MOSCOW, March 1. /TASS/. Russia’s firearms designer TsNIITochMash (an affiliate of Rostec) is considering the possibility of reworking the Udav handgun for the 9x19 Parabellum cartridge, the weapon’s chief designer Ivan Kozlov told the media.

"We’ve been experimenting [with the 9x19 mm cartridge] and conducting research into whether it is possible to make the handgun a multi-caliber one," Kozlov said.

Originally, the Udav was designed for 9x21 mm cartridges. Firstly, because its bullet is capable of piercing any current body armor. Secondly, the widest variety of ammunition of this caliber is manufactured and available in Russia.

"Whereas in the 9x19 mm class we have only two cartridges: the 7N21 and the 7N31, the family of 9x21 cartridges is far greater. There are armor-piercing, standard, tracer and expanding bullets, including the newly-developed lower velocity and higher piercing capability cartridges, as well as a number of special ones," Kozlov said.
The self-loading Udav pistol uses a powerful 9x21 mm cartridge. Entirely Russian-designed and made of Russian parts and components, it has a sighting range of 50 meters and an 18-round magazine.

The Udav has passed government certification tests and has been recommended for standard use. Newer special ammunition has been designed for it. TsNIITochMash plans to deliver standard military, special and civilian configurations of the weapon.