Picture 1: Device "DM" noiseless grenade launcher / carbine
Picture 2: MVD Spetsnaz operator is aiming with Device "DM" noiseless grenade launcher / carbine
Photo: Rugevit.ru
Picture 3: 9mm PFAM noiseless cartridge, loaded with armor piercing bullet
Picture 4: 9mm PMAM noiseless blank cartridge, which is used to propel 30mm BMYa-31 grenade (shown above the cartridge)
Caliber: 9mm / 30mm
Type: single-shot muzzle-loading launcher (with optional 9mm noiseless bullet-firing capability)
Overall length: 720 mm (480 mm when shoulder stock is folded)
Weight: 3.9 kg unloaded
Effective range: up to 300 m with grenade, up to 200 mm with 9mm bullet
Armour penetration: ~10 mm
The Device "DM" (Изделие ДМ in Russian nomenclature) noiseless grenade launcher / carbine is another unique weapon, which was developed during 1970s for Soviet Spetsnaz forces. It is based on the Device "D" (Изделие Д in Russian nomenclature) noiseless grenade launcher / handgun and shares same principles of noiseless firing / grenade launching and uses same ammunition. The key improvements of the DM device over its predecessor are lighter weight of the complete weapon and greater rate of aimed fire, thanks to its magazine feed for cartridges (grenades are still manually loaded into the muzzle from the front). It is still issued in limited numbers to Soviet (now Russian) elite military Spetsnaz and FSB (former KGB) anti-terror units, although it appears that it was mostly replaced by Tishina / Kanarejka noiseless grenade launcher / assault rifle weapon complex. Like its predecessor, the Device DM was to be used against military facilities such as C&C posts, ammunition and fuel storage depots, radar installations, parked tactical aircrafts, and most important, tactical / medium range ballistic missile launchers. It also can be used to disable vehicles used by terrorists and against terrorists themselves, thanks to noiseless but powerful 9mm PFAM ammunition loaded with AP bullet.
The heart of the Device "DM" (Изделие ДМ) weapon complex is the 9mm (9x93) noiseless cartridge, designed along the lines of the smaller 7.62mm (7.62x63) PZ "Zmeya" cartridge. The heavy steel cartridge case holds small powder charge and a piston, which can move inside the case to violently push the projectile out of the case and then jam itself at the case mouth, capturing powder gases (prime source f the gun shot sound and flash) inside the case. There are two types of cartridges intended for use in Device D - the 9mm PFAM "Falanga" cartridge, loaded with AP bullet, and 9mm PMAM "Mundshtuck" cartridge, loaded with pusher rod which transfers the energy of the piston to the separately loaded grenade. The "Falanga" bullet is made of hardened steel with brass driving band at the front. The bullet weight is about 28 gram (432 grains) and the muzzle velocity is about 250 m/s (820 fps). According to available information, PFAM bullet can penetrate 5mm of mild steel at 100 meters. The 30mm grenade, which is used along with 9mm PMAM cartridge, is designated BMYa-31 "Yascheritsa" (Lizard). This projectile is loaded with unspecified amount of explosive or incendiary composition, and can penetrate up to 10mm of steel and then ignite fuel stored behind it. BMYa-31 grenade weights about 130 gram (~4.5 oz) and PMAM cartridge propels it out of the muzzle cup launcher with muzzle velocity of about 110 m/s (360 fps). BMYa-31 projectile features pre-engraved rifling and a pusher rod at the rear, which comes into the contact with the piston of the propelling cartridge when gun is fully loaded. Inert grenade projectiles also are available for live fire practice.
The Device DM itself is a manually operated, magazine fed bolt action 'carbine'. The large box magazine contains five rounds of 9x93 ammunition, either of PMAM (grenade launch) or PFAM (with AP bullet) type. Unusual thing is that the magazine also serves as a pistol grip, necessating a special (and somewhat uncomfortable) hold on the gun. To launch grenades, gun must be loaded with magazine containing PMAM type blank cartridges and fitted with an additional grenade sight, which is attached to the left side of the gun. Grenades are loaded into the muzzle cup from the front until locked inside by the spring retainer. Cup launcher is equipped with special manual extractor necessary for unloading of unfired grenades and stays on the gun when firing the 9mm bullets using PFAM ammunition. Weapon is equipped with underfolding shoulder stock, made of stamped steel, and a detachable adjustable bipod.
