The main event at the international exhibition of military equipment and weapons MILEX-2011 in Minsk was the presentation by Russia of a completely unique silent mortar. This type of weapon is intended for special forces units, and its main distinguishing feature is maximum stealth during combat use. It is interesting that a serial sample was presented at the exhibition, but to whom it is supplied, the representatives of the manufacturer refused to tell. The new mortar does not yet have its own name, there is only an index - 2B25.
The design of the new mortar was developed by employees of the Burevestnik Central Research Institute from Nizhny Novgorod. As indicated in the commentary to the mortar, its purpose is to defeat enemy personnel using personal body armor. Fire to kill can be conducted both at the enemy in open areas and at those in field shelters. The uniqueness of the mortar is that it is possible to fire at any time of the day, from closed firing positions, and the enemy will practically not be able to detect the place from which the shots are fired, given the fact that the shot is practically silent and remains visually undefined.
How such an effect is achieved, explained Aleksey Zelentsov, design engineer of the Central Research Institute: "When fired, the propellant gases released are locked in a special mine shank, so no smoke, no flame, no sound, no shock wave is formed." According to the engineer, the sound when fired is no louder than when firing from a conventional Kalashnikov assault rifle equipped with a silencer.
A similar design scheme was already used by Soviet gunsmiths in 1983, when the first "Special Self-Loading Pistol" (PSS) was created in the Soviet Union, when firing from which the powder gases were also locked in the sleeve. Earlier, in the 60s, the USSR created a silent mortar "Product D" for the armament of special forces units, the design of which is kept secret today, but it is built according to a similar scheme of the product with the index 2B25.
