SPP-1 underwater pistol
The SPP-1 underwater pistol was made in the Soviet Union for use by Soviet frogmen as an underwater firearm. It was developed in the late 1960s and accepted for use in 1975. Under water, standard bullets are inaccurate and have very short range.
SPP-1 underwater pistol
Vitaly V. Kuzmin · Vitalykuzmin.net · CC BY-SA 4.0
- Field
- underwater firearm.
- Region
- Soviet Union.
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Documentary summary
The SPP-1 underwater pistol was made in the Soviet Union for use by Soviet frogmen as an underwater firearm. It was developed in the late 1960s and accepted for use in 1975. Under water, standard bullets are inaccurate and have very short range.
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original value insufficient · checked 25 September 2026
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wikidata · Q2632324 · wikipedia · SPP-1 underwater pistol
In this article
Design
Design
This pistol instead fires a round-based 4.5 millimetres (0.18 in) caliber steel dart about 115 millimetres (4.5 in) long, weighing 12.8 grams (0.45 oz), which has longer range and more penetrating power than a speargun. The complete cartridge is 145 millimetres (5.7 in) long and weighs 17.5 grams (0.62 oz).
The SPP-1 has four barrels, each containing one cartridge. Its ammunition comes as a magazine of four cartridges which is inserted into the pistol's breech. Its barrel is not rifled; the fired projectile is kept in line by hydrodynamic effects. As a result, it is somewhat inaccurate when fired out of water. A double-action firing mechanism fires one cartridge sequentially for each pull of the trigger. When all four cartridges are spent, the gun can be reloaded above or below water. The SPP-1M pistol is essentially the same as the SPP-1, with the following differences: It has an extra spring above the sear to improve the trigger pull. Its trigger guard is larger to accommodate diving gloves. The weapon was designed by Vladimir Simonov, the cartridge by Pyotr Sazonov and Oleg Kravchenko. Simonov also designed the APS amphibious rifle.
Performance
Performance
Depth reduces range because the higher pressure closes the cavity sooner. Once the projectile is no longer supercavitating, hydrodynamic drag increases greatly, and the projectile becomes unstable. Lethal range is defined as the range from which it can easily penetrate a padded underwater suit or a 5 millimetres (0.20 in) thick glass faceplate. It is manufactured by TOZ (Tulsky Oruzheiny Zavod/ Тульский Оружейный Завод) Tula Arms Plant, and exported by Rosoboronexport, the state agency for Russia's export and import of defense-related products.
Users
Users
Azerbaijan Georgia - In limited use with special operations forces. Kazakhstan Russia Soviet Union Ukraine Serbia
Variants
Variants
The SPP-1M has been copied by Iran.
General and cited references
General and cited references
Cutshaw, Charlie (1998). The New World of Russian Small Arms & Ammo. Boulder, Colorado: Paladin Press. ISBN 0-87364-993-1.
Notes from the source article
Cited by Wikipedia
Notes from the source article
These works are cited by the source article, in its own numbering. They are recorded as its citations, not as sources VALÉORINE has verified.
- 1.ЦАМТО / / Ростех завершил поставки подводного оружия инозаказчику.
- 2.Popenker, Max R. "SPP-1 underwater pistol ", world.guns.ru, Retrieved 2010-04-05
- 3.Russia upgrades amphibious rifles for commando swimmers | weapons defence industry military technology UK | analysis focus army defence military industry army. 24 January 2020.
- 4."4.5-mm SPS underwater fire cartridge ", Tsniitochmash, Retrieved 2010-04-05
- 5."Firearms Technical Trivia ", cruffler.com, November 2001, Retrieved 2010-04-05
- 6."SPP-1 and SPP-1M underwater pistol 4.5mm ", www.securityarms.com, Retrieved 2010-04-05
- 7.Popenker, Max R. "APS underwater assault rifle (5.6x39 mm MPS) ", world.guns.ru, Retrieved 2010-04-05
- 8."4.5-mm SPP-1M Underwater Pistol ", TsNIITochMash, Retrieved 2010-04-05
- 9."Special Submarine Pistol SPP-1M ", Tulsky Oruzheiny Zavod(TOZ), Tula Arms Plant, Retrieved 2010-04-05
- 10.Силы специальных операций Азербайджана. cast.ru.
- 11.Small Arms Survey. Small Arms Survey 2012: Moving Targets. Cambridge University Press. 133. 2012. 978-0-521-19714-4.
- 12.«В ходе учебного боя было проведено практическое метание ручных противодиверсионных гранат, отработаны приемы подводного боя с применением специальных подводных пистолетов СПП-1, подводных автоматов АПС» На Балтийском флоте прошло учение по противодействию подводным диверсантам условного противника // официальный интернет-сайт министерства обороны РФ от 31 марта 2025
- 13.Sutton, HI. Iran Copies' Russian SPP-1M Underwater Pistol. www.hisutton.com. HI Sutton.
References
Citations
References
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The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 14 August 2026.
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