M74 round...
- APS Underwater Assault RifleAPS Underwater Assault RifleThe APS Underwater Assault Rifle is an AK-47 derivative designed by the Soviet Union in the early 1970s as an underwater firearm. It was adopted in 1975. It is made by the Tula Arms Plant in Russia...
- ASM-DT Underwater Assault RifleASM-DT Underwater Assault Rifle-History and design:The introduction of the APS Underwater Assault Rifle solved the problem of how frogmen guarding a naval base could be armed, but there remained the problem of how to arm naval Spetsnaz combat frogmen when they were deployed on assault missions...
- SPP-1 Underwater PistolSPP-1 Underwater PistolThe SPP-1 Underwater Pistol was made in the USSR for use underwater by Soviet frogmen as an underwater firearm. It was developed in the late 1960s and accepted for use in 1971. Underwater, ordinary-shaped bullets are inaccurate and very short-range...
United States
- AAI underwater revolverAAI underwater revolverThe AAI underwater revolver is an amphibious firearm intended for naval use. The weapon was designed by Irwin R. Barr and John L. Critcher, and used a 6 round cylinder inside a jacket covered by a float....
- Mk 1 Underwater Defense GunMk 1 Underwater Defense GunThe M1 Underwater Defense Gun, also called the Underwater Defense Gun Mark 1 Mod 0, is an underwater firearm developed by the United States during the Cold War...
A variant of the Gyrojet
Gyrojet
The Gyrojet is a family of unique firearms developed in the 1960s named for the method of gyroscopically stabilizing its projectiles. Gyrojets fire small rockets, rather than inert bullets, which have little recoil and do not require a heavy barrel to resist the pressure of the combustion gases. ...
called the Lancejet was considered for use by the United States military, but the inaccuracy of the weapon eventually removed it from consideration.