How to combine the power of small arms in a machine gun and make it suitable for firing small grenades? Assault rifle-grenade launcher complex for special forces.
"Thunderstorm" from the very beginning was conceived as something common, combining several types of weapons. For a long time, Russian gunsmiths were interested in one question - how to combine the power of small arms in a machine gun and make it suitable for firing small grenades? In the case of the OTs-14, the engineers of the Tula TsKIB SOO applied a whole range of revolutionary solutions, which, according to the admission of the engineers themselves, and the servicemen of the special forces, who were intended to use the machine, brought the machine to the "top" of Russian small arms in terms of firing quality. By combining the machine gun and the grenade launcher into a single whole, the Tula craftsmen were able to achieve not only a reduction in the total weight of the entire rifle complex, but also to stabilize the weapon when firing in long and short bursts, to increase accuracy and reduce the proportion of automatic failures.
Now it is difficult to imagine that the first "Thunderstorm" with the OTs-14 index was developed by the gunsmiths Telesh and Lebedev … on an initiative, voluntary basis and was not associated with any competitive or promising program for the replacement or development of small arms. Starting in 1992, the designers in just a year developed a general scheme, components and mechanisms, taking Kalashnikov assault rifles as a basis, and in 1993 in Tula they already assembled the first batch of new, promising assault rifles. Most of the world's manufacturers have never known examples associated with such a short development and construction time. In 1994, the first batch of OTs-14 was shown to the public for the first time.
Design features
The main concept, according to which the OTs-14 was built, was the idea of creating a special complex of small arms that would combine good firepower, good ammunition and the ability to be equipped with an underbarrel grenade launcher. Due to the last point, a lot of questions and work arose, because equipping the AK-74 with an under-barrel grenade launcher inevitably led and still leads to the fact that a strong imbalance arises in the weapon, and as a result - a constant preponderance towards the muzzle. Unlike the Kalashnikov assault rifle, the OTs-14 was immediately designed taking into account the installation of the GP-25 grenade launcher on it, which ensures the suppression of single and group enemy targets with special VOG-25 grenades.
In favor of the successful design of “Thunderstorms, several details spoke at once: the general similarity with the AKS-74U, which was taken as a basis, the successful, albeit unusual, bullpup layout, which made it possible to reduce the overall dimensions of the weapon, and the main trump card of this weapon was the 9x39mm ammunition. The SP-5 and SP-6 cartridges used in the "Groza" are a rare combination when everything is in moderation. The same cartridges, by the way, are used in the world famous VSS and the VAL submachine gun. Also, along the way with the main one, for the army special forces they created an option in caliber 7, 62x39mm, however, after experimental use and application, it was decided to focus on the caliber 9x39mm.
Small weapon wonder
In most cases, when developing domestic weapons, the designers paid attention to the versatility of the weapon. However, it is impossible to combine the incongruous - a sniper rifle and an assault rifle, or a grenade launcher with an assault rifle without prejudice to one or the other. In the case of the OTs-14 project, a small weapon miracle happened: the designers, almost for the first time, managed to combine several types of weapons in one machine at once, which could be adapted for each specific situation. Perhaps not a single Russian weapon could boast of such success.
The main one, or as it was called, the basic machine gun, could be used in several versions: as an assault rifle, a silent machine gun with a silent and flameless firing device, and as a machine gun with a grenade launcher for those cases when serious fire resistance is required. A huge constructive plus of the weapon was also the fact that, in essence, the OTs-14 was a conversion, that is, a conversion of the weapon from the "classic" layout, in which the trigger is located behind the magazine, to the bullpup layout, in which the trigger and the store are located behind the entire structure of the machine.
Fire training instructor and constant interlocutor of "Zvezda" on small arms issues Roman Vyaznik described his impressions of "Groza" as follows: dads layout: this is the impossibility of shooting from the left shoulder in the first place. For me, as a left-handed person, it was extremely unpleasant to use it. When firing bursts, another significant disadvantage of this design opened up - a strong gas contamination from ammunition in the face area. Like a "hedgehog in the fog" after a good queue. Well, the main drawback of the machine is the process of cleaning it after firing. Whoever dealt with him, I think, will support me in this matter. However, despite the obvious shortcomings, there were also advantages - first of all, versatility, and secondly, the ability to conduct aimed fire like from a sniper rifle at short distances. The accuracy is certainly not fantastic, but it suits the tasks being performed. The ammunition was definitely a good choice for use. The 9mm cartridge is generally one of the best ammunition for the Russian army that has ever been invented. When developing the OTs-14, the designers created a serious reserve for the future, and I think that very soon we will see a redesigned machine gun. The last time I had an experience of using it was in 2008, when it was shown to the French delegation. They brought their FAMAS, but having fired from FAMAS and Groza in turn, the French military nodded approvingly, and the group of shots from our machine gun lay flat in the center of the growth target, while the FAMAS had a much more significant spread. In general, this weapon has both pros and cons. All in moderation,”the expert said.
Will there be "Thunderstorm-2"?
All the military, with whom we managed to talk about the Thunderstorms, unanimously say that this project will definitely develop. By virtue of this version, it also says that small arms in Russia are now given enough attention and, first of all, they listen to the opinion of those who have to use them in battle. Former soldiers of special forces willingly talk about what the weapon was missing: in particular, according to the assurances of three out of five people with whom we were able to talk about the use of the OTs-14 in the case, the machine gun clearly needed more powerful ammunition.
According to Vladislav Petrenko, a former special forces soldier of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, and now the head of a private security company, OTs-14 was not developed deliberately: “Well, judge for yourself, the machine gun was not developed for replacement, but of its own free will, as they say. Moreover, the niche was not chosen very well. Already at that time - 95-96, when it began to be actively used, the 9A91 assault rifle was released in Tula in the same way, which surpasses the "Thunderstorm" in firing accuracy. My opinion is that a more powerful version was needed. The intelligence and army special forces had a "Thunderstorm" chambered for 7.62x39mm, but for some reason did not reach the special forces of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. And I think this is the main problem. They would have used it more often - I think the development would have gone. But personally, my experience of using it is extremely pleasant. Except for his subsequent cleaning,”the expert said.
OTs-14 "Thunderstorm" is, of course, a breakthrough in weapons thought in the domestic range of small arms. It is quite rare in the weapons environment that complexes are obtained so universal, small-sized and at the same time, preserving the reliability of the legendary Kalashnikov assault rifles, which are considered the standard of survivability and reliability throughout the world. For its time and tasks, the unique "Tula gingerbread", which was developed in fact in their free time, became a real star, and the experience of its use in the Ministry of Internal Affairs showed that weapons built according to such a scheme have not only a wide area for use, but also a huge reserve for future modernization and development.
The fire translator who saved an entire company
The history of one of the most unusual domestic machines, in addition to versatility and other boring technical details, is accompanied by such an interesting fact that it cannot be forgotten. In an interview with Zvezda, retired special forces officer of the Internal Troops Evgeny Safronov told an incident that happened to one of the special forces during the first Chechen war, and which is directly related to the OTs-14 assault rifle: “In my memory, among other interesting moments, there is a case after whom I began to respect "Thunderstorm". One of the reconnaissance companies, which was sent on a mission, conducted reconnaissance in force. It so happened that the fight began at close range, and was almost hand-to-hand. One of the soldiers of the company, armed with the "Groza", shot off the entire ammunition vehicle and, if memory serves, there were three or four rounds in the shop of his OTs-14.
Suddenly, a fighter appears in front of the fighter, who for some reason did not shoot, but decided to take the reconnaissance fighter prisoner. Before "tying up" our soldier, the militant prudently ordered to put the weapon on the ground. To which the fighter replied that they say, on - look, I'm empty. Having switched the firing mode in advance by the fire translator, which is located at the "Groza" immediately behind the "grenade launcher", the fighter switched the machine gun to the grenade firing mode, which was not there at that moment.
The fighter relaxed, lost his vigilance, realizing that the scout had run out of cartridges, and the fighter contrived and snapped the fire translator back into automatic mode with his finger and stuck the cartridges remaining in the store into the bandit. With a Kalashnikov assault rifle, I think this trick would not have worked. The peculiarity of this situation was also in the fact that the fighter was the last in the detachment, and if it were not for the interpreter of the "Thunderstorm" fire, then I think they would have put a whole company in that battle. Since then and until the last day of my business trip, in addition to standard weapons, I took the "Thunderstorm" in all combat exits. To be honest, it was even a little sad to part with her. After this incident, the machine gun was greatly respected in our intelligence service,”a retired special forces officer said in an interview.
They wanted, but did not get it
It should be admitted that the case described by the Russian intelligence veteran is not an isolated one. In the heat of battle, according to Evgeny Safronov, there were frequent cases when the militants tried to get this particular machine gun. The reason for this selectivity became clear a little later, when Zvezda's interlocutor, Yevgeny Safronov, said that in those days there was a whole hunt for an unusual machine gun, and a militant who gets an unusual Russian machine gun was entitled to a solid reward. However, despite all the efforts and attempts, the Russian machine gun remained an unattainable target for the enemy and along the way, thanks to the design features, saved the life of an entire reconnaissance company.
It is also worth noting the fact that despite experiments with many options, foreign manufacturers have not managed to create a rifle whose technical characteristics and versatility would be comparable to the Russian "Groza". In the late 90s and early 00s, many countries traditionally famous for their weapons were carried away by the ideas of “universalizing” their small arms in the late 90s and early 00s: the USA, Germany, France - work on small arms lines similar to the “Groza” was carried out everywhere.
However, in the United States, it was not possible to create a single small arms and grenade launcher system, in Germany they limited themselves to creating modifications of the famous Steyr AUG rifle, and in France a little later the famous FAMAS appeared, the line of work on which ended with the creation of a rather mediocre small arms, the overall ergonomics of which with modifications and "hanging" additional devices, it deteriorated so much that it was difficult for the shooter to actively operate with such a weapon for more than two or three hours. The Russian project "Thunderstorm", in spite of all attempts, has remained an unsurpassed weapon in its class.
