MOSCOW, February 18. /TASS/. The Central Research Institute of Precision Machine-Building (TsNIITochMash, part of the state tech corporation Rostec) has launched work on creating prototypes of the Ugolyok new sniper rifle that will enter state trials next year, the Rostec press office told TASS on Thursday.

"Currently, sniper rifle prototypes are being made to hold preliminary trials. The state trials are planned to begin in 2022," the press office said.

Today, the Dragunov sniper rifle (SVD) adopted for service in the 1960s is the basic sniper gun in the Russian Army.

The Ugolyok sniper rifle is being developed using solely domestic materials and components. The new gun is expected to be outfitted with new sights. The new sniper system will use Russian cartridges but of NATO calibers: the .308 Winchester (7.62x51mm) and the far more powerful .338 Lapua Magnun (8.6x70mm), the press office said.