Weird guns- Device "D"

I seem to have a special liking for the Cold War- era equipment of the Soviet Spetsnaz. The items are all rugged, simple, and effective. They usually don't win any points for aesthetics, but hey, they don't make them for sitting around and looking pretty.


On to Device "D". The basic plan in the event of a conventional WWIII was that many highly trained and fairly independent Spetsnaz teams would infiltrate NATO lines and do as much damage as possible, preferably to high value targets. Fuel and ammunition dumps, Command and Control sites, Radar installations and aircraft on the ground were high on the list. Above all, missile sites, whether they be anti-air, tactical, or medium range nuclear weapons would be the target of the Spetsnaz teams. As all of those targets are lightly armored, Soviet planners decided that a 30mm grenade would be sufficient to destroy or severely damage them. A combined high explosive and incendiary warhead would be able to destroy or disable a large variety of targets.

Device "D" without grenade cup launcher, bipod, and butt stock

To maximize the tactical surprise of the attack and increase the chances of success (and escape), it was decided the new grenade launcher would be sound and flash suppressed. To make the weapon more versatile, It was also given an armor piercing, internally silenced 9mm round to be used against enemy personnel. The firearm itself is a fairly crude, single shot, bolt action pistol. To achieve the maximum range and accuracy, the user needs to use the bipod and and the holster can be attached to use as a butt stock in the manner of the Mauser C96. When in grenade launch mode, a cup is attached to the muzzle and the grenade is loaded from the front. There is a manual extractor for unloading any unfired grenades and the grenade sight is attached to the left side of the weapon. Range is stated to be about 300m. The 9mm AP round is said to be able to penetrate 5mm of mild steel at 100 meters but the bullet is very heavy and slow at about about 430 grains and 830 FPS. It achieves its penetrative power by virtue of its dense steel construction. The (9x93mm) noiseless cartridge is similar to the 7.62x63mm noiseless cartridge we have already discussed. It has a thick steel case with a small charge of powder and a piston which pushes the projectile out of the case and then captures the excess gases, which is the cause of most the gunshot report and muzzle flash. The PMAM "Mundshtuck" cartridge has a push rod which transfers the energy of the piston to the muzzle-loaded grenade, seen below.

PMAM 30mm HE/Incindiary grenade and noiseless cartridge

PFAM 9x93mm AP cartridge

Vektor Y3 AGL 40mm

The South African firm of Vektor produces this belt fed, automatic grenade launcher. it is designed to be able to defeat targets that are not in the firer's line of sight as well as those it can see. By using a grenade with a medium velocity, and a high trajectory, the Y3 can lob explosives into trenches and field fortifications as well as through windows. While weapons of this type are most often mounted on vehicles or in defensive positions, they can also be carried and deployed in the field by a crew of 3.

The Vektor Y3 is equipped with an electronic sight that can be used to fire at targets beyond visual range, provided that coordinates are provided by some type of forward observer.
40mm grenades have proven to be extremely useful in all types of conflicts and having a weapon that can hit targets out of sight or invulnerable to rifle fire can save the lives of an infantry squad. There are several different grenade types in use for this system:

High Explosive (HE)

Designed for used against vehicles and personnel (with a casualty radius of 5 m)

High Explosive Dual Purpose (HE DP)

This round has some armour piercing capability (50 mm armour, 350 mm concrete) and is designed for use against vehicles and fortifications.

Practice

This round produces a flash and smoke intended for realistic simulations and training.

Target Practice Tracer

Similar to the Practice round, but producing a visible light trail similar to tracer rounds for firearms.

Target Practice

This round is inert and has the same ballistic properties as the HE and HE DP rounds.

Place of origin	South Africa
Production history
Designer	Vektor
Specifications
Weight	32 kg (weapon), 18 kg (tripod)
Length	844 mm
Barrel length	300 mm (12 in)
Width	281 mm
Height	267 mm
Cartridge	40 mm grenade
Action	long recoil
Rate of fire	280–320 rounds/min
Muzzle velocity	242 m/s
Maximum range	2200 m
Feed system	20 round belt
Sights	optical or electronic (ballistic computer)