As Val Assault Rifle Russian Special Operations Troops

The AS Assault Rifle was designed in the late 1980s to be a true silenced assault rifle for Russian special operations troops. It is part of a projected family of small, which so far include the VSS Sniper Rifle, the SR-3 Vikhr and the AS itself. In addition to its use by GRU, Spetsnaz, and Alpha Teams, the AS is in limited use by Army reconnaissance teams, some Interior Ministry units, and some FSB SRT-type teams (the FSB and Interior Ministry inherited the mantle of the former KGB).

TSIITOCHMASH AS Val Assault Rifle

Like most Russian small arms, the AS Val (also known as the 6P30) is based partly on the Kalashnikov action. The Val (like the VSS Vintorez silent sniping rifle) is also based on the receiver and operation of the Vikhr short assault rifle. However, this weapon is fitted with an integral silencer assembly, and fires a special subsonic 9x39mm round (itself based upon the 7.62mm Kalashnikov round) to provide far greater range and penetration than is normal for a silenced weapon. This weapon is capable of sustained silent operation in both single shot and automatic fire without damage or reduction in effectiveness of the silencer; the silencer itself is said by the Russians to be effective for “several thousand rounds.” (In fact, the AS cannot be fired without the
silencer affixed without damaging the weapon and injuring the shooter.) The silent assault rifle has a short fore-end and a skeletonized folding butt.

As Val Assault Rifle

The trigger unit is a modified version of that used on the Czech CZ-58 Assault Rifle. The safety is a standard Kalashnikov lever, but the selector lever itself is a separate crossbolt button inside the trigger guard behind the trigger. Any Russian sight or optical device may be fitted above and to the left of the receiver on a bracket similar to those used on certain Kalashnikov-type rifles; backup iron sights are also available. The Val can fire both SP-5 and SP-6 ammunition, but the steel or tungsten-cored SP-6 ammunition is normally reserved for use by the VSS Vintorez Sniper Rifle (q.v.). A standard ball round, the PAB-1, is also available. The AS cannot use bayonets, rifle grenades, or an underbarrel grenade launcher.

Strangely enough, the Val can trace its origins back to the shoot-down of Francis Gary Powers’ aircraft in May of 1960. One of the items that were captured with the pilot was a silenced pistol that used a suppressor of advanced design, extremely quiet and very resistant to wear. This silencer features a two-chamber design which essentially slows the round slightly and dilutes the sound of the firing of the round and the resulting gas. The Russians were very impressed, but decades went by before they could reproduce the technology. One of the weapons that eventually came out of the study of that pistol and its suppressor was the AS Val.

As Val Assault Rifle

Often, the first time NATO or Chinese troops knew they were facing Russians armed with this weapon was
when their comrades started falling around them, victims of “bullets from nowhere.” However, the Val was never available in large quantities, and most of its users were a part of assassination teams or agents who had to quietly take over a facility. Despite the large amount of interest all over the world in the Val, and the potentially large amounts that the Russians could make from its sale, the Russians have been strangely tight-lipped and stingy with it. If you gain possession of a Val, you probably took it off a dead Russian special ops trooper or have some sort of contact high in the Russian hierarchy.