High Quality Content by WIKIPEDIA articles! The APS Underwater Assault Rifle (APS stands for Avtomat Podvodnyy Spetsialnyy (Автомат Подводный Специальный) or "Special Underwater Automatic ") is an AK-47 derivative designed by the Soviet Union in the early 1970s as an underwater firearm. It was adopted in 1975. It is made by the Tula Arms Plant (Тульский Оружейный Завод, Tul`skiy Oruzheynyy Zavod) in Russia. It is exported by Rosoboronexport.