  the aps underwater assault rifle (aps stands for avtomat podvodny spetsialnyy (ÐÐ²ÑÐ¾Ð¼Ð°Ñ ÐÐ¾Ð´Ð²Ð¾Ð´Ð½ÑÐ¹ Ð¡Ð¿ÐµÑÐ¸Ð°Ð»ÑÐ½ÑÐ¹) or "special underwater assault rifle") is an underwater firearm designed by the soviet union in the early 1970s. it was adopted in 1975. made by the tula arms plant (Ð¢ÑÐ»ÑÑÐºÐ¸Ð¹ ÐÑÑÐ¶ÐµÐ¹Ð½ÑÐ¹ ÐÐ°Ð²Ð¾Ð´, tulsky oruzheiny zavod) in russia, it is exported by rosoboronexport. underwater, ordinary-shaped bullets are inaccurate and very short-range. the aps fires a steel bolt calibre 5.66&nbsp;mm (specially designed for this rifle and has been mistaken as 5.56 mm) and 120&nbsp;mm (4.75&nbsp;in) long. its magazine holds 26 cartridges. the aps's barrel is not rifled; the fired projectile is kept in line by hydrodynamic effects. as a result, the aps is somewhat inaccurate when fired out of water. the aps has a longer range and more penetrating power than spearguns. this is useful in such situations as shooting an opposing diver through a reinforced dry suit, or a protective helmet (whether air-holding or not), thick tough parts of breathing sets and their harnesses, and plastic casings and transparent covers of some small underwater vehicles. the aps is more powerful than a pistol, but is bulkier and takes longer to aim, particularly swinging its long barrel and big flat magazine sideways through water. ==history==  the rising threat of attacks by frogmen in naval bases caused various anti-frogman techniques to be developed, and in the ussr one of these was guard frogmen sent to stop the attackers. at first these guard frogmen were armed only with [[knive
Assault_rifles Cold_War_weapons_of_the_Soviet_Union Soviet_inventions Underwater_rifles Weapons_of_Russia