Most people rightly assume that there is no place for weapons in space. If only because it poses a huge threat to the spacecraft. However, in reality this is not the case. Weapons have been taken into the "black milk" almost from the first day of the space program. Why is it needed there at all, and what is a real space weapon like?
1. Model 17 "Astro"
Such knives in the 20th century were produced by Randall Made Knives specifically for American astronauts. Despite some external resemblance to army knives, the Astro is intended purely for domestic purposes. The knife was made from a heavy-duty alloy. So strong that they could even try to open some hatches. There was a pencil case for useful small things in the handle of the knife, and there was a screwdriver key on the cord. Such a knife was supposed to help the astronauts survive in the first hours after landing.
2. TP-82
Three-barreled Soviet pistol for astronauts. It was created as a means of survival in case the landing did not go according to plan, and the astronauts had to wait for a rescue group for more than one day. The pistol fired small-caliber rifle cartridges, rifle cartridges with shot and flares. It was created specifically for the Soyuz program. It was intended for hunting animals, birds, as well as for signaling its location. Soviet and then Russian cosmonauts used the TP-82 until 2006.
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3. HP-23
The only truly combat weapon that could get into space. Aviation guns NR-23 in the USSR were thinking of putting spies on manned stations and satellites. It was assumed that with the help of this it would be possible to destroy American satellites. But the firing range of 3 kilometers, even in close space conditions, when taking into account the speed of objects in orbit, turned out to be negligible. As a result, the project of installing guns on satellites was abandoned.
In continuation of the topic, it is worth reading about, then it is worth reading about "Saiga-12": almost like a Kalashnikov assault rifle, which "gained weight" a little.
Source: https://novate.ru/blogs/020322/62305/