- Source: TP-82
The TP-82 (Russian: ТП-82) is an out-of-service triple-barreled Soviet combination gun carried by cosmonauts on space missions. It was intended as a survival aid to be used after landings and before recovery in the Siberian wilderness.
Features
The TP-82 can be used for hunting, to defend against predators, and for creating visible and/or audible distress signals. The detachable buttstock also functions as a machete and is equipped with a canvas sheath.
The upper two side-by-side shotgun barrels use special 12.5×70mm ammunition (40 gauge), and the lower single rifled barrel uses 5.45×39mm ammunition developed for the AK-74 assault rifle. The TP-82 has a large lever on the left side of the receiver that opens the action, and a small grip safety under the trigger guard that resembles a secondary trigger. According to NASA astronauts, the gun is very accurate out to about 20–30 m (22–33 yd).
History
The TP-82 was the result of cosmonaut Alexei Leonov's concerns after being stranded in the Siberian wilderness when his Voskhod capsule malfunctioned. He feared that the 9x18mm Makarov pistol that was provided in his survival kit would be ineffective against the Siberian wildlife, such as Eurasian brown bears and Eurasian wolves.
TP-82s were carried regularly on Soviet and Russian space missions from 1986 to 2006. They were part of the Soyuz Portable Emergency Survival Kit (Носимый аварийный запас, Nosimyi Avariynyi Zapas, NAZ).
In 2007, the media reported that the remaining ammunition for the TP-82 had become unusable and that a regular semi-automatic pistol would be used on future missions.
See also
M6 Aircrew Survival Weapon
M30 Luftwaffe Drilling
Soviet laser pistol
References
External links
Russia has the corner on guns in space – MSNBC, Feb. 12, 2008
TP-82 : Russian space pistol / shotgun / carbine / flare gun no longer being carried into space (with photos) – The Firearm Blog
Soviet cosmonauts carried a shotgun into space
The TOZ-81 'Mars' Gun Was The Soviet Union's Ultimate Space Revolver, including information on the TP-82
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