In the late 1950s, a design competition was held for a self-loading (semi-automatic) sniper rifle for the Soviet Army. The winning team was led by designer Evgeny Dragunov. In 1963, the rifle (SVD), named after its developer (literally the Dragunov sniper rifle), was inducted into the military.
The tactical role of the SVD rifle in the Soviet and then the Russian Army is somewhat different from the traditional 'sniper' role in other armies. The SVD rifle's main designation is to extend the effective range of a rifle unit to beyond the standard range of automatic weapons, up to 600-700 metres.
The SVD proved itself in the Afghan and Chechen wars and throughout many military conflicts around the world. It is one of the most coveted military trophies. Various modifications of the SVD and its local versions can be found across the globe. It is used in Russia and the former Soviet Union, India, Finland, Hungary, Romania, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Poland, Bulgaria, Albania, China, Mongolia, Afghanistan, Iraq, Iran, Turkey, Venezuela and Nicaragua. |