{{short description|Weapon carried by cosmonauts on Soviet space missions}} {{Infobox weapon | name = TP-82 | image = TP-82.jpg | caption = TP-82 in the Military Historical Museum of Artillery, Engineers and Signal Corps in Saint Petersburg | origin = Soviet Union | type = Combination gun <!-- Type selection --> | is_ranged = yes <!-- Service history --> | service = 1986–2006 | used_by = Cosmonauts | wars = <!-- Production history --> | designer = Igor Aleksandrovich Skrylev | design_date = | manufacturer = | unit_cost = | production_date = | number = | variants = <!-- General specifications --> | spec_label = | weight = {{convert|2.4|kg|abbr=on}} (with the buttstock attached) | length = | part_length = <!-- Ranged weapon specifications --> | cartridge = 12.5×70mm shotgun (over) and 5.45×39mm rifle (under) | cartridge_weight = | caliber = | barrels = 3 (2 shotgun and 1 rifle) | action = | rate = | velocity = | range = {{convert|200|m|yd|abbr=on}} | max_range = | feed = Break-open | sights = Iron sights }}
The '''TP-82''' ({{langx|ru|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 was designed to be compact and lightweight for storage within the limited space of a Soyuz descent module and to fulfill multiple roles, including those of a shotgun, flare gun, pistol and machete. Although it could be used for hunting, its primary purpose was defense against predators and the generation of visible and audible distress signals by firing flares from its shotgun barrels. The detachable buttstock is metal with a sharpened edge, allowing it to function as a machete; it is supplied with a canvas sheath to prevent injury when not in use.
The upper two side-by-side shotgun barrels fire 12.5×70 mm ammunition (40 gauge), while the lower single rifle barrel is chambered for 5.45×39mm ammunition developed for the AK-74 assault rifle. A large lever on the left side of the receiver opens the action, and a small grip safety beneath the trigger guard resembles a secondary trigger.{{citation needed|date=July 2022}} According to NASA astronauts, the firearm is accurate to approximately {{convert|20–30|m|yd|abbr=on}}.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Oberg |first=James |date=2014-11-13 |title=How I Stopped Cosmonauts From Carrying Guns |url=https://spectrum.ieee.org/how-i-stop-cosmonauts-carrying-guns |access-date=2022-07-19 |website=IEEE Spectrum |language=en}}</ref>
== 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.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://warisboring.com/soviet-cosmonauts-carried-a-shotgun-into-space-a9e7852c6da5|title=Soviet Cosmonauts Carried a Shotgun Into Space|last=Simpson|first=James|date=2015-02-03|newspaper=War Is Boring|access-date=2016-12-14|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170209120313/https://warisboring.com/soviet-cosmonauts-carried-a-shotgun-into-space-a9e7852c6da5|archive-date=2017-02-09}}</ref>
TP-82s were carried regularly on Soviet and Russian space missions from 1986 to 2006.<ref>Pike, Travis (2022, January 19). TP-82 cosmonaut survival pistol: Russia's Space Gun. Sandboxx. https://www.sandboxx.us/blog/tp-82-cosmonaut-survival-pistol-russias-space-gun/ {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220121110808/https://www.sandboxx.us/blog/tp-82-cosmonaut-survival-pistol-russias-space-gun/ |date=2022-01-21 }}</ref> They were part of the Soyuz Portable Emergency Survival Kit ({{lang|ru|Носимый аварийный запас}}, {{Transliteration|ru|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.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.thefirearmblog.com/blog/2007/10/13/tp-82-russian-space-pistol-shotgun-carbine-flare-gun-no-longer-being-carried-into-space/|title=TP-82: Russian space pistol / shotgun / carbine / flare gun no longer being carried into space|date=2007-10-13|newspaper=The Firearm Blog|language=en-US|access-date=2016-12-14}}</ref>
==See also== *M6 aircrew survival weapon *M30 Luftwaffe Drilling *Soviet laser pistol
==References== <references />
==External links== * [https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna23131359 Russia has the corner on guns in space] – MSNBC, Feb. 12, 2008 * [http://www.thefirearmblog.com/blog/2007/10/13/tp-82-russian-space-pistol-shotgun-carbine-flare-gun-no-longer-being-carried-into-space/ TP-82 : Russian space pistol / shotgun / carbine / flare gun no longer being carried into space] (with photos) – The Firearm Blog * [https://medium.com/war-is-boring/soviet-cosmonauts-carried-a-shotgun-into-space-a9e7852c6da5 Soviet cosmonauts carried a shotgun into space] * [https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/36876/the-toz-81-mars-gun-was-the-soviet-unions-ultimate-space-revolver The TOZ-81 'Mars' Gun Was The Soviet Union's Ultimate Space Revolver], including information on the TP-82
{{Multiple Barrel Firearms}}
Category:Multiple-barrel firearms Category:Pistols of the Soviet Union Category:Combination guns Category:Crewed space program of the Soviet Union Category:Survival guns Category:Alexei Leonov
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