Russian Soldiers Train on Upgraded "SVD 'Dragunov' Sniper Rifle."

The SVD 'Dragunov' sniper rifle is a semi-automatic designated marksman rifle/sniper rifle chambered in the 7.62×54mmR cartridge, developed in the Soviet Union. The SVD was designed to serve in a squad support role to provide precise long-range engagement capabilities to ordinary troops following the Warsaw Pact adoption of the 7.62×39mm intermediate cartridge and assault rifles as standard infantry weapon systems. The SVD was developed from 1958 to 1963 and selected as the winner of a contest that included three competing groups of designers, led by Sergei Simonov, Aleksandr Konstantinov, and Yevgeny Dragunov. Extensive field testing of the rifles conducted in a wide range of environmental conditions resulted in Dragunov's proposal chambered for the 7.62×54mmR fully powered cartridge being accepted into service in July 1963. Since then, the SVD has become the standard squad support weapon of several countries, including those of the former Warsaw Pact. The SVD bears a number of cosmetic similarities to the AK family of rifles, but these similarities are for the purpose of standardizing the manual of arms. That has occasionally led to misidentification of the SVD as an AK variant, and vice versa. The Dragunov SVD sniper rifle has been upgraded with various enhancements focused on improving accuracy, ergonomics, and the ability to mount modern optics.