The SVD (СВД; ),
GRAU
The Main Missile and Artillery Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation (), commonly referred to by its transliterated acronym GRAU (), is a department of the Russian Ministry of Defense. It is subordinate to the Chief of ...
index 6V1, is a
semi-automatic designated marksman rifle/
sniper rifle
A sniper rifle is a high-precision, long range shooting, long-range rifle. Requirements include high accuracy, reliability, mobility, concealment, and optics, for anti-personnel weapon, anti-personnel, anti-materiel rifle, anti-materiel and sur ...
chambered in the 7.62×54mmR cartridge, developed in the
Soviet Union
The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...
.
History
The SVD was designed to serve in a
squad
In military terminology, a squad is among the smallest of Military organization, military organizations and is led by a non-commissioned officer. NATO and United States, U.S. doctrine define a squad as an organization "larger than a fireteam, ...
support role to provide precise long-range engagement capabilities to ordinary troops following the
Warsaw Pact
The Warsaw Pact (WP), formally the Treaty of Friendship, Co-operation and Mutual Assistance (TFCMA), was a Collective security#Collective defense, collective defense treaty signed in Warsaw, Polish People's Republic, Poland, between the Sovi ...
adoption of the
7.62×39mm intermediate cartridge and
assault rifle
An assault rifle is a select fire rifle that uses an intermediate cartridge, intermediate-rifle cartridge and a Magazine (firearms), detachable magazine.C. Taylor, ''The Fighting Rifle: A Complete Study of the Rifle in Combat'', F.A. Moyer '' ...
s as standard infantry weapon systems. At the time,
NATO
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO ; , OTAN), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental organization, intergovernmental Transnationalism, transnational military alliance of 32 Member states of NATO, member s ...
used
battle rifle
A battle rifle is a service rifle chambered to fire a fully powered cartridge.
The term "battle rifle" is a retronym created largely out of a need to differentiate automatic rifles chambered for fully powered cartridges from automatic rifles cha ...
s chambered for the
7.62×51mm NATO fully powered cartridge as standard infantry weapon systems and had not yet adopted an intermediate cartridge and assault rifle of their own, allowing them to outrange their Warsaw Pact counterparts.
The SVD was developed through 1958–1963 and selected as the winner of a contest that included three competing groups of designers, led by
Sergei Simonov (prototype rejected in April 1960), Aleksandr Konstantinov, and
Yevgeny Dragunov. Extensive field testing of the rifles conducted in a wide range of environmental conditions (Konstantinov's competing 2B-W-10 prototype was simpler and cheaper but tested less accurate, durable and reliable) resulted in Dragunov's proposal chambered for the 7.62×54mmR fully powered cartridge being accepted into service in July 1963.
An initial pre-production batch consisting of 200 rifles was assembled for evaluation purposes, and from 1964 serial production was carried out by Izhmash, later called
Kalashnikov Concern.

Since then, the SVD has become the standard squad support weapon of several countries, including those of the former Warsaw Pact. China produced a copy of the SVD through
reverse-engineered samples captured during the
Sino-Vietnamese War as the Type 79 and 85. Iran also produced a clone, the Nakhjir 3, which was a direct copy of the Chinese Type 79.
In Russian service, the SVD is to be replaced with the
Chukavin SVCh sniper/designated marksman rifle. In February 2023 it was reported that the Chukavin SVCh began to be mass-produced by
Kalashnikov Concern. When chambered for the 7.62×54mmR the Chukavin SVCh uses SVD compatible box magazines.
In Ukrainian service, the SVD was largely replaced in the sniping role with Western sniper rifles chambered in
.338 Lapua Magnum or 7.62×51mm NATO cartridges and
anti-materiel rifles such as the
Barrett M107A1. The domestically produced
UAR-10 sniper rifle is also replacing the SVD in Ukrainian military and law enforcement units. According to McNab, the SVD remains in service with Ukrainian forces in the designated marksman rifle role.
Design
The SVD bears a number of cosmetic similarities to the
AK family of rifles but these similarities are for the purpose of standardizing manual of arms. This has occasionally led to misidentification of the SVD as an AK variant, and vice versa.
Operating mechanism
The barrel breech is locked through a
rotating bolt (left rotation) and uses three locking lugs to engage corresponding locking recesses in the barrel extension. The rifle has a hammer-type striking mechanism and a manual lever safety selector. In addition to the trigger disconnect, the fire control mechanism has a second disconnector which does not allow the hammer to fall until the bolt has been closed, similar to a
sear in a select-fire weapon. However, the SVD was only designed for semi-automatic fire. The firing pin in the SVD is not retained, i.e. "free-floating", and it is therefore possible for accidental discharge to occur as the bolt pushes an unfired cartridge into the chamber, should there be an obstruction in the firing pin channel resulting from poor maintenance or extreme cold.
The firearm is operated by a
short-stroke gas piston system with a two-position gas regulator. The gas regulator can be set with the help of the rim of a cartridge. Position #1 leaves a gas escape port opened, whereas position #2 closes the gas escape port and directs extra gas to the piston, increasing the recoil velocity of the gas-piston system and is used for resolving reliability issues which arise from fouling in the gas port/action, extreme cold, high altitude, or using under-powered ammunition.
The rifle is fed from a detachable curved
box magazine with a 10-round capacity and the cartridges are double-stacked in a staggered zigzag pattern. After discharging the last cartridge from the magazine, the bolt carrier and bolt are held back on a bolt catch that is released by pulling the cocking handle to the rear.
The rifle's
receiver is
machined to improve precision by adding
torsional strength.
Barrel
The
barrel
A barrel or cask is a hollow cylindrical container with a bulging center, longer than it is wide. They are traditionally made of wooden stave (wood), staves and bound by wooden or metal hoops. The word vat is often used for large containers ...
profile is relatively thin to save weight. Its bore is
chrome-lined for increased corrosion resistance and features four right-hand grooves. Originally, the
twist rate was 320 mm (1:12.6 in), as it had been designed for use with heavier civilian ammunition. In 1975 the twist rate was increased to the standard 240 mm (1:9.4 in), which reduced the precision with the 7N1 sniper cartridge by 19% but allowed for the use of standard "light" ball steel core LPS Gzh (57-N-323S), as well as its variations (incendiary, tracer, armour-piercing) with acceptable precision. The front part of the barrel features the front
sight
Visual perception is the ability to detect light and use it to form an image of the surrounding Biophysical environment, environment. Photodetection without image formation is classified as ''light sensing''. In most vertebrates, visual percept ...
assembly and a
bayonet
A bayonet (from Old French , now spelt ) is a -4; we might wonder whether there's a point at which it's appropriate to talk of the beginnings of French, that is, when it wa ... , now spelt ) is a knife, dagger">knife">-4; we might wonder whethe ...
lug. The muzzle is equipped with a permanently affixed long-slotted
flash hider.
In order to pass inspections at the factory, these rifles must not produce more than a 0.7 MOA median deviation from the expected point of impact in three 10-shot groups using 7N1 (approximately 3 MOA).
Ammunition
To enable the desired precision of the SVD, new 7.62×54mmR "sniper" ammunition, designated 7N1, was designed by V. M. Sabelnikov, P. P. Sazonov and V. M. Dvorianinov in 1966 to meet the new standards. 7N1 sniper cartridges should not produce more than 1.24
MOA extreme vertical spread with 240 mm twist rate barrels and no more than 1.04 MOA extreme vertical spread with 320 mm twist rate barrels in a 5-shot group. The precision requirements demanded of the SVD with 7N1 is similar to the American
M24 Sniper Weapon System with M118SB cartridges (1.18 MOA extreme vertical spread) and the
M110 Semi-Automatic Sniper System
The M110 Semi Automatic Sniper System (M110 SASS) is an American Semi-automatic firearm, semi-automatic sniper rifle that is chambered for the 7.62×51mm NATO round. It is manufactured by Knight's Armament Company, developed from the Knight's A ...
with M118LR ammunition (1.27 MOA extreme vertical spread).
7N1 differed from the standard LPS Gzh (57-N-323S) cartridge in its use of finely extruded propellant and a modified projectile containing a void inside of the jacket at the tip which improved terminal ballistics and a bimetal lead and mild steel core. With standard 57-N-323S cartridges, the precision of the SVD is reduced to 2.21 MOA extreme vertical spread. This ammunition was later replaced by 7N14 in 1999, which replaced the mild steel penetrator with a hardened steel penetrator in response to the development of infantry body armour.
Sights

The rifle features adjustable
iron sight
Iron sights are a system of physical alignment markers used as a sighting device to assist the accurate aiming of ranged weapons such as firearms, airguns, crossbows, and bows, or less commonly as a primitive finder sight for optical telescope ...
s with a sliding tangent rear sight, graduated from in increments. The iron sights can be used with or without the standard-issue optical sight in place. This is possible because the
scope mount
Scope mounts are rigid implements used to attach (typically) a telescopic sight or other types of optical sights onto a firearm. The mount can be made integral to the scope body (such as the Zeiss rail) or, more commonly, an external fitting t ...
does not block the area between the front and rear sights.
The SVD was originally issued with a detachable
PSO-1 file:Tigr pso 1 med.jpg, Russian PSO-1M2 current military issue 4×24 telescopic sight
file:Pso-1onsvd.jpg, View through a PSO-1 telescopic sight mounted on an SVD rifle
The PSO-1 (''Прицел снайперский оптический, Pritse ...
optical sight (Later upgraded and semi-issued as the PSO-1M2) which mounts to a
Warsaw Pact rail on the left side of the receiver.
The PSO-1 elevation turret features
bullet drop compensation (BDC) in or increments for engaging point and area targets at ranges from up to . At longer distances the shooter must use the chevrons that would shift the trajectory by per each chevron. The BDC feature must be tuned at the factory for the particular ballistic trajectory of a particular combination of rifle and
cartridge at a predefined
air density
The density of air or atmospheric density, denoted '' ρ'', is the mass per unit volume of Earth's atmosphere at a given point and time. Air density, like air pressure, decreases with increasing altitude. It also changes with variations in atmosph ...
. With increasing range, inevitable BDC-induced errors will occur when the environmental and meteorological circumstances deviate from the predefined circumstances for which the BDC was calibrated. Marksmen can be trained to understand the
main forces acting on the projectile and their effect on their particular gun and ammunition, and the effects of
external factors at longer ranges to counter these errors. The PSO-1 sight enables area targets to be engaged at ranges upwards of ; effective ranges in combat situations have been stated at between , depending on the nature of the target (point or area target) quality of ammunition and skill of the shooter.
Several military issue alternative telescopic sights with varying levels of magnification and reticles are available for the SVD. Rifles designated SVDN come equipped with a night sight, such as the NSP-3, NSPU, PGN-1, NSPUM or the Polish passive PCS-5. Rifles designated SVDN-1 can use the passive night sight NSPU-3 (
1PN51) and rifles designated SVDN2 can use the passive night sight NSPUM (
1PN58).
Commercial non military issue mounts that attach to the Warsaw Pact rail mount can allow use of
Picatinny rail
The 1913 rail (MIL-STD-1913 rail) is an American rail integration system designed by Richard Swan that provides a mounting platform for firearm accessories. It forms part of the NATO standard STANAG 2324 rail. It was originally used for mount ...
-mounted optics.
Stock
The original SVD had a
birch
A birch is a thin-leaved deciduous hardwood tree of the genus ''Betula'' (), in the family Betulaceae, which also includes alders, hazels, and hornbeams. It is closely related to the beech- oak family Fagaceae. The genus ''Betula'' contains 3 ...
plywood laminate
Simulated flight (using image stack created by μCT scanning) through the length of a knitting needle that consists of laminated wooden layers: the layers can be differentiated by the change of direction of the wood's vessels
Shattered windshi ...
two-piece handguard/gas tube cover and a skeletonized thumbhole stock equipped with a detachable cheek rest; the latter is removed when using iron sights. Beginning in the 80's, wooden parts were replaced with synthetic parts made of a black
polymer
A polymer () is a chemical substance, substance or material that consists of very large molecules, or macromolecules, that are constituted by many repeat unit, repeating subunits derived from one or more species of monomers. Due to their br ...
– the handguard and gas tube cover are more or less identical in appearance, while the thumbhole stock is of a different shape.
Accessories

A number of accessories are issued with the rifle, including a blade-type
bayonet
A bayonet (from Old French , now spelt ) is a -4; we might wonder whether there's a point at which it's appropriate to talk of the beginnings of French, that is, when it wa ... , now spelt ) is a knife, dagger">knife">-4; we might wonder whethe ...
(
AKM clipped point or the
AK-74
The AK-74 ( Russian: , tr. ''Avtomat Kalashnikova obraztsa 1974 goda'', lit. 'Kalashnikov assault rifle model 1974') is an assault rifle designed by small arms designer Mikhail Kalashnikov in 1974 as a successor to the AKM. While primarily ...
spear point bayonet), four spare magazines, a leather or nylon sling, magazine pouch, cleaning kit and an accessory/maintenance kit for the telescopic sight.
Also included is a cold weather battery case with a "shirt clip", with a permanently attached cord
pproximately 24" longending with another battery case cap that has an extension to press against the internal contact in lieu of the battery to complete the circuit. Placing the external battery case into the shooters' clothing close to the body keeps it from freezing; using the clip ensures it remains in place.
The clamp-style bipod attaches to machined-out reliefs near the front of the receiver, it literally grabs the two cut out areas and securely mounts with a large round sized head on the clamp bolt able to tightly attach the bipod. The legs are individually adjustable
s opposed to fixed length found on many rifles and LMGsand can be folded and stowed in a forward position negating the need to remove the bipod before placing the rifle into the canvas carrying case. The two legs are held close together with a J-shaped clamp attached to one leg and swung over the other leg. Original Soviet/Russian SVD bipods fetch a very high price when they rarely appear on the market.
Variants
SVDN (6V1N) – A series of variants of the original SVD which were issued with various night vision optics.
SVDS (6V3) – Attempts to reduce the length of the rifle for use by marines, mechanised infantry, and paratroopers began in 1978 by adding a folding buttstock and a separate pistol grip. Initially, pre-existing stock designs were used (such as the one from the AKS-74), but ergonomic problems necessitated the design of a unique folding stock. The final design was chosen out of a variety of prototypes and adopted in 1995, which had a metal stock which folded to the right as to not be interfered by the optic mount and also had a shortened barrel. The stock included a rubber shoulder pad and cheek riser. The barrel was also given a heavier profile, the receiver housing was strengthened, the gas cylinder block was improved and a ported, and a shorter conical flash suppressor was adopted. The SVDSN (6V3N) variants, much like the SVDN variants, are simply equipped with various night vision devices.
SVD-1990 (SVD-90) – A variant of the SVD with the stock and handguard made from black polymers.
SVDM – A modernised variant of the SVDS which entered service in 2018. Compared to its predecessor, the SVDM was notably designed with a thicker (and 550 mm long) barrel, new furniture, and a picatinny rail mount on the new, hinged, dust cover. The variable power 1P88-4 (1П88-4) telescopic sight is used as the standard day optic. The SVDM rifle can be used with a detachable bipod, and with a quick-detachable suppressor. The iron sight line features a simplified rear sight element and a new front sight element located above the gas block. The SVDM has a length of ( with the stock folded) and weighs .
OTs-03 SVU – A variant of the TKB-0172 which began serial production in 1991 for the
MVD. The rifle was also equipped with an improved
muzzle brake as well as a rear aperture sight, much like the original SVD prototype. Many were not new production rifles, but instead, retrofitted SVDs. A select-fire variant (OTs-03A(S) SVU-A) was also produced in small quantities to serve as an automatic rifle, but the automatic fire capability was later removed from the design. The original shortened barrel was also later replaced with a full-length barrel in the design.
Prototypes
SSV-58 – The prototype submitted to trials by Dragunov. The design lacked the fixed flash hider and bayonet lug which was added to the rifle prior to adoption. The rear sights were mounted to the dust cover and were aperture sights instead of the standard notch sight.
TKB-0172 – An early bullpup design of the SVD developed by the
Tula Sporting and Hunting Weapons Design Bureau in the 80's. This rifle also had a significantly shortened barrel to reduce length.
V-70 – A prototype automatic rifle developed in 1968. It involved the development of a new bipod, a thicker and shorter barrel with a new muzzle device, and 15/20-round magazines. The detachable bipod designed for this project would be used in subsequent models of SVD.
AF – A prototype automatic rifle developed in the mid 70's. The prototypes were chambered in 5.45×39mm and made compatible with AK-74 magazines (specifically, the 45-round magazine also compatible with the RPK-74).
SVDG (6V1-10) – A smoothbore SVD with a 10 mm bore developed alongside the modern intermediate cartridge program to use the experimental 3 mm
APFSDS projectile, originally designed for use in standard machine guns. The design was not implemented due to the poor terminal ballistics of the projectile and the complexity of the new weapon.
SSV-6 (6V1-6) – Chambered in the experimental 6mm cartridge developed in the 80's. The weapon was not adopted due to the poor effectiveness of the cartridge.
SVDK (6V9) – An experimental Russian variant chambered for the
9.3×64mm 7N33 cartridge, based on the civilian Tigr-9 design.
Civilian variants
Tigr – A civilian variant of the SVD, lacking a bayonet lug, first produced in the 1970s. Serial production for began in 1992 For export into the United States, the sear which prevented out-of-battery discharge had to be removed to comply with the National Firearms Act. Tiger rifles were available with shortened (520 mm) and full length (620 mm) barrels, different stocks (including an SVDS-style folding stock), and are chambered in
7.62×54mmR,
.308 Winchester,
.30-06 Springfield or
9.3×64mm Brenneke.
Kalashnikov TG3 – Civilian variant of the SVD from Kalashnikov Concern, chambered in 9.6×53mm Lancaster, first revealed in 2018. TG3 rifle weighs 3.9 kilograms (8 lb 9.5 oz). The overall length is 1,225 mm (48 inches) with a barrel length of 620 mm (24.4 inches). The TG3 uses 5-round single-stack detachable box magazines. The Tg3 is an oval-bore (Lancaster rifling) firearm. Although legally a shotgun, the TG3 is designed to offer rifle-like performance, at least at shorter distances. Russian gun laws restrict rifle ownership for newer gun owners but have far fewer restrictions on shotguns. The TG3 is similar to .366 tkm Ak platform weapons common in the Russian gun market.
Foreign variants
SWD-M – A modernised Polish variant of the SVD adopted in 1998 which uses a heavy barrel,
bipod (mounted to the forearm) and LD-6 (6×42) telescopic sight.
Al-Kadesih – An Iraqi variant of the SVD, not to be confused with the
Tabuk rifle. Although the design is very similar to the SVD, many parts are not interchangeable due to its unique dimensions and design characteristics. For example, the receiver is not milled and is slightly longer than that of the SVD, and the barrel is pinned to the receiver instead of being threaded. The rifle is also issued magazines with an ornamental palm tree relief.
Type 79/85 – A Chinese variant of the SVD. Although the design is nearly identical to the original SVD, some parts are not interchangeable, as the dimensions are slightly different from Soviet production rifles. A small quantity were also chambered in .308 Winchester for export. Exported rifles are often referred to as the NDM-86 or EM-351.
CS/LR19 or NSG-85 – A modernised Chinese variant of the Type 85 adopted by the PLA in 2014.
Doctrine
The SVD was used by
designated marksmen designated in the
Soviet Army as
snipers at the basic
motorized infantry
Motorized infantry is infantry that is transported by trucks or other motor vehicles. It is distinguished from mechanized infantry, which is carried in armoured personnel carriers or infantry fighting vehicles, and from light infantry, which c ...
rifle platoon level. For this purpose, the rifle was designed to be much lighter than more conventional precision rifles, making it better suited for use by infantry, and the rifle is
autoloading in order to prioritize volume of fire over precision. It was thought that a relatively small number of marksmen armed with 7.62×54mmR
fully powered cartridge chambered arms could assist conventional troops armed with 7.62×39mm
intermediate cartridge chambered arms by suppressing/harassing valuable targets and assets (such as
officers,
radio operators, vehicle crews, other marksmen,
machine gun teams,
anti-tank warfare
Anti-tank warfare refers to the military strategies, tactics, and weapon systems designed to counter and destroy enemy armored vehicles, particularly tanks. It originated during World War I following the first deployment of tanks in 1916, and ...
teams, etc.) with greater precision and at much greater ranges.
Once the rifle had been produced in sufficient numbers, every infantry
platoon
A platoon is a Military organization, military unit typically composed of two to four squads, Section (military unit), sections, or patrols. Platoon organization varies depending on the country and the Military branch, branch, but a platoon can ...
of
Warsaw Pact
The Warsaw Pact (WP), formally the Treaty of Friendship, Co-operation and Mutual Assistance (TFCMA), was a Collective security#Collective defense, collective defense treaty signed in Warsaw, Polish People's Republic, Poland, between the Sovi ...
troops included at least one SVD-equipped marksman. In the
German Democratic Republic
East Germany, officially known as the German Democratic Republic (GDR), was a country in Central Europe from Foundation of East Germany, its formation on 7 October 1949 until German reunification, its reunification with West Germany (FRG) on ...
arsenals, there were almost 1,750. The marksmen were often chosen from personnel who displayed exceptional rifle marksmanship while members of
DOSAAF. Such marksmen were estimated to have a 50% probability of hitting a standing, man-sized target at , and an 80% probability of hitting a standing, man-sized target at . To attain this level of accuracy the sniper could not engage more than two such targets per minute. For distances not exceeding the probability was estimated to be well above 90% regardless of time taken.
Users

*:
[Miller, David (2001). ''The Illustrated Directory of 20th Century Guns''. Salamander Books Ltd. .] used by the
Afghan National Army
The Islamic National Army (, ), also referred to as the Islamic Emirate Army and the Afghan Army, is the army, land force branch of the Afghan Armed Forces. The roots of an army in Afghanistan can be traced back to the early 18th century when th ...
and
Taliban
, leader1_title = Supreme Leader of Afghanistan, Supreme leaders
, leader1_name = {{indented plainlist,
* Mullah Omar{{Natural Causes{{nbsp(1994–2013)
* Akhtar Mansour{{Assassinated (2015–2016)
* Hibatullah Akhundzada (2016–present) ...
*
*
[The World Defence Almanac 2006, page. 95, Mönch Publishing Group, Bonn 2006]
*
*: Uses Chinese ''Type 85'' variant.
*
[Jones, Richard D. ''Jane's Infantry Weapons 2009/2010''. Jane's Information Group; 35 edition (January 27, 2009). .]
*: Type 79 variant in use.
* : Burundian special forces
*
* : SVD and Type 85
*:
Norinco
China North Industries Group Corporation Limited, doing business internationally as Norinco Group (an abbreviation of "North Industries Corporation"), and known within China as China Ordnance Industries Group Corporation Limited (), is a Chinese ...
-made copy of the SVD, known as the Type 79.
[Type 79/85 Sniper Rifle.](_blank)
Retrieved on September 21, 2008. Equipped with a 4× magnification optical sight which is a copy of the PSO-1. The rifle has a slightly shorter butt. Also produced a modified Type 85
[7.62 mm SNIPPING RIFLE.](_blank)
Retrieved on September 29, 2008. and several other commercial copies of the SVD.
An upgraded variant called the CS/LR19 was also debuted. Export variants such as the "NSG-85" were also produced.
*
* Reserve only. Replaced in regular units with the
CZ BREN 2 PPS DMR.
*
*: Known as the 7.62 TKIV Dragunov, which stands for (''sniper rifle'').
*
*
*: Used by
designated marksmen. Being phased out in favour of newer systems.
*: Locally produced as the ''Nakhjir'' 3 Sniper Rifle.
A new upgraded version was unveiled during the ''Muhammad Rasulullah'' 4 exercises held on 12 December 2016.
*: ''Al Kadesiah'', made based on SVD and
PSL. Official Iraqi designation is either Al-Qadissiya or Al-Gadissiya SVD and Kadesiah rifles has been used by both Saddam's and post-2003
Iraqi Army
The Iraqi Ground Forces (Arabic: القوات البرية العراقية), also referred to as the Iraqi Army (Arabic: الجيش العراقي), is the ground force component of the Iraqi Armed Forces. It was formerly known as the Royal Iraq ...
and by
Iraqi insurgents. SVDs are also fielded by the
Popular Mobilization Forces.
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*: Including Type 85s
*
*: Formerly used by the defunct
Panama Defense Forces
The Panama Defense Forces (; FFDD), formerly the National Guard (of Panama) (), were the armed forces of the Panama, Republic of Panama.
It was created in 1983, led by Panama's dictator General Manuel Noriega and his general staff. It was disma ...
.
*:
Philippine National Police
The Philippine National Police (PNP; ) is the national police force of the Philippines. Its national headquarters is located at Camp Crame in Bagong Lipunan ng Crame, Quezon City. Currently, it has approximately 228,000 personnel to police a pop ...
Type 85 Chinese variant.
Philippine Army
The Philippine Army (PA) () is the main, oldest and largest branch of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), responsible for ground warfare. , it had an estimated strength of 143,100 soldiers The service branch was established on December ...
Soviet/Russian SVD-63 Dragunov donated by Russian Federation in 2016.
*:
Polish SVD modernization; known as ''SWD-M-'' and updated with a heavier barrel, variable magnification scope and detachable bipod.
It's planned to replace SVD with the marksman variant of the
FB MSBS Grot.
*: SVD-M
and folding-stock SVDS.
*: Used by
Air Force
An air force in the broadest sense is the national military branch that primarily conducts aerial warfare. More specifically, it is the branch of a nation's armed services that is responsible for aerial warfare as distinct from an army aviati ...
and
Army
An army, ground force or land force is an armed force that fights primarily on land. In the broadest sense, it is the land-based military branch, service branch or armed service of a nation or country. It may also include aviation assets by ...
*: Special forces, model SVDK.
*
*
*
*
*: Used by
Gendarmerie General Command and
Polis Özel Harekat.
*
*
*
*: Over 1000 rifles purchased by the
Army of Venezuela in 2007.
*: Used by the
Vietnamese Army since the
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War (1 November 1955 – 30 April 1975) was an armed conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia fought between North Vietnam (Democratic Republic of Vietnam) and South Vietnam (Republic of Vietnam) and their allies. North Vietnam w ...
.
*
Former users
*
*
Chechen Republic of Ichkeria
*: Entered service with the
Czechoslovak Army in the 1970s.
*: Issued as the SWD.
*: Entered service with the
Soviet Army in 1967.
Non-state users
* : SVD and Type 79.
*
Lord's Resistance Army
The Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) is a Christian extremist organization operating in Central Africa and East Africa. Its origins were in the War in Uganda (1986–1994), Ugandan insurgency (1986–1994) against Yoweri Museveni, during which Jo ...
Conflicts
1970s
*
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War (1 November 1955 – 30 April 1975) was an armed conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia fought between North Vietnam (Democratic Republic of Vietnam) and South Vietnam (Republic of Vietnam) and their allies. North Vietnam w ...
*
South African Border War
*
Lebanese Civil War
The Lebanese Civil War ( ) was a multifaceted armed conflict that took place from 1975 to 1990. It resulted in an estimated 150,000 fatalities and led to the exodus of almost one million people from Lebanon.
The religious diversity of the ...
*
Cambodian–Vietnamese War (1978–1989)
*
Sino-Vietnamese War
*
Salvadoran Civil War
The Salvadoran Civil War () was a twelve-year civil war in El Salvador that was fought between the government of El Salvador, backed by the United States, and the Farabundo Martí National Liberation Front (FMLN), a coalition of left-wing guer ...
*
Kurdish-Turkish conflict
*
Soviet–Afghan War
The Soviet–Afghan War took place in the Democratic Republic of Afghanistan from December 1979 to February 1989. Marking the beginning of the 46-year-long Afghan conflict, it saw the Soviet Union and the Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic o ...
1980s
*
1982 Lebanon War
*
South Lebanon conflict (1985–2000)
*
Iran–Iraq War
The Iran–Iraq War, also known as the First Gulf War, was an armed conflict between Iran and Iraq that lasted from September 1980 to August 1988. Active hostilities began with the Iraqi invasion of Iran and lasted for nearly eight years, unti ...
*
Insurgency in Jammu and Kashmir
1990s
*
First Nagorno-Karabakh War
The First Nagorno-Karabakh War was an ethnic conflict, ethnic and territorial conflict that took place from February 1988 to May 1994, in the enclave of Nagorno-Karabakh in southwestern Azerbaijan, between the majority ethnic Armenians of Nag ...
*
Transnistria War
*
Yugoslav Wars
The Yugoslav Wars were a series of separate but related#Naimark, Naimark (2003), p. xvii. ethnic conflicts, wars of independence, and Insurgency, insurgencies that took place from 1991 to 2001 in what had been the Socialist Federal Republic of ...
*
Gulf War
, combatant2 =
, commander1 =
, commander2 =
, strength1 = Over 950,000 soldiers3,113 tanks1,800 aircraft2,200 artillery systems
, page = https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GAOREPORTS-PEMD-96- ...
*
Tajikistani Civil War
*
Operation Restore Hope
The Unified Task Force (UNITAF), also known as Operation Restore Hope, was a United States-led, United Nations-sanctioned multinational military force deployed to Somalia from 5 December 1992 to 4 May 1993. It was established to replace United ...
*
Burundian Civil War
*
First Chechen War
The First Chechen War, also referred to as the First Russo-Chechen War, was a struggle for independence waged by the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria against the invading Russia, Russian Federation from 1994 to 1996. After a mutually agreed on treaty ...
*
Second Chechen War
2000s
*
War in Afghanistan (2001–2021)
The war in Afghanistan was a prolonged armed conflict lasting from 2001 to 2021. It began with United States invasion of Afghanistan, the invasion by a Participants in Operation Enduring Freedom, United States-led coalition under the name Oper ...
*
Iraq War
The Iraq War (), also referred to as the Second Gulf War, was a prolonged conflict in Iraq lasting from 2003 to 2011. It began with 2003 invasion of Iraq, the invasion by a Multi-National Force – Iraq, United States-led coalition, which ...
*
Boko Haram insurgency
2010s
*
2011 Libyan Civil War
The Libyan civil war, also known as the First Libyan Civil War and Libyan Revolution, was an armed conflict in 2011 in the North African country of Libya that was fought between forces loyal to Colonel Muammar Gaddafi and rebel groups that were ...
*
Mali War
*
Syrian Civil War
*
War in Iraq (2013–2017)
*
Russo-Ukrainian War
The Russo-Ukrainian War began in February 2014 and is ongoing. Following Ukraine's Revolution of Dignity, Russia Russian occupation of Crimea, occupied and Annexation of Crimea by the Russian Federation, annexed Crimea from Ukraine. It then ...
**
War in Donbas
**
Russian invasion of Ukraine
On 24 February 2022, , starting the largest and deadliest war in Europe since World War II, in a major escalation of the Russo-Ukrainian War, conflict between the two countries which began in 2014. The fighting has caused hundreds of thou ...
*
Yemeni Civil War (2014–present) Yemeni civil war may refer to several conflicts which have taken place in Yemen:
* North Yemen civil war, 1962–1970
* South Yemen civil war
The South Yemeni crisis, colloquially referred to in Yemen as the events of '86, was a failed coup d ...
*
Saudi–Yemeni border conflict (2015–present)
2020s
*
Second Nagorno-Karabakh War
*
Tigray War
*
Gaza war
The Gaza war is an armed conflict in the Gaza Strip and southern Israel fought since 7 October 2023. A part of the unresolved Israeli–Palestinian conflict, Israeli–Palestinian and Gaza–Israel conflict, Gaza–Israel conflicts dating ...
See also
*
SVDK
SVDK (, GRAU index 6V9), the "''Dragunov sniper rifle, large-calibre''" (Снайперская винтовка Драгунова крупнокалиберная), is a Russian precision rifle from the SVD rifle family chambered for the 9.3� ...
a variant of the SVD, chambered in
9.3×64mm Brenneke.
*
VSS Vintorez, a suppressed sniper rifle also used in limited numbers in Russia, similar weapon.
*
M21 Sniper Weapon System, an American designated marksman/sniper rifle put in service in 1968, chambered in
7.62×51mm NATO.
*
Puşca Semiautomată cu Lunetă ( PSL), a Romanian designated marksman/sniper rifle that resembles the SVD, chambered in
7.62×54mmR.
*
Zastava M76, a
Yugoslavia
, common_name = Yugoslavia
, life_span = 1918–19921941–1945: World War II in Yugoslavia#Axis invasion and dismemberment of Yugoslavia, Axis occupation
, p1 = Kingdom of SerbiaSerbia
, flag_p ...
n designated marksman/sniper rifle that resembles the SVD, chambered in
7.92×57mm Mauser.
*
Zastava M91, a
Serbia
, image_flag = Flag of Serbia.svg
, national_motto =
, image_coat = Coat of arms of Serbia.svg
, national_anthem = ()
, image_map =
, map_caption = Location of Serbia (gree ...
n designated marksman/sniper rifle that resembles the SVD, chambered in
7.62×54mmR.
*
IMI Galatz, an
Israel
Israel, officially the State of Israel, is a country in West Asia. It Borders of Israel, shares borders with Lebanon to the north, Syria to the north-east, Jordan to the east, Egypt to the south-west, and the Mediterranean Sea to the west. Isr ...
i designated marksman/sniper rifle that resembles the SVD, chambered in
7.62×51mm NATO.
Bibliography
*
*
References
External links
IZHMASH JSC official site: 7.62 mm Dragunov Sniper Rifle "SVD"
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dragunov Sniper Rifle
7.62×54mmR semi-automatic rifles
Cold War firearms of the Soviet Union
Designated marksman rifles
Infantry weapons of the Cold War
Rifles of the Cold War
Sniper rifles of the Soviet Union
Semi-automatic rifles of the Soviet Union
Sniper rifles of Russia
Short stroke piston firearms
Izhevsk machine-building plant products
Weapons and ammunition introduced in 1963