Astronaut is a profession shrouded in a halo of romance and heroism for a reason. Perhaps there was no boy in the USSR who would not dream of becoming one. The work of space workers is fraught with constant danger, and not only in space … The landing of a descent capsule is an unpredictable thing. People can be anywhere, and therefore they may need protection. In the USSR, a specialized means of protection was created - TP-82.
What is this?
In the early 1980s, the Union created a special pistol for the self-defense of astronauts. The weapon had three barrels and was based on a non-automatic scheme. The new pistol was named TP-82. It became part of the SONAZ rescue complex. In appearance, the weapon looks a lot like a hybrid of a sawn-off double-barreled shotgun with an AK: on top there are two smooth barrels of 32-gauge (hunting), and on the bottom there is a barrel of caliber 5, 45.
Prerequisites for occurrence
First suggestedthe creation of such weapons is the legendary Soviet cosmonaut Alexei Leonov. In 1979, he specially visited the Tula Arms Plant for this purpose. He told the gunsmiths about an incident that occurred in 1965: then the descent module of the Voskhod-2 spacecraft landed in an unplanned place. More precisely, in the dense forests of the Perm region. The astronauts were searched for almost two days, during which people had a hard time.
In the forests of those there are many predators who would obviously not mind tasting fresh astronauts. The situation was absurd in that the latter would have absolutely nothing to defend themselves in the event of an attack. Leonov noted that if the astronauts had at least some specialized weapons that could fight off the animals, they would feel much calmer. Already in 1981, the position of the man who first went into outer space found wide official support. In 1982, the TP-82 was officially included in the rescue kit of all space expeditions.
The main purpose of the weapon
It should be noted that this gun is not only space. It is intended, among other things, to arm long-range aviation crews who could be in the wild as a result of an unplanned emergency landing. Model TP-82 can be used for defense against predators, unfriendly people, criminal elements, as well as for hunting. With the help of the same pistol, it is possible to send light and sound distress signals in case of landing in a sparsely populated, empty area.
Weapons were created in Tula. For the first time, the pistol went into space with the crew of the Soyuz T-6 spacecraft in 1982. Four years later, it was officially included in the equipment of long-range aviation crews. The release was completed in 1987. There is information that the TP-82 pistol was used by Russian cosmonauts until 2007. By the end of this period, the shelf life of ammunition that was manufactured back in the Union simply ended. It was considered inexpedient to resume their production.
Main Specifications
As we said, this weapon is a three-barreled non-automatic pistol. The top two barrels are designed for a more or less conventional 32 caliber, while the bottom one is loaded with a special 5.45x40 mm cartridge. Recall that Kalashnikov assault rifles use 5.45x39 mm ammunition. To zero in the lower barrel, a special sighting device is used, the strength of which is regulated by three bolts.
The evacuation of spent cartridges from the 32nd caliber is carried out using an ordinary extractor. To eject the spent cartridge case of cartridge 5, 45x39, you need to press a special button on the spring extractor, which is located at the bottom of the weapon. Thus, the TP-82 pistol is quite simple, and therefore the cosmonauts, who were mostly military pilots, had no problems handling it.
To reload, the weapon must be broken like a hunting rifle. There is a latch on the left above the pistol grip,which the entire structure is supported. To break the TP-82 space pistol, it is shifted to the left. The trigger mechanism is of the percussion type, does not have a self-cocking mechanism. In general, its design is extremely simple, but there are some important features.
Triggers and sights
The peculiarity of the trigger mechanism is that the right trigger is only responsible for the right smooth barrel, while the left one can be switched between the left and lower barrels at any time. Under the trigger guard there is a safety button that locks the triggers. The sighting device of the TP-82 space pistol has the simplest: mechanical, open type. This is done to minimize the chance of shooting down even in the most difficult conditions.
Using the experience of Tokarev, the specialists provided for the use of a butt-holster. This simple device allows you to significantly improve the accuracy of shooting. The holster is attached to the bottom of the pistol grip. But this is not the main secret. The fact is that inside the holster, in a special hard sheath, there was … a real machete, only of a relatively small size. Moreover, it was recommended to shoot exactly when it was inside the holster, since in this case the butt received the necessary rigidity. In a word, the TP-82 cosmonauts' pistol is a very unusual and extremely versatile weapon.
Characteristics of cartridges
It was also special in that it was supposed to use cartridges for shooting, speciallydeveloped at TSNIITOCHMASH. P. F. Sazonov led the creation of new and unusual ammunition. In total, three types of cartridges were developed. The first is a standard SP-D shotgun, for the creation of which they used the usual hunting.32 caliber. The cartridge 12, 5x70 mm is completely similar in its lethal effect to ammunition used in hunting rifles with a barrel length of about 700 mm.
The second variety, SP-P, is signal. A simple hunting cartridge was also used as its base. Actually, according to its design, this is a special light-smoke bomb with a long burning time.
Finally, the SP-P bullet cartridge. For his equipment, a semi-shelled bullet of 5.45 mm caliber is used, compressed in a 40 mm sleeve. The core was made of hardened tool steel, a small hole was drilled in the nose of the bullet to increase the expansion action. According to the test results, the wounds from such ammunition were several times more dangerous than from a standard automatic cartridge.
About effective range
It was reported that when using a bullet cartridge, the effective firing range could reach about 200 meters, while in the case of using shot, this value was reduced to 40 meters. The ammunition included exactly 40 rounds: ten SP-D and ten SP-S. All the rest are bullets. Ammunition fit in a special canvas pouch. The main difference of all these cartridges from their military and hunting prototypes was their maximum reliability, which was maintained even in conditions of low pressure, high and low temperatures,humidity.
Hunting use
Throughout the entire period of state testing, the TP-82 pistol, the photo of which you can see in the article, was intensively used as a hunting weapon. It was found that with its help, without much difficulty, you can get almost all categories of small game, as well as birds, in shooting at which the TP has proven itself especially well. The rifled barrel could be used in the extraction of wild boars, goats, goitered gazelles and even elks, provided that the weight of the animal reached no more than 200 kilograms.
The testers were so impressed with the capabilities of the weapon that the latter was aptly nicknamed "a poacher's dream". It was reported (unofficially) that when using conventional.32 hunting cartridges with an increased weight of gunpowder and large shots, it was possible to get an elk weighing significantly more than two hundredweights without much difficulty.
Overall usage efficiency
The signal cartridge turned out to be very good. The sound and noise flash that arose during its use gave a significant chance that people could be noticed by search parties. In a word, the TP-82 is a weapon that could be a great help for astronauts who find themselves in the remote taiga. Even the machete, which was "hidden" in a holster, proved to be excellent.
Alexander German, who served as the head of cosmonaut survival training, said that in two days (the standard duration of training) hewards with the help of this blade cut down several cubic meters of wood. So a machete could be useful even when building a temporary home!
What is the overall impression of the TP-82? The cosmonaut's weapon looks very solid and solid, it is well made. All secondary parts, such as holster, pouch and machete, have the minimum possible weight. The weapon controls are made according to ergonomic schemes, they are easily and simply controlled even by a person who has undergone minimal training. Fuses ensure complete safety of handling even with a loaded weapon, completely eliminating the possibility of an accidental shot. Specialist gunsmiths really liked the soft trigger, the grip and the balanced balance of the pistol.
There is no strict need to attach a butt for firing, so if necessary, you could start defending immediately, without wasting extra time on preparation. It was reported that without a holster, it was desirable to fire exclusively with shot, at short distances.
Discontinuation
The TP-82 cosmonauts' three-barreled pistol was finally put into service in 1986. Soviet cosmonauts have always armed with them, including during joint training and missions with the Americans and Europeans. The release of weapons was discontinued in the late 80s. The official reason is the accumulation of a sufficient number of pistols. The Tula residents themselves say that during the beginning of the collapse of the state, the Kremlin authorities simply did not want to finance the “stupid”project.
The exact number of pistols collected is still unknown. It is assumed that the volume of production is unlikely to exceed 30-110 units (which is clearly very small). If you want to see this rare pistol with your own eyes, you can visit the Artillery Museum in St. Petersburg, the Museum of Cosmonautics, which is located in Moscow, or go to Tula.
Boar
According to not too official information, there was (or exists) an analogue of the TP-82 called "Vepr". In reality, no one saw such a gun, there are no photographs of it. Presumably, this ersatz was produced with a not so strict quality control department and was intended for long-range aviation commanders. However, all these are just rumors, since there is practically no official data on this weapon. Be that as it may, the Vepr was equipped with the same special cartridges, and therefore in 2007 the period of use of this weapon (even if it was) also came to an end.
