Special units of the FSB of Russia such as TsSN (Special Purpose Center within Directorates “A”, “B” and “USO”), various ROSNs (Regional Special Purpose Department) are often forced to work very delicately. A terrorist who has taken civilians hostage, or a bandit who is hiding in a house after another “case,” or militants of the ISIS group banned in the Russian Federation are sitting in an apartment and preparing “ hellish machines"for their atrocities in the name of the pseudo-caliphate... The FSB special forces do not particularly care who they "take", but for the successful implementation of the operation plan very often specific, silent methods are required... And here modern models of silent small arms come to the rescue.

Special units of the FSB of Russia today are armed with such complexes as the special assault rifle AS "Val", the special sniper rifle VSS "Vintorez" chambered for 9x39 mm SP-5 and SP-6, the PSS "Vul" pistol chambered for the special silent cartridge SP-4 (due to the “locking” of powder gases inside the cartridge case there is no flash and sound of a shot), the SR-3M assault rifle with a removable silencer, the SR-2M “Veresk” submachine gun chambered for a powerful 9x21 mm SP-10/11/12/13 cartridge and a line of modern Kalashnikov assault rifles with the ability to install PBS.

An employee of the TsSN FSB of Russia with a submachine gun SR-2M "Veresk" with a "silencer" / Photo: Konstantin Lazarev
Special automatic machine AS “Val” with an additional handle and collimator sight/ Photo: Konstantin Lazarev Special cartridge SP-4 / wikipedia.org SP-5 and SP-6 cartridges

All these weapons have one thing in common - moral and physical aging. As you already know, on the territory of the Patriot Park in the Moscow region, the International Military-Technical Forum “Army-2017” was held in August 2017, which was very rich in new small arms. The Kalashnikov Concern (owner of a separate pavilion) presented the latest example of a silent assault rifle for special units, AMB-17, chambered for 9x39 mm, similar to the Val and Vintorez. The FSB became interested in the new product.

Very little is known about the new machine yet. It is certain that it will become small-sized and lightweight, thanks to the widespread use of composite materials. In 2018, the new Kalashnikov development should enter state tests, and then until combat use near. It’s no secret that the most promising new small arms in our country are being “shot” and tested by employees of “Alpha” and “Vympel”

https://youtu.be/tkYqtVdqdMo

Sources: vk.com, Kalashnikov concern

On July 29, 1974, by order of the Chairman of the KGB of the USSR Yuri Andropov, a secret unit was created in the Seventh Directorate - Group “A”. The decision to create it was made after the terrorist attack at the 1972 Olympics in Munich, which killed 11 members of the Israeli team. On the eve of summer Olympic Games In 1980, Moscow needed to ensure security on the territory of the Soviet Union.

The main tasks that the group faced were the fight against terrorists and other extremist entities, as well as the release of captured hostages, vehicles and government facilities on the territory of the USSR and beyond.

Until 1985, Group “A” reported personally Secretary General and the leadership of the KGB. At that time, the special unit consisted of no more than 40 employees.

• The first composition of Group "A"
• alphagroup.ru

Since 1990, Alfa members have been active participants in counter-operations in the North Caucasus. After the collapse of the USSR and the reorganization of the KGB, Group A was transferred to the subordination of the Federal Security Service. The unit's employees received additional tasks to protect senior officials of the state.

In 1995, the anti-terrorism group became part of the Federal Security Service (FSB) of Russia, and from 1998 to this day, Directorate “A” has been part of the Special Purpose Center of the FSB of Russia.

Today Group "A" is better known as "Alpha" in the world.

Combat chronicle

During the existence of the anti-terrorist unit, its employees conducted more than 30 successful special operations.

The famous seizure of Amin's palace in Kabul on December 27, 1979 is considered the baptism of fire for Group A.

“Alfovtsy”, together with fighters of the “Zenith” group (48 people in total), with the support of the “Muslim battalion” and paratroopers, stormed a well-fortified palace in 43 minutes. The combat operation in Afghanistan still has no analogues in the world. At the same time, Group A suffered its first losses - two soldiers died in the line of duty.

• This is how Alpha fighters saw Amin’s palace before the assault. Photo from 1979
• specnaz.ru

In December 1988, employees of the anti-terrorism unit had to free children taken hostage. In the city of Ordzhonikidze, armed bandits seized a passenger bus with fourth grade students. The criminals set conditions - to provide them with a plane and unhindered travel to any country.

For about seven hours, the commander of Group “A” Gennady Zaitsev conducted negotiations with the bandits on the radio.

“We were given instructions: “Not a single hair should fall from the child’s head. Children must be released,” Zaitsev said in an interview with RT. “The criminals’ demands were wild: to give them weapons and body armor. According to the rules, doing this is strictly prohibited, but sometimes the situation forces you to deviate from the canons. We had to partially satisfy their demands. They gave me a bulletproof vest - for it, a child or two, and I also had to give away one machine gun.”

As a result, all thirty children were released, and the bandits were detained by Group A employees in Israel.

On June 17, 1995, terrorists took more than a thousand people hostage in the Budyonnovsk city hospital. The Alpha unit was involved in the operation to free the people. The soldiers stormed the building. During the special operation, three employees of Group A were killed and 15 were seriously injured.

• Hostages held by the group Chechen militants in the hospital in Budennovsk, during liberation
• RIA News
• Alexander Zemlyanichenko

“This was the first operation of this scale in world practice,” Alexey Filatov, a participant in the counter-operation in Budyonnovsk, vice-president of the international anti-terrorist association “Alpha,” recalls those events in a conversation with RT. — For the first time, there were such a huge number of people hostage and so many terrorists armed to the teeth. They were even better armed than us. None of the old-timers of the group will remember such a density of fire in a battle that lasted more than four hours, it was just a rain of bullets.”

“Alfa members” have participated in the release of hostages more than once. In 2002 - in the Theater Center on Dubrovka, and in 2004, employees of the anti-terrorism unit stormed a school in Beslan, captured by armed terrorists, who on September 1 took more than 1,100 people hostage, most of whom were children.

Also, the fighters of Group “A” participated in operations to detain spy-traitors and repeatedly protected the lives of top officials of the state.

“They guarded Vladimir Putin when he was in Chechnya in 1999. We were ready to take the fight if necessary and give our lives for our president if necessary,” said Alpha unit veteran Colonel Vitaly Demidkin to RT.

Selection bias

The Alpha unit is considered the elite of Russian special forces. It is very difficult to become one of the Group A employees. Candidates must undergo a strict selection process. RT's interlocutors, veterans of Group A, told how they ended up in the ranks of the special forces.

Gennady Zaitsev took over as commander of Group A at the invitation of the head of the Seventh Directorate of the KGB. He said that the first time, after weighing the pros and cons, he refused. And only when the offer came a second time did he agree.

Veteran of the Alpha anti-terrorism group Igor Shevchuk told RT that he purposefully went to serve in the unit.

“It was no accident that I ended up at Alpha. I learned about the group while still a cadet: I read the book “Alpha Didn’t Want to Kill” and wanted to serve in this unit. I graduated from the border school, passed all the exams, but failed to get into the group the first time. In 2003, he finally became an employee of Group A,” says Shevchuk.

Vitaly Demidkin also first became acquainted with the anti-terrorism unit when he was very young. He stated that education and physical training helped him in many ways to become one of the Alpha members.

“I got into Group A in 1979. I learned about the unit while still a cadet. I am a paramedic by training, the commission paid attention to this. But besides this, I passed all the exams perfectly. That’s how they took me,” Demidkin recalls.

All RT's interlocutors - veterans of the Alpha anti-terrorism unit - noted that one of the main selection criteria is very good physical fitness, ideal health and professional suitability.

• Alpha special forces training
• YouTube video screenshot

“The selection is quite tough. After exams and tests, interviews with commanders follow. Then the commission comes to the family for an interview, looks at the situation, how the person lives, warns loved ones what awaits them in the future and what risks this entails,” Shevchuk noted.

A fighter from the Alpha unit must always be ready to go on a mission. “Our officer, for the most part, does not belong to himself, he is always in combat readiness,” emphasized Sergei Goncharov, president of the Association of Veterans of the Alpha anti-terror unit.

IN Soviet time personnel were recruited exclusively from KGB officers who had undergone special training. Today, according to Goncharov, there are military schools in Russia from which future “Alfa members” are selected.

“Those who are capable of serving in Alpha are selected from among the students of military schools. They are trained from the very beginning of their service until they graduate from college, and then they are sent for special training. Out of a dozen who try, one or two succeed,” Goncharov noted.

The Alpha phenomenon

However, to become a combat unit of the Alpha division, physical data and great desire are not enough. Excellent analytical skills and high speed of thinking are required. Important feature service in Group “A” is the ability to work in a team and be ready to always, in any situation, come to the aid of a friend.

“An important circumstance for serving in this unit is mutual assistance,” Zaitsev emphasized. “Confidence in each other must be unconditional: if someone takes a bullet, then he is sure that the comrade next to him will definitely cover him and help him.”

“Alpha” has its own spirit and its own traditions, which are important for the formation of a cohesive team.

“It is wrong to consider a special forces soldier as a kind of Rambo who risks his life and acts alone,” Alpha veteran Mikhail Fedotov noted in a conversation with RT. — On the contrary, it is a team of people that can work as a single mechanism. And all this thanks to traditions and many years of experience passed on from generation to generation.”

“The phenomenon of the unit lies in the fact that even if a person is young, he has a family, he is still ready to take risks to save the lives of people he does not know,” Fedotov emphasized. “You need to have a certain psychology in order to understand all this and not retreat in difficult times.” People bury their comrades, and the next day they go into battle and make life in our state safer.”

Life after service

The service life of the Alpha unit fighters is on average 10 years - the psychological and exercise stress. However, veterans of the special forces told RT that “it’s impossible to just pick up and leave Group A.”

According to Zaitsev, he has still not been able to move away from the group regime, although he is preparing to celebrate his 83rd birthday in September.

• Group A commander Gennady Zaitsev
• RIA News
• Ramil Sitdikov

“When I retired, I felt destitute,” said the Alpha veteran. — I had a strict schedule, I got up before 06:00, and was already at the unit at 08:00. My comrades and I created the Alpha-95 Security Agency in 1995. I am now the head of this structure. I also get up at 06:00 and arrive an hour before the start of the working day, probably out of habit. My experience with the military has been more than 60 years.”

After his retirement, Demidkin began to engage in the security business. But nostalgia for his service in Group “A” still haunts him.

“I left Alpha when I was 51 years old. For a long time I couldn’t believe that I was left without service, without anything to do. At first I was depressed. It was as if I got out of the carriage onto the platform to have a smoke, and my train left without me,” Demidkin said.

Currently, more than 500 retired Group A fighters are members of the Association of Veterans of the Alpha anti-terror unit. Combat brotherhood“Alpha people” remain faithful all their lives.

• Association of Veterans of the Anti-Terror Unit "Alpha"
• alphagroup.ru

“Here, real male friendship is formed, tested in the most difficult, deadly situations; this friendship cannot be stronger,” Filatov emphasized.

Pride of Russia

Alpha Squad is an elite Russian special forces unit.

“Today’s officers are very well equipped, excellently physically trained, they have a lot of modern equipment and weapons. IN modern conditions Given the growing threat of terrorism, these points are extremely important. On this moment I consider Alpha to be the most prepared unit in the world, Russia should be proud of this,” says Goncharov.

Group A is known throughout the world as one of the most highly qualified, experienced and effective anti-terrorism units.

“The name “Alpha” thundered throughout the world after a series of military operations. The Americans looked at us with open mouths. They also have a similar division, but everything about them is so “film-like.” We didn’t shout to the whole world, but worked effectively,” Fedotov noted.

The brilliant and well-coordinated work of the employees of the special anti-terrorism unit is also noted by their foreign colleagues.

“Alpha” was not the first to be created. Anti-terrorism units have already operated in Great Britain, Germany, and Israel. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also served in such a group, and he once said that he considered Alpha the best unit in the world,” said Zaitsev.

"Alfo members" often take part in competitions of anti-terrorism units in different countries oh, and foreign colleagues can evaluate their work.

“When I served, the South Korean anti-terrorism unit “White Tigers” admitted: “Yes, we good specialists, but the best unit is Alpha. They had reason to say so, because there was an exchange of experience - our guys went to them, and the Koreans went to us,” Shevchuk said.

Alpha veterans are rightfully proud of their combat past and remember their years of service as the best in their lives. “The entire service in the group is one big bright moment, because it is a great honor for every officer to be among the Alpha men,” Shevchuk concluded.

Developed in the late 1990s on the basis of a biathlon rifle for arming riot police and FSB special forces. At low for sniper weapons ballistic characteristics, it has very high shooting accuracy and a quiet shot sound.
Reloading is done manually. The magazine is detachable and holds 10 rounds.
The stock is symmetrically shaped (equally comfortable for shooting from the left and right hand), consists of two parts. The stock is detachable, of skeletal design, equipped with a butt plate and cheek piece. At the bottom of the butt under the hinged lid there is space for two spare magazines. Instead of a buttstock, a pistol grip can be installed. The forend has a groove for attaching a height-adjustable bipod.
On the rifles of the first years of production, the stock and butt were made of varnished wood, but in 2007 the SV-99 received a stock and butt made of durable aircraft-grade multi-layer dark green plywood similar to the SV-98 type, and in 2009 - an improved version of the stock and butt made of black plastic.
Open sighting devices no, but the rifle has a dovetail mount for mounting an optical sight.
What special tasks do special forces perform with the help of such weak and short-ranged (what a word!), almost toy weapons?
1. Covert destruction of enemy personnel that are not protected by individual means protection. The .22 LR caliber cartridge used gives a very quiet and accurate shot at short distances. “The accuracy of a shot with such a cartridge at 20-30 meters is simply amazing, and the low recoil allows you to make two or three very accurate shots in a row. When combined with a silencer, the sound of a shot can no longer be heard even from two steps away under normal background noise on a city street, and correctly selected ammunition can inflict quite serious injury on a criminal.” By the way, a shot from this weapon at a distance of up to 100 m affects not only people, but also service dogs.
2. Hidden defeat technical means enemy. True, not all technical means, but only those that are affected by such a weak cartridge as .22 LR. Lighting equipment, video cameras, alarm units, power distribution boxes, radio communications, car wheels... That is, in other words, a small-caliber sniper rifle with a silencer is an almost ideal means of preparing a springboard for assaulting those objects that are technically possible to approach within direct shot range from a small-caliber rifle (50−70 m.)
It must be said that when ordering the development of such a unique weapon as the “small sniper,” the Russian military was not a pioneer in this area. American special forces have been using small-caliber weapons of .22 LR caliber since similar weapons came into being at the end of the 19th century. And, apparently, they are not going to give it up just yet.

At all times, it was believed that special forces units have the best weapons. The secret services are no exception. Russian Federation And former USSR. Which of the unusual domestic developments are used by the FSB and GRU - later in the review.

VSS "Vintorez"

In the 1970s, the USSR raised the question of the need to arm snipers with silent weapons. It was not possible to simply “screw” a silencer onto a rifle; it was necessary to develop a fundamentally new design. In 1981, the 6P29 sniper rifle was introduced, the capabilities of which amazed specialists. The weapon weighed only 2.2 kilograms and at a distance of 400 meters easily pierced a metal helmet and a 25-mm pine board. Even at the design bureau, the weapon was given the name “Vintorez”, which then stuck.

The State Security Committee (KGB) of the USSR and the Main Intelligence Directorate of the General Staff of the USSR (GRU GSh) were the main customers for such weapons. A new 9mm cartridge was developed to meet their requirements. The combination of the design of the rifle and the cartridge gave silent and flameless shooting in both single and burst modes. Only in complete silence could one hear the whistle of a bullet and the knock of metal parts of the trigger mechanism.

After the appearance of the VSS in the Russian army, Kalashnikov assault rifles with silencers, as outdated, began to be sent to warehouses. "Vintorez" was used by special forces in the First and Second Chechen war, Georgian-Ossetian conflict, in anti-terrorist operations. The Alpha and Vympel snipers highly appreciated the capabilities of covert shooting. The rifle is also used to protect top officials of the state. When disassembled, the BCC fits into an inconspicuous suitcase-diplomat.

Based on Vintorez, a special silent machine"Shaft". The differences are small: a 20-round magazine and a folding stock.

TKB-506

In the early 1950s, the famous gunsmith designer Igor Stechkin received an unusual order. For the KGB of the USSR he designed a compact, silent weapon. The TKB-506 three-shot pistol had a body simulating a cigarette case. The device fired special cartridges of increased power. Thanks to this, from a distance of 5 meters, a bullet pierced 3 pine boards. Unfortunately, due to the specifics of its use, the details of the use of TKB-506 are not known.

PP-90

In the early 1990s, by order of the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs, the Tula KBP developed the PP-90 submachine gun. This is a compact melee weapon designed for concealed carry. When folded, the PP-90 is a small pencil case 28 centimeters long.

The PP90 and PP-93 submachine guns are used by soldiers of SOBR, OMON, Ministry of Internal Affairs, and cash-in-transit units. The PP can be additionally equipped with a laser target designator and a silencer.

APS

The Underwater Special Automatic (APS) became the first in the world automatic weapons, which can be fired underwater. It was developed to arm saboteur divers. Development Soviet engineers was accepted into service in 1975 and is still in use today. The main highlight of the weapon is the 12-centimeter 5.66 mm bullets, which experience reduced resistance when moving in water. The target range under water is 30 meters, and in the air – 100 meters. For comparison, bullets fired from conventional weapons fly no more than a meter under water.

Despite excellent underwater results, APS is not very suitable for use on shore. Therefore, Tula gunsmiths modernized the design, creating a new Automatic Double Medium Special (ADS).

TP-82 SONAZ

In 1965, Soviet cosmonauts Leonov and Belyaev landed in the taiga, where they had to survive among wild animals for two days. The weapon they had was a Makarov pistol, the capabilities of which are very limited. While visiting Tula gunsmiths, Leonov proposed creating special weapon for Soviet cosmonauts.

TP-82 SONAZ ( Weapon Wearable Emergency Supply) is called the “cosmonaut pistol”, since it was officially included in the list of items that fly into space and back. TP-82 is three-barreled, chambered for 12.5 mm and 5.45 mm caliber cartridges. It is easy to make a carbine out of a pistol by attaching a machete stock. Using it, you can make a path, chop branches, dig a hole.

In total, from 30 to 100 TP-82 pistols were produced, which all Soviet and Russian cosmonauts were taught to use.

Laser pistol

Another weapon developed for astronauts is radically different from anything created before. In 1984, employees of the Strategic Missile Forces Military Academy presented their development. The laser gun uses disposable flash bulbs that produce bright light and temperature. In the direction of action of the laser gun, human eyes and optical instruments may be damaged. Moreover, the casing spaceship and the suit remains intact.

The thermal and light effects of a laser pistol are achieved at a distance of up to 20 meters. The compact weapon with an 8-round magazine can even fire semi-automatically.

On the 2008 map, blue shows countries that have adopted the AR-15 either as a primary weapon or as a special forces and special forces weapon.

At that time, almost half the world used the AR-15 rifle. Today the map will be much more blue than before. Not always as a primary weapon, but every year one or two countries adopt one of the many variants of the AR rifle, and special forces around the world seem to love the weapon. In my opinion, this is due to three reasons:

1. Unlimited customization possibilities, both from the manufacturer and by purchasing individual components.
2. Price. Not all AR-15s are made the same, and while the ultimate in AR-15/10 rifles with 0.5 MOA accuracy, M4 clones can be purchased locally or ordered overseas (China) for little money.
3. Prestige. There is only one superpower, and they use AR-15s. For this reason, the AR-15 should be the best! Even organizations and countries that claim to hate the US use AR-15s (like ISIS or Iran).

I love guns, and the AR-15 mania is doing the trick. I want to see new and interesting designs, not slightly different AR-15 clones. Alex C calls this “AR fatigue.” Before fans come running and tell me what a great design the AR-15 is, I'm not arguing. The AR-15 is nothing less than a phenomenon. The United States would have lost a lot if the AR-15 had never been created and the patents on its design had lapsed. But still I want something new, something different.

Anyway, getting back to the topic of the article, I wondered what types of weapons are popular with special forces, but Not are AR-15 clones. I limited my list to weapons adopted for service as primary, and not additional/auxiliary.

Number 6: Blame VSS Vintorez

The Special Sniper rifle is used by Russian special forces (Spetsnaz). This is one of the few mass-produced weapons with an integrated silencer. Along the barrel of this rifle, in certain places, holes are made through which most of the gases pass into a muffler located along the entire length of the barrel, while the pressure of the remaining gases is sufficient to operate the long gas piston. This is done to slow down the gas leaving the barrel as much as possible, which reduces the noise from the shot. back side medals - gas from the muffler under high pressure tries to escape when the cartridge case is ejected, in the direction of the shooter's face. See the result below...

Gas release from VSS Vintorez

The Air Force uses an interesting cartridge, the 9x39mm. This cartridge is based on a 7.62x39mm case flared to 9mm and loaded with a very heavy ~16.84 gram bullet that is almost twice as heavy as a 9mm NATO pistol bullet. The speed of the bullet at the exit from the barrel is 280 meters per second, slightly less than the speed of sound, the enemy hears only the sound of the bullet hitting the target.

The armor-piercing bullet of the 9x39 mm SP-6 cartridge can penetrate 8 mm steel sheet and retain enough energy to kill the enemy. Impressive result for a subsonic cartridge!

Parts of the Special Forces/Airborne Forces of Russia with VSS

Number 5: Heckler & Koch MP7

MP7A1 with Zeiss sight

"Personal Defensive Weapons" (PDW) fever has gripped manufacturers and militaries alike since Desert Storm in the early '90s and continued into the 2000s, as NATO and law enforcement around the world began to worry that the widespread availability of cheap body armor makes their 9mm submachine guns ineffective. In reality, this problem was never encountered, but special forces seized on the PDW concept.

Malaysian PASKAL combat swimmer unit with MP7

Heckler & Koch was a little late to the party, introducing its MP7 submachine gun only in 1999, but it appealed to special forces such as Navy SEAL Team 6, who are said to have used the weapon to kill a leader. Al-Qaeda to Osama bin Laden. Also, this weapon is used in the Japanese Special Operations Group, the Indonesian Army Special Command, the 707th Special Forces Battalion of the Republic of Korea Army, the Austrian anti-terrorism unit Cobra, the 9th Parachute Regiment of the Italian Army, the Malaysian PASKAL combat swimmer unit and many others.

Larry Vickers shoots an MP7

This weapon has gained popularity due to the almost zero recoil when firing in bursts, a small caliber cartridge. 17, 4.6x30 mm, the energy of which is comparable to 9 mm. Although it is lost in flight, it is sufficient to pass through body armor, like hot knife through the oil. The weapon weighs 1.85 kg and is small enough to fit in a hip or chest holster.

Holster Heckler and Koch MP7

Number 4: SIG SG 550 / 551 / 552 / 553

The Swiss Army SG 550 and the more compact SG 551 and 552 were created during the work to replace the aging Sturmgever 57 57 (SG 510) rifles with a 5.56 mm assault rifle. The weapon was adopted by the Swiss army in 1990, and soon a shortened version, the SG 551, was introduced, and in 1998, the even more compact SG 552 Commando. An improved version of the 552, logically designated 553, was introduced in 2008.

SIG 550 with Mag Dump disc magazine

This is not a weird and wonderful weapon, but a respected and reliable 5.56mm carbine that is adopted by special forces around the world. It is used by the Brazilian Air Force's PARA-SAR special forces unit, the Indian Navy's Black Cats security team, the Swiss special forces, the Korean assault team (SSAT), the Polish military special forces unit GROM and others.

Indian Navy Security Group "Black Cats" with SIG 550 and H&K MP5

Number 3: Kalashnikov assault rifle of all models

Airborne officer with AK-74M.

Lieutenant General Kalashnikov's invention has been used in the Eastern Bloc countries and their allies, friends and sometimes enemies since the 50s. There is no more common type of weapon, and it is not surprising that special forces from around the world also use it.

Russian special forces use different variants AK. Popular models among special forces are the AK-103, AK-105 and the standard Russian army assault rifle, the AK-74M. Guns are upgraded, often with M4 or Magpul style stocks (original or clones), pistol grips, and Picatinny rails. Earlier this year Russian army An updated version of the AK-74M assault rifle was adopted, which is standardly equipped with these parts.

Putin with officers of the Alpha group of the Russian FSB in Chechnya. Pay attention to the customized AK.

Outside Russia, the AK, its clones and derivatives are used by special forces of the Indian Navy, special forces in Saudi Arabia, special forces of Ukraine, Albanian unit RENEA, special forces of Serbia, intelligence of the South African army, special forces of Nigeria, special forces of the Ivory Coast, Finnish rangers and other special forces groups.

Ivory Coast Commandos

Number 2: IWI Tavor

Soldier of the IDF Caracal Battalion with a Tavor CTAR-21

The popularity of the IWI Tavor TAR-21 assault rifle has been constantly growing since its introduction in 2001. This is the most popular army rifle of the bullpup system and, perhaps, the only rifle of such a system that is being adopted into service, and not getting rid of it (the New Zealand army recently scrapped the Steyr AUG, and french army is considering options for replacing his FAMAS rifle. Previously, the AR-15 was used, and it is more likely that it will be used).

The Tavor was designed to replace the older Galil and M16 assault rifles. The rifle began arriving in the Israel Defense Forces units in 2006, and in 2009 it was announced that the MTAR-21 model, with an ultra-compact 13-inch barrel, would be adopted by 2018. The bullpup system has a number of advantages both when used in standard rifles and for special purpose units. The compact version of the rifle of this system is only slightly larger than a submachine gun, but retains the ballistics and power of a 5.56 mm rifle.

Indian COBRA commandos

It is not surprising that the Israeli army's special forces, such as the Egoz intelligence unit, use the Tavor. This rifle is also used by special forces in Angola, and is in service with Azerbaijan, Colombia, Cameroon, Georgia (Gia Gulua group), Honduras, India (Special Border Forces and Commandos Marine Corps), Nepal (Gurkhas), Portugal (Special Operations Group), Turkey (Burgundy Berets), Ukraine and Vietnam.

Hank Strange shoots a TAR-21

Number 1: FN SCAR-L/SCAR-H

SEAL fighter with FN SCAR H

The number one special forces weapon (not AR-15) is of course the FN SCAR H eavy (Heavy) and L ight (Easy). Special forces combat assault rifle ( S special O perations F orces C ombat A ssault R ifle (SCAR)) was developed by FN Herstal (Belgium) to participate in the combat assault rifle program for the US Special Operations Command (USSOCOM). In 2004, the SCAR rifle won the competition and in 2009 the FN SCAR Heavy 7.62 mm caliber, FN SCAR Light 5.56 mm caliber and the 40 m FN FN40GL grenade launcher were delivered to units. Later, the command also ordered a sniper version of the FN SCAR Heavy - FN SCAR SSR (battlefield sniper rifle).

A Special Forces sniper (unit and country not specified) uses an FN SCAR SSR in Afghanistan

In 2010, there was a controversial announcement that SOCOM was retiring the FN SCAR L model. Command officials stated that the FN SCAR Heavy and FN SCAR SSR versions would be used, and kits would be ordered to convert them to 5.56 mm caliber.

FNH-USA denies withdrawing SCAR Light from service. In their press release they state: “The choice between 5.56mm and 7.62mm calibers will be given to each USSOCOM unit (i.e. SEALs, Rangers, Army Special Forces, MARSOC, AFSOC) depending on their specific tasks at this moment".

Shooting from FN SCAR H 7.62 mm

Many experts and forum readers accused the company of distorting the facts and that the 5.56 mm caliber variant had actually been withdrawn from service. A year and a half later, in December 2011, the Crane division of the Naval Surface Weapons Development Center placed an order for FN SCAR rifles, including both light and heavy versions, indicating the use of a light version in some units.

Regardless of the ups and downs, the FN SCAR remains the best rifle. It is used by special operations units in Belgium, Croatia, France, Germany (anti-terrorism group GSG9), Georgia, Japan, Kenya, Lithuania, Malaysia, Peru, South Korea, Pakistan and the USA.