The ASh-12.7 (АШ-12.7, which stands for "Автомат штурмовой 12.7мм" or "Automatic assault rifle, 12.7mm") assault rifle is a dedicated CQB/Urban Operations weapon, developed by TsKIB SOO ("Central Design and Research Bureau of Sporting and Hunting Arms"), a subsidiary of the KBP Instrument Design Bureau of Tula, Russia, by request from the Russian FSB (Federal Security Service). The weapon is intended for special units of the FSB which operate in urban environments against heavily armed and organized gangsters and terrorists. According to the Russian press, the first batch of ASh-12.7 assault rifles was delivered to the FSB in late 2011.