Cuban military engineers carried out a local modernization of the legendary Soviet Dragunov Sniper Rifle (SVD), which remains one of the main types of sniper weaponry in the arsenal of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Cuba (FAR).
Specialists replaced the standard flash suppressor with a wider and more effective muzzle brake-compensator of a new design.
According to the developers’ concept, this modification makes it possible to significantly reduce barrel rise during firing, lessen recoil, and improve weapon control, which is especially important during rapid fire. As a result, the time needed to restore the sight picture after each shot is reduced, while overall grouping and ease of fire are improved compared with the base version of the SVD.
The SVD continues to remain a reliable and time-tested weapon in the Cuban army, while local "tuning" makes it possible to adapt it to modern shooter training requirements without the need for a complete replacement of the weapons fleet.
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