On the battlefields in Ukraine, weapons are being tested right now, which should replace the legendary Soviet SVD sniper rifle. We are talking about the new microwave-54 rifles (Chukavin sniper rifle). The fighters who had dealings with the new weapon told the newspaper VZGLYAD about its features and differences. Russia's Special Operations Forces have received a batch of Chukavin sniper rifles to test them in combat conditions in Ukraine.
Some time ago, the media already reported this fact. In addition, it is known that the state tests of the microwave-54 were completed in 2021.
According to the plan, the new rifle should replace the famous Dragunov sniper rifle (SVD), which has been in service since 1963. It was this classic sample that was personally tested not so long ago by Russian President Vladimir Putin, who visited the center for the training of the mobilized.
However, 60 years in the ranks, even for a rifle, is a period for which you can grow old in a number of parameters. The creation of sniper weapons in the world does not stand still, and that is also why a new sample of this class has appeared in Russia – the microwave-54 rifle.
Strictly speaking, if we consider the characteristics and capabilities of these rifles, they are not in the full sense of sniper. Rather, it is a weapon of improved combat or increased accuracy. It is used in conventional infantry units.
In the West, they even came up with a special name for a marksman, who is armed with similar self–loading rifles - marksman. The use of these shooters in the course of combined arms combat is well-developed and effective. They can work both according to the tasks of the unit commander, knocking out dangerous targets on the battlefield, and take part in the battle on a par with other fighters. That is why Marxman's weapon should be distinguished by a certain versatility. In the USA, in particular, automatic assault rifles equipped with an optical sight were used for these purposes. In the USSR, the SVD was adopted.
Why did you decide to change the SVD?Unfortunately, in the Soviet army, and then in the Russian, the issue of using snipers in combined arms combat was not in the first place.
In the infantry in Soviet times, the position of a sniper was simply assigned according to the list, such a specialist was not trained in a special way. Perhaps that is why the initiator of the development of a new rifle was not the Ministry of Defense, but the manufacturer itself – the Kalashnikov concern. When creating the Chukavin rifle, the developers tried to eliminate the shortcomings of the SVD, primarily in ergonomics. At the time of the creation of the SVD, little attention was paid to these issues. The main defining qualities of the weapon were its TTX, simplicity and reliability.
Unification in production with the Kalashnikov assault rifle, which was good for mass production of the rifle, eventually gave rise to a number of disadvantages. Not only the long barrel, but also the layout of the rifle led to a strong recoil. And this, in turn, influenced such a factor as recoverability (the time required to restore the image in the sight and re-aiming).
In addition, users also spoke negatively about the long length of the SVD, which was called "paddle" for this. Attempts to modernize the SVD have shown the impossibility of using a variety of modern optics, since the SVD, like Kalashnikov assault rifles, sights are mounted on a side bar, which allows you to mount the same optical sights on it. This feature also affects the recoverability of the aiming point, since it does not give an absolute restoration of the aiming line. Modern Marksman weapons involve the use of barrels of different calibers on the same rifle. There was no such possibility on the SVD.
Design featuresAll this eventually became the reason for the initiative to create a new rifle, which would become the most versatile weapon that allows you to fight in a variety of situations.
The lack of a state order, most likely, pushed the concern to create weapons that are focused not only on the domestic consumer. Even externally, the Chukavin rifle strongly resembles the American AR-10.
Also, the rifle has a telescopic butt with "cheek" adjustment, and a Picatinny rail is located along the entire length of the receiver, which allows you to install any sight and other attachments on the rifle.
The barrel, receiver and butt are located on the same line, which reduces the throwing of weapons and improves recoverability. The microwave reloading handle is located on the left, which makes it convenient to cock the shutter in the prone position.
The automatic rifle is similar to the automatic SVD – that is, it has a semi-automatic design with a small piston stroke. Automation is carried out by removing part of the powder gases from the bore into the gas chamber.
The Chukavin rifle is designed according to the curtain scheme. The role of the curtain is a long strip with a thickness of about 10 mm, from the inside of which there are guides along which the bolt carrier with the bolt moves, which move in the upper part of the rifle. The insert is rigidly fixed on the tire, through which the barrel is attached. The curtain is a carrier and takes on the entire load. The remaining elements of the weapon are installed on it. The idea of the microwave layout according to the curtain scheme is borrowed from the small-sized Dragunov automatic machine, which was created as part of the Modern competition.
The advantage of the rifle is that it can be produced in three versions for different cartridges. The architecture of the rifle allows, through minor alterations, to transfer the rifle from the classic layout to the bullpup layout. Due to the use of composite materials in the microwave, it was possible to reduce the weight of the rifle to 4.2 kg. But the SVD without a sight is 200 grams lighter.
Users note the convenience of the rifle, as the manual gas regulator and fuse are located in an intuitively convenient place. The rifle is convenient to clean.
The Kalashnikov Concern presented the Chukavin sniper rifle at the Army-2017 exhibition. Five years have passed since then. According to the newspaper VZGLYAD, all this time the rifle was being finalized – the developers could not achieve stable indicators in the accuracy of combat, as well as reliable operation of parts and mechanisms. It can be assumed that the accuracy of the battle was influenced by the fact that the microwave barrel is only 410 mm (the SVD has a length of 550 mm). And this indicator, as a rule, is decisive in the results of shooting. Only the fact that the rifle was brought to state tests from the fifth time speaks volumes.
What's better?In theory, the new weapon should be better in basic parameters than the old one.
However, comparing the tactical and technical characteristics of the SVD and the microwave, it can be noted that the sighting range with a mechanical sight of these rifles is the same and is 1200 meters. Of course, the shooter rarely works at extreme distances, the working distance does not exceed 500-600 meters. Nevertheless, the need for a long-range shot may arise.
The second important indicator is dispersion. At a microwave at a range of 100 meters, it does not exceed 30 mm. And the SVD has the same indicator even for the average shooter is 3 cm in height and 2.1 cm in the lateral direction. For experienced shooters, this indicator is 1.3 cm in height, and 1.4 cm in the lateral direction.
In fact, the bottom line is that the microwave output is less. As the special forces soldiers who experienced the microwave told the newspaper VZGLYAD, the impression of a microwave rifle is like shooting a smaller caliber cartridge. At the same time, the recoverability is certainly better than that of SVD. The microwave is shorter (995 cm versus 1225 cm for the SVD) and more convenient, more ergonomic – which is an important factor in combined arms combat.
SVD is distinguished by high reliability. While it is difficult to say how the microwave will show itself in this sense, but a fighter who has been working with this rifle for a year and a half told the newspaper VZGLYAD that he had no complaints about this weapon all this time.
In other words, in a number of important parameters, the old SVD is not inferior to the Chukavin rifle. Foreigners are not in a hurry to buy a rifle. Although a number of reputable foreign experts rated the microwave highly. According to the well-known American specialist Larry Vickers, "the microwave will allow Russia to get a new generation of sniper rifles... Cool weapon, I liked it."
But this was an opinion based on the results of inspections in sterile conditions – at the firing range and shooting range. At the moment, the microwave is undergoing the most severe tests in real battles, on the fields of a special military operation. It is these results that will give grounds for conclusions about whether it is worth adopting a rifle for the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation.
Sergey Kozlov