Increased magazine capacity and high accuracy: what is known about the new Russian pistol Udav

The latest Russian pistol complex “Udav” successfully passed military tests, and the documents necessary for its adoption were transferred to the Ministry of Defense. This is stated in the message of "Rostec".

“At the moment, all the documents necessary for accepting the pistol for service have been handed over to the Ministry of Defense,” the state corporation said in a statement.

“Boa constrictor” is a self-loading pistol with a large magazine capacity, which uses a 9x21 mm caliber cartridge with increased breakdown power.

The creation of the new pistol complex took five years, and now it is completely ready for mass production, said Sergey Abramov, industrial director of the Rostec arms cluster.

“The gun showed steady operation and high ballistic qualities in various conditions, including at extreme temperatures from minus 50 degrees to 70 degrees heat, which makes it suitable for use by all military branches. Today “Boa constrictor” is completely ready for mass production, ”Abramov’s words are quoted in a press release.

The boa constrictor will replace Makarov’s Soviet pistols (PM), which are outdated in terms of firing accuracy and stopping effect, military historian Yury Knutov told RT.

According to the expert, "the new gun is characterized by increased store capacity and accuracy."

“Such developments, as a rule, justify themselves well in special forces and law enforcement agencies. Perhaps tankers or pilots who find it inconvenient to use a machine gun will use Boa constrictor. If such a complex works well in special forces, then it will be used in units of the Russian army. Therefore, in my opinion, the development of such weapons has a positive meaning, ”Knutov said.

Development "Boa"

The gun was developed at the Central Scientific Research Institute of Precision Engineering (TSNIITOCHMASH). The first Udava prototypes were presented in 2016 after preliminary tests, and in December 2018, state tests began.

• Gun "Boa"
• RIA News
• © Andrey Stanavov

The inventor of the pistol was a young design engineer Ivan Kozlov. TsNIITOCHMASH experts note that their brainchild will be able to compete on equal terms with the products of world famous western brands such as Heckler & Koch, Glock, Walther, Colt.

"Boa constrictor" will be available in four versions. The army, sports and police versions are designed for firing with 9x19 mm caliber ammunition, while a special version of the pistol will fire 9x21 mm caliber ammunition.

An increased power cartridge of 9x21 mm can penetrate a second-class bulletproof vest with an armor plate of 4 mm at a distance of 50 meters.

For firing from "Boa" you can use all types of ammunition of this caliber - armor-piercing, tracing, with overestimated or underestimated penetration (for example, for firing in an airplane) and with a subsonic bullet speed for use with a silencer.

The length of the "Boa" is 206 mm, height - 145 mm, width - 36 mm. With a high magazine capacity, the gun has a relatively small mass - in empty form it is 780 g, and with a fully equipped magazine - 980 g. For comparison: a Makarov pistol with a magazine with only eight rounds of 9x18 mm caliber weighs 730 grams.

In addition, the composition of the pistol complex includes combined laser target indicators of the visible or infrared spectrum, developed by JSC "Novosibirsk Instrument-Making Plant" of the state corporation "Rostec". Also, the design of the gun allows you to install a silencer on it for silent and flameless firing of cartridges with a reduced bullet speed.

In an interview with RT, the editor-in-chief of Arsenal of the Fatherland magazine Viktor Murakhovsky noted that the “Boa constrictor” in the version chambered for a 9x21 mm caliber will become a weapon for special forces.

“This gun has a high power cartridge. In the early 1990s, under 9x21 mm, a self-loading pistol was developed for Serdyukov, which currently does not meet the requirements of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation, therefore this complex was created, ”Murakhovsky reminded.

New solutions

It is worth noting that today in the Armed Forces, police and power structures of Russia there is virtually no single service pistol.

The most massive example of personal weapons in Russia is the PM, which was developed in 1948 and has long been the main personal weapon of Soviet officers. In the early 1990s, it was modernized at the PMM.

• Makarov pistol and Rook pistol Yarygin
• RIA News

In addition to the PM, the USSR used the Stechkin automatic pistol (APS), which had the ability to fire bursts. It was used by special forces, pilots, as well as other special categories of military personnel.

In the mid-1970s, the APS was replaced by a shortened modification of the Kalashnikov assault rifle - the AKS-74U.

At different times, attempts were made to introduce various pistols in the army that could replace the PM. So, in the early 2000s, the Yarygin pistol "Rook" of 9x19 mm caliber was adopted, but it was not widely used.

The Rooks have been supplied to various units of the Armed Forces, internal troops and special units of the Ministry of Internal Affairs since 2010, but have not yet become a full-fledged replacement for Makarov’s pistol.

Now all the leading armies of the world are revising the concept of personal small arms and weapons available in armaments, experts say. This is due to the development of new alloys and plastics, allowing the use of new solutions in the design of pistols, as well as the advent of modern technologies in weapons ballistics.

So, in 2017, the U.S. Army replaced its full-time M9 pistol with a caliber of 9x19 mm (a modification of the Italian Beretta 92 pistol), which has been in service since 1985.

He was replaced by the SIG Sauer M17 (modification of the P320 pistol). He will use 9x19 mm Parabellum cartridges, in particular, special XM1152 ammunition with an all-metal shell. The magazine's capacity is 17 rounds - one less than the Russian "Boa".

• Gun "Boa"
• RIA News
• © Mikhail Voskresensky

The tendency to replace official weapons in the Russian Federation, many of which have been in service since the middle of the last century, may cause increased interest in foreign boarders among foreign buyers, experts say.

“ I think this gun will arouse interest in the countries of the Middle East and Africa, with which Russia has already signed arms contracts, because the Boa constrictor is a modern weapon. It has a large store, improved accuracy, the ability to hit an enemy protected by body armor. In the new market, to which the Russian Federation is now introducing and gradually gaining ground, such weapons will be in demand, ”said Yuri Knutov.

In turn, Viktor Murakhovsky said that the appearance of such a pistol is fully consistent with new trends in the doctrine of the use of personal small arms thanks to a powerful cartridge that can hit targets in bulletproof vests of a standard protection class.

“Boa constrictor” will be procured for special services. It will arouse interest among Russian partners in the CSTO and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization. I think that those countries with which Russia interacts quite actively on other weapons systems will be interested in this development, ”the expert concluded.