PP-19-01 Vityaz

PP-19 Vityaz

Type	Submachine gun
Place of origin	Russia
Service history
In service	2008 – present
Wars	2022 Russian Invasion of Ukraine^[1]^[2]
Production history
Designed	2004
Manufacturer	Kalashnikov Concern
Produced	2008 – present
Variants	Version 10, Version 20
Specifications
Mass	2.9 kg (6.39 lb)
Length	705 mm (27.8 in) (stock extended) 480 mm (18.9 in) (stock folded)
Barrel length	237.5 mm (9.4 in)

Cartridge	9×19mm Parabellum 9×19mm 7N31
Action	Blowback, closed bolt
Rate of fire	800 rounds/min
Muzzle velocity	380 m/s (1,246.7 ft/s)
Maximum firing range	200 m (218.7 yd)
Feed system	30-round box magazine
Sights	Adjustable iron sights and optional Picatinny rail or dove-tail side rail for mounting various optical or collimator sights

Design

Summarize

Perspective

The PP-19 Vityaz is directly developed from the PP-19 Bizon.^[3]^[4]

Operation

The PP-19 Vityaz is a selective fire submachine gun that uses a simple closed bolt, straight blowback method of operation.

The PP-19 Vityaz is based on the AK-74 and offers a high degree of parts commonality with the AK-74.

As such, it has no gas system and the internal components have been modified accordingly. The bolt carrier with integral charging handle is similar to AK-family, however the piston rod and rotary bolt were removed and a weight on the bolt extends into the previous gas tube. The return spring and guide rod are almost identical to those of the AK-family.

The PP-19 Vityaz has a four-groove barrel with a 240 mm (1:9 in) right-hand rifling pitch. Its muzzle brake has three small rectangular ports on each side that serve to reduce muzzle rise, however their main purpose is to protect the muzzle from damage. It can be equipped with a detachable sound suppressor.^[4]

Safety

The PP-19 Vityaz shares the same trigger and safety mechanisms as the AK-74 rifle.

The selector lever is placed on the right side of the receiver, above the trigger, and has three settings: the uppermost "safe" setting disables the trigger and physically blocks the charging handle; the middle position (marked "АВ") enables fully automatic fire and the lowest position ("ОД") activates the semi-automatic function of the trigger.

Ergonomics

The PP-19 Vityaz utilises the AKS-74 shoulder stock, which folds to the left side of the receiver. The pistol grip is identical to the grip of the AK-100 series and is made of a black fiberglass-reinforced polyamide 6. The handguard has attachment points for laser target designator, tactical flashlight and fore grip.^[4]

The PP-19 Vityaz is provided with two types of rail system for mounting various optical or collimator sights. A Picatinny rail on top of the receiver or a dove-tail side rail, and it also has the standard AK-type front and rear sights.^[4]

Ammunition

The PP-19 Vityaz is chambered for the 9×19mm Parabellum pistol cartridge and will also fire the new high-pressure armour-piercing 7N31 round that can penetrate soft body armour.

The gun is fed from a 30-round box magazine and comes with a fastening device that joins two magazines together.^[4]

Remove ads

Variants

Summarize

Perspective

Vityaz

The original version of the submachine gun with a standard side rail and no railed dust cover.

Vityaz-SN

The Vityaz-SN removed the side rail and added the railed dust cover.

PPK-20

PPK-20 is a further modernization of the PP-19 Vityaz, developed and manufactured by Kalashnikov Concern.^[5]

The PPK-20 features the AK-19 folding telescopic buttstock, ambidextrous fire selector controls, an optional quick-detachable sound and flash suppressor, a Picatinny rail mounted on the dust cover for various optical sights, an improved handguard design with an M-LOK interface on the sides and slots for Picatinny rails on the top and bottom, and a lighter weight design.

The 9mm PPK-20 variant with improved ergonomics and ammunition, increased reliability and supplemented with a silencer completed state trials and approved for serial production in July 2020.^[6]^[7]

The Russian Aerospace Forces decided to include the PPK-20 submachine gun in the survival kit for military pilots.^[8]

Saiga-9

The Saiga-9 is a semi-automatic pistol-caliber carbine version of the PP-19 Vityaz with 345 mm barrel sold on the Russian civilian market by Kalashnikov.

KP/KR-9

In the United States, Kalashnikov USA (not associated with the Kalashnikov Concern) manufactures an 9.25 in (235 mm) barrel clone called the KP-9, and a 16 in (410 mm) barrel clone called the KR-9.^[9]