DUBAI, November 16. /TASS/. The Kalashnikov firearms manufacturer is working on including the PPK-20 submachine gun in the portable survival kit of Russian Aerospace Force pilots, Kalashnikov Group President Alan Lushnikov told TASS on the sidelines of the Dubai Airshow 2023 on Thursday.
"We still offer the PPK-20 as a unified weapon for pilots. The corresponding work is underway," he said.
It was reported earlier that the Russian Defense Ministry was considering replacing the Kalashnikov AKS-74U shortened assault rifle by a more compact weapon in the military pilots’ portable survival kit.
Kalashnikov Chief Designer Sergey Urzhumtsev said earlier that the firearms manufacturer had already delivered batches of PPK-20 submachine guns to military pilots. In addition, the Kalashnikov Group said that the submachine gun’s trials at the Defense Ministry’s State Flight Testing Center in Akhtubinsk showed the weapon’s compactness and its ability to be placed into an ejection seat.
Meanwhile, High Precision Systems Holding Company (part of the state tech corporation Rostec) said that a batch of PP-2000 submachine guns engineered by the Tula-based Design Bureau of Instrument-Making was undergoing operational evaluation in the Aerospace Forces in this capacity.
The PPK-20 is a derivative of the Vityaz-SN submachine gun that has proven its worth. It can deliver fire in the single and auto modes using a quickly detachable sound/flame suppressor. The submachine gun is outfitted with a right-side folding telescopic buttstock made of impact-resistant polymer.
The Dubai Airshow is one of the world’s largest aerospace exhibitions held once every two years. Russia has been a participant in Dubai aerospace shows since 1993. This year, 20 national pavilions at the Dubai Airshow are demonstrating over 180 fixed-and rotary-wing aircraft of more than 1,400 producers. The Dubai aerospace show is running on November 13-17.