AS Val
TsNIITochMash · Assault Rifle · In Service · 1987
Also known as: Val, Shaft, Avtomat Specialnyj Val, AS
Overview
The AS Val (Avtomat Specialnyj Val, 'Special Automatic Shaft') is a Soviet-era integrally suppressed select-fire assault rifle chambered in the purpose-built subsonic 9x39mm cartridge. Developed in the mid-1980s by Pyotr Serdyukov at TsNIITochMash in Klimovsk as the assault-rifle counterpart to the VSS Vintorez sniper rifle, the Val was designed to give Soviet Spetsnaz, KGB, and Interior Ministry special units a compact automatic weapon capable of silent, close-range engagement of targets wearing contemporary body armor. Its AK-pattern long-stroke gas piston action, skeletal side-folding stock, and non-removable integral suppressor make it one of the most distinctive special-purpose assault rifles ever fielded.
Specifications
| Weight (empty) | 2960 g (104.4 oz) |
| Weight (loaded) | 3560 g (125.6 oz) |
| Overall Length | 875 mm (34.45") |
| Folded Length | 615 mm (24.21") |
| Barrel Length | 200 mm (7.87") |
| Action Type | Gas Operated Long Stroke |
| Firing Mechanism | Hammer Fired |
| Trigger Type | Single Stage |
| Trigger Pull | 25 N (5.6 lbf) |
| Magazine Capacity | 20 rounds |
| Magazine Type | Detachable Box |
| Muzzle Velocity | 295 m/s (968 fps) |
| Muzzle Energy | 705 J (520 ft·lbf) |
| Effective Range | 300 m (328 yd) |
| Maximum Range | 500 m (547 yd) |
| Rate of Fire | 900 rpm |
| Barrel Rifling | Right Hand |
| Rifling Twist | 190 mm (7.48") |
| Number of Grooves | 6 |
| Frame Material | Steel |
| Barrel Material | Steel |
| Stock Material | Polymer |
| Finish | Black Phosphate |
Calibers
- 9x39mm · primary — also known as 9x39mm SP-5, 9x39mm SP-6, 9x39mm PAB-9, 9x39mm BP
Features
- Firing modes: Semi Automatic, Full Automatic
- Feed systems: Detachable Box Magazine
- Safety mechanisms: Manual Lever Safety, Disconnector
- Features: Integral Suppressor, Subsonic Ammunition, Folding Stock, Select Fire, Pso Scope Compatible, Side Mounted Optics Rail, Armor Piercing Capability, Skeletal Stock, Lightweight Construction
Variants
- VSS Vintorez — Sniper Variant
- SR-3 Vikhr — Compact Pdw Derivative
- AS Val Mod.3 / AS-M — Modernized
Service history
Operators
- Soviet Special Forces (Spetsnaz) · adopted 1987
- Russian Special Forces (Spetsnaz GRU) · adopted 1991
- Russian Federal Security Service (FSB)
- Russian Airborne Forces (VDV)
- Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs (MVD OMON/SOBR)
- Russian Federal Protective Service (FSO)
Conflicts
- Soviet-Afghan War (1979-1989)
- First Chechen War (1994-1996)
- Second Chechen War (1999-2009)
- Russo-Georgian War (2008)
- Syrian Civil War (2015-present)
- Russo-Ukrainian War (2014-present)
Production
Production years: 1987-present
Moderate, limited-run production restricted to Russian special operations, FSB, MVD, and VDV units. Exact totals classified.
Origin
Country of origin: Soviet Union
Designer: Pyotr Serdyukov
Notes
Shares roughly 70% parts commonality with the VSS Vintorez sniper rifle and is fed from the same 10- or 20-round curved steel magazines (standard issue is the 20-round). The integral suppressor cannot be legally removed from the weapon and contains both expansion chambers and internal baffles; the barrel itself is ported to bleed gas into the suppressor. Sound signature at the muzzle is approximately 130 dB, comparable to a suppressed .22 rimfire. The SP-6 armor-piercing round will defeat 8mm of steel plate or a standard CRISAT / Level III vest at 100 m, and remain lethal to armored targets out to roughly 300-400 m. The skeletal metal side-folding stock reduces overall length to about 615 mm for concealed carry or vehicle stowage. Mounts Russian side-rail PSO-series and 1P29 optics. Because of the fixed integral suppressor (classified under US law as a Title II silencer permanently attached to a short-barreled rifle), the AS Val has never been imported for the US civilian market.
Background
The 9x39mm cartridge was purpose-built by TsNIITochMash by necking up a 7.62x39mm AK case to accept a heavy 16-gram bullet that stays subsonic (~295 m/s) yet still punches through Level III body armor at close range - a ballistic problem most Western designers never tried to solve because suppressing a supersonic rifle cartridge is considered impossible. Because the suppressor is a permanent, non-removable part of the barrel assembly, the AS Val is effectively unexportable to the US civilian market and has achieved near-mythic status among firearm enthusiasts, appearing obsessively in video games like STALKER, Escape from Tarkov, and the Call of Duty series as the go-to 'silent assassin' rifle.