MOSCOW, March 1. /TASS/. Thorough testing has confirmed that the service life of Russia’s newest handgun Udav comes to 10,000 rounds, the weapon’s chief designer, Ivan Kozlov, has told the media.

"To make the standard Udavs for the army we are using special materials to a lesser degree, while focusing more on the processing methods. This makes it possible to achieve better performance characteristics. The "normal workhorse’s" confirmed service life is 10,000 rounds (that is 9x21 mm cartridges, or the 7N29 and the 7N28 to be exact) Kozlov said.                                                                                                                                                                                

The actual service life of the Udav handguns confirmed during government certification tests was 14,000-20,000 fired rounds, depending on the weapon’s configuration and testing conditions.

The designer said the Defense Ministry maintained very tough requirements for the handgun’s impeccable operation without cleaning and lubricating.

"The Defense Ministry presented to us a special list of requirements. They are five times harsher than the standard ones. We managed to cope with it," Kozlov said, adding the newest materials - special types of steel and carbon - helped achieve the expected parameters.

"The handgun was designed for mass production, so the materials’ influence on the costs is insignificant," he stated.

The Udav handgun

The self-loading Udav pistol fires 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 been recommended for standard use. New special ammunition has been designed for it. TsNIITochMash plans to deliver standard military, special and civilian configurations of the weapon.