| AS Val and VSS Vintorez | |
| Type: |
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| Origin: | Soviet Union |
| Is Ranged: | yes |
| Service: | 1987−present[1] |
| Used By: | See users |
| Wars: | |
| Designer: | Pyotr Serdyukov and Vladimir Krasnikov |
| Design Date: | 1981 |
| Manufacturer: | Tula Arms Plant |
| Production Date: | 1987−present |
| Variants: | See Variants |
| Mass: |
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| Length: |
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| Part Length: | 200mm |
| Cartridge: | 9×39mm |
| Action: | Gas-operated long-stroke, rotating bolt |
| Rate: | 800−900 rounds/min |
| Velocity: |
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| Range: |
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| Feed: | 20-round detachable box magazine (interchangeable with VSS Vintorez 10-round magazine) |
| Sights: | Iron sights, telescopic sight, night sight |
The AS Val (Russian: АС «Вал»; Автома́т Специа́льный, romanized: Avtomát Spetsiálny "Val", lit. 'Special Automatic–Shaft')[3] and VSS Vintorez (Russian: ВСС «Винторе́з» Винто́вка Сна́йперская Специа́льная, romanized: Vintóvka Snáyperskaya Spetsiálnaya "Vintorez", lit. 'Special Sniper Rifle–Thread Cutter'),[4] GRAU designation: 6P30 and 6P29 respectively, are Soviet-designed specialised assault rifle and sniper rifle featuring an integral suppressor based on the prototype RG-036 completed in 1981 by TsNIITochMash. The VSS Vintorez (beginning in 1983) and AS Val (beginning in 1985) were developed by TsNIITochMash to replace modified general-purpose firearms, such as the AKS-74UB, BS-1, APB, and PB, for clandestine operations, much like the PSS Vul. Manufacturing began at the Tula Arms Plant after its adoption by the Armed Forces of the Soviet Union in 1987.
Development of the VSS Vintorez was carried out in parallel with the AS Val, to provide a suppressed sniper rifle for Spetsnaz undercover or clandestine units and capable of defeating NATO body armour at ranges up to 400m (1,300feet) with as little noise as possible.
The AS Val can trace its origins back to the 1960 U-2 incident, where the Soviets captured US Air Force pilot Gary Powers alongside his equipment, including a suppressed pistol, which impressed them enough to issue a requirement for a similar Soviet weapon. The captured pistol was examined by the TsNIITochMash at Klimovsk by a team of designers that included G. Petropavlov, Yu Krulov, V. Sabelinikov, A. Neougodev, A. Deryagin, A. Khinikadze, I. Kas'yanov, P. Serdyukov, V. Petrov, and V. Levchenko. They pioneered the development of suppressed weapons and specialized ammunition in Russia.
With increasing tensions between the West and the Soviet Union during the late 1970s and 1980s, and both the United States and the USSR locked in a war between proxies, the KGB and GRU ordered the development of small arms suitable for covert operations around the world and in 1981, weapon designers P. I. Serdyukov and V. F. Krasnikov of TsNIITochMash began working on a combination of a new suppressed rifle and subsonic cartridge.
The VSS Vintorez and AS Val were both issued to Soviet troops since the late 1980s. They were used during the First Chechen War in 1994 and the Second Chechen War in 1999, though they remained relatively obscure amongst Western intelligence agencies and similar organisations until the Russians deployed troops to South Ossetia during the Russo-Georgian War in 2008. During the conflict, both Russian and Georgian forces used the VSS Vintorez. Both the VSS Vintorez and AS Val were also seen in use by Russian Spetsnaz during the Russo-Ukrainian War.
The VSS Vintorez was used in small numbers by the Security Service of Ukraine's Alpha Group, which was protecting the Ukrainian embassy in Iraq in the 2000s. By 2014, it was no longer in use by any security forces in Ukraine. According to Militarnyi, the VSS Vintorez was retired from service due to the lack of ammo.[5] However, during the Russian invasion of Ukraine, significant numbers of VSS Vintorez and AS Val were captured from Russian forces.
The VSS Vintorez and AS Val uses a modified Kalashnikov action, a gas-operated rotating bolt combined with an integral suppressor and chambered for the 9×39mm subsonic cartridge. The barrel of the VSS Vintorez is optimised for accurate sniper fire paired with the SP-5 (7N8) cartridge variant firing a heavy 250 grain FMJ bullet at subsonic speed, whilst the barrel of the AS Val is optimised for sustained automatic fire paired with the SP-6 (7N9) cartridge variant that features a hardened steel or tungsten tip to defeat body armour.
The suppressor makes use of the dual-chamber principle: the propellant gases are vented through specially designed perforations along the barrel into the first chamber, where the hot gases cool down and lose pressure before passing through the second chamber via a series of mesh screens which break the gas stream even further before leaving the barrel. The resulting sound signature is significantly lower than an unsuppressed rifle, and even from a short distance it cannot be recognized as the discharge of a rifle.
The VSS Vintorez and AS Val uses the same detachable box magazine design. The VSS Vintorez primarily uses a 10-round magazine, whilst the AS Val uses a 20-round magazine. Both rifles are also compatible with the 30-round SR-3M magazines. The magazines have a series of horizontal indentations to provide tactile identification and prevent confusion with Kalashnikov-pattern magazines. The indentations also provide rigidity to the magazine walls.
The VSS Vintorez can be broken down for transport in a special aluminum briefcase for clandestine operations. A PSO-1-1 (1P43) telescopic sight, a NPSU-3 night sight with a 3.46× magnification, and two magazines are included in the briefcase. The AS Val can mount the PSO-1 telescopic sight of the SVD rifle, or the 1PN52-1 night sight. Both rifles also feature a built-in iron sights integrated with the suppressor. According to Janes, the VSS telescopic sight has a length of 375mm and weights 580g, while the night sight has a length of 340mm and weights 2.1kg (04.6lb).
Both the AS Val and VSS Vintorez are selective fire designs. While the VSS Vintorez is normally used in single-fire mode with 10-round magazines, it is capable of firing short bursts of automatic fire and use the 20-round magazine from the AS Val in cases of emergency. The full auto fire option of the VSS Vintorez can also be used for ambushes or attacks against soft-skinned vehicles such as trucks.
The ASM (6P30M) and VSSM (6P29M) are modernised variants of the AS and VSS respectively. The VSSM is equipped with an aluminium buttstock with an adjustable cheek and butt pad and a new 30-round magazine was introduced to be intended for use with the ASM. Both rifles are also outfitted with a Picatinny rail on the top of the dust cover and on the sides and bottom of the suppressor, forward of the handguard. The mounts which shroud the suppressor can be removed. Deliveries began in 2018.[6]
Armenia: VSS Vintorez were delivered to the Armenian Army by Russia among other weaponry.[7]
Belarus: VSS Vintorez used by various special forces.[8]
Cuba: VSS Vintorez and AS Val are used by the Mobile Brigade of Special Troops.[9]
Georgia: VSS Vintorez and AS Val are used by the Georgian Army and police special forces,[10] some configured with Aimpoint and Kobra red dot sights.[11]