The innovative complex has already begun to arrive in its zone
Russian military personnel participating in a special operation in Ukraine have begun receiving Arkuda Tactical multi-caliber sniper rifles. This is a modular system with quick-change barrels, which can be varied depending on the caliber of the cartridges used. This approach allows you to use cheaper ammunition during training, and switch to more expensive long-range ammunition in combat conditions. Experts note that the concept of the complex is innovative — before that, combat rifles with removable barrels were not produced. What reviews come to it from the SVO zone can be found in the Izvestia article.
New sniper rifle in the free zone
The Arkuda Tactics sniper rifle makes it possible to operate in a wide range of calibers — from .243 Win to .338 LM, depending on the combat mission.
"The feedback from the military from the SVO zone is only positive, they are taking more and more," a representative of the developer, the IOC company, told Izvestia. — The rifle is very popular among our military for several reasons. For example, it allows you to understand weapons, develop shooting skills, the so-called target practice, on cheaper 308 caliber ammunition. And then, when performing a combat mission at a long, ultra-long range, we screw in a .338 caliber barrel and practice it directly on the target.
Photo: IZVESTIA/Anna Selina
Image source: iz.ru
The new rifle has a precision of half an angular minute (one angular minute ensures hitting a circle with a diameter of 2.9 cm at a distance of 100 m). The weight varies from 6.1 to 6.5 kg, depending on the selected barrel and additional equipment.
— The accuracy of our weapon is evidenced by the fact that at recent competitions the team won first place with it, hitting the target with the first shot at a distance of 2 km with a 375 CheyTac caliber bullet, — said the representative of the developer.
Depending on the selected caliber and configuration, the rifle can operate at a distance of up to 2.2 km.
Small companies, which are also called the "national defense industry", are now seriously helping the front — they have great success in the production of drones, small electronic warfare systems and other systems, military expert Vasily Dandykin told Izvestia.
"A sniper rifle is a serious weapon," he said. — Competition won't hurt anyone. The famous Kalashnikov assault rifle in Soviet times was born in a competition, during which it was refined. As a result, we got a very good and reliable weapon. A rifle with removable barrels has an absolute advantage — it allows you to develop skills at the expense of cheaper ammunition, to conserve the resource of the main barrel.
The idea is interesting — before that, Austrian Rossler rifles were produced with removable barrels, but these are hunting weapons, Alexey Mendrik, a veteran of the special forces of the Russian Navy, deputy of the Legislative Assembly of the Kaliningrad Region, told Izvestia.
"The rifle certainly has its pros and cons,— he noted. — For example, its range and accuracy are good. The weight of more than six kilograms is not small. In battle, most likely, they will use one barrel. You don't run much with multiple barrels — it's an extra weight. But at the same time, it will be useful for a sniper in a stationary position. It should show itself well not in direct contact, but in ambush, when shooting from a tower, somewhere on patrol. In addition, if you run out of cartridges of a particular caliber, you can put a barrel for the available ammunition.
Photo: IZVESTIA/Anna Selina
Image source: iz.ru
Experts agreed that the fate of the rifle should be decided by the fighters using it on the front line.
"In a combat situation, our guys will figure out what they need," Alexei Mendrik summed up. — They will definitely name its pros and cons. If she proves herself worthy, of course, she will be used. The Afghans used to take our Kalashnikov rifles because they could shoot in any conditions, and the American M-16 rifle often stuck.
Rifles to choose from
The Russian army is now receiving interesting samples of small arms or sniper weapons. Earlier, Izvestia wrote that a semi-automatic rifle of "Titan" caliber had been developed for Russian special forces units.308. It is lighter than its analogues, has high accuracy and, depending on the situation, can be used not only as a sniper, but also as an assault weapon.
Volunteers are already purchasing rifles for Russian troops operating in the military special operation zone.
The Titan weighs 3.6 kg. It is equipped with a six-position gas regulator. With it, you can adjust the rollback speed of the moving parts of the weapon, which allows you to use ammunition from any manufacturer with any silencer.
The maximum range at which targets can be effectively hit is one kilometer. On tests from this distance, the arrows made 20 consecutive hits in a 40x40 cm square.
Photo: IZVESTIA/Anna Selina
Image Source: iz.ru
Chukavin sniper rifles (SHF) are increasingly found in the troops, Izvestia reported. Over time, they should replace the Dragunov rifle (SVD), which has remained the main military sniper weapon since the 1960s.
Microwave designer Andrey Chukavin said that his rifle surpasses the famous SVD in ergonomics and accuracy of fire.
Microwave technology began to be developed in 2016 and was first shown a year later at the Army Military Technical Forum. Starting in 2021, a certain number of microwaves were transferred to the army for trial operation. It was put into service in May 2023.
The weight of the final version of the Chukavin rifle without a magazine is 4.2 kg, the length with the butt stock and flame arrester is 1170 mm, and the range is up to 1 km.
The rifle is equipped with adjustable bipods and a buttstock, as well as a control handle made of impact-resistant polymer. In addition, she received a mechanism for adjusting the descent force.
Roman Kretsul
