SVU

The Dragunov SVU is a Russian designated marksman rifle designed in the early 1990s. It is the result of a modernization project of the SVD, and was developed into a bull-pup design. It uses an integral suppressor and fires 7.62x54mmR rounds fitted in a 10- or 20-round detachable box magazine. A variant of the SVU, known as the SVU-A was developed in 1991, which was a selective fire rifle, capable of semi- and fully automatic fire modes.

Battlefield 2: Modern Combat
In Battlefield 2: Modern Combat, the Dragunov SVU is the standard sniper rifle issued to the EU Recon kit. It has high firepower and good accuracy, but a low rate of fire.

Battlefield: Bad Company
The SVU in Battlefield: Bad Company comes with a attached silencer and a 10 round magazine. In Singleplayer, it is first available in the level Crossing Over, at a Serdaristani military base down the road from the first radio tower. It is a good choice for engaging enemy soldiers at longer ranges, and its silencer attachment can be very useful when trying to engage hostiles stealthily. The SVU also comes with a MP-443 pistol, which can be very useful if the player is caught at close range.

In Multiplayer, the SVU costs one unlock point for the Recon kit. It is very useful when eliminating single players, thanks to its silencer, but its lower damage than bolt-action sniper rifles, as well as a low fire cap, can cause it trouble when trying to thin out larger numbers of enemy players, despite it being semi-automatic.

Battlefield: Bad Company 2
"Sacrificing stopping power and accuracy the bullpup design is based on the Dragunov SVD. The SVU was originally designed for Russian airborne but was adopted by police forces for urban operations."

- In-game description. Only available in multiplayer, the SVU Snayperskaya Short is the 4th sniper rifle issued to the Recon requiring 15000 points to unlock and comes equipped with a suppressor. It kills in four shots to any body part, and while very accurate, is one of the weaker sniper rifles in the game; at longer ranges it will take 2 head shots to achieve a kill. The SVU is better suited to a designated marksman role, as opposed to the more traditional sniper role the bolt action rifles afford. With a Red Dot Sight or 4x Scope attached and Magnum Ammunition equipped, the weapon becomes a powerful, accurate and untraceable medium-long range weapon, offering the user the benefits of a less visible vapor trail because of the supressor.

Battlefield Play4Free
The SVU-A is a buyable sniper rifle in Battlefield Play4Free. This version of the SVU is unique in that it features a fully automatic fire rate from a 16-round magazine. The weapon also has low recoil due to its attached muzzle brake and bullpup configuration. However, the weapon comes with a hefty price of 980, as well as it's attached scope having a very low power magnification to keep it balanced among other snipers due to its fully automatic nature.

Even with its low recoil, the SVU-A can throw a user off their target at medium to long ranges. Because of this, and the weapon's high fire rate for a sniper rifle, it is advised to use short bursts when firing unless at close range. The weapon's high power makes it far more useful than the SVD for Recon players soldiers that want a sniper that performs better in close quarters, but it can only be purchased with Battlefunds, meaning players will have to shell out actual money to purchase the weapon rather than in-game Credits like for the SVD. Being an Elite weapon, the SVU-A has a black and tan paint scheme, however its attached scope is painted gray.

Trivia

 * Although most iterations of the SVU are shown with a front ironsight in their respective menu entries, only the Battlefield: Bad Company version actually has one on the in-game model.

Videos
Video:SVU Snaiperskaya Short|Gameplay with the SVU Snaiperskaya Short in Battlefield: Bad Company 2 at Nelson Bay Hardcore Rush and Arica Harbor in Hardcore Conquest Video:Battlefield Play4Free SVU-A Commentary|Overview of the SVU-A in Battlefield Play4Free