MOSCOW, December 25. /TASS/. The Kalashnikov Company hopes the decision to include PPK-20 or PP-2000 submachinegun into the emergency kit of military pilots will be made in 2024, President Alan Lushnikov told Rossiya 24 TV channel.

"PPK-20 is a very good submachinegun. It has passed all trials and we are sure of it. We hope this or another decision will be made in 2024," he said.

It was reported that the Defense Ministry planned to replace the Kalashnikov AKS-74U with a compact weapon. The Kalashnikov Chief Designer Sergey Urzhumtsev said military pilots had tested PPK-20. The submachinegun was also tested by the flight test center of the Defense Ministry in Akhtubinsk and is compact enough to fit into the catapult seat.

The High Precision Complexes Holding said the Aerospace Forces were also testing PP-2000 submachinegun of the KPB. PP-2000 weighs 1.4 kg without the magazine and buttstock. The reserve magazine can be used to support the shoulder. The bolt shaft and the magazine pin can be moved to any side of the weapon for left and right-handed shooters.

PPK-20 was developed from Vityaz-SN submachinegun. It can fire single shots or bursts with a silencer and flame arrester. The submachinegun is equipped with foldable telescopic buttstock made of shock-resistant polymer.