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Small Arms Section
Page 106 --> Russia - AK-9

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Light, silent and regulation black: the AK-9 is the latest model of the famous Kalashnikov assault rifle to come off production lines at the Izhmash factory in Russia.

"It shoots virtually without a sound and it can go through a bullet-proof vest," said Alexei Dragunov, 52, one of the designers of the weapon, as he assembled the gun at a firing range in a Russian forest.

Russian special forces last year asked Izhmash, based in the city of Izhevsk, to make a rifle that combined the qualities of the Kalashnikov with the stealth required for secret missions, company officials said.

"It's for special forces for anti-terrorist operations," said Vladimir Grodetsky, 56, director of the Izhmash factory, at a briefing during a rare visit for foreign journalists to the plant.

The AK-9 is fitted with a silencer and fires large 9.0-millimeter caliber bullets intended to pierce body armour. At 3.8 kilograms (8.4 pounds) it is also slightly lighter than previous models of the Kalashnikov.

"There's no one else making it," said Richard Jones, editor of British-based Jane's Infantry Weapons, a specialist journal, referring to other rifles combining such a large caliber with a silencer.

Other guns with the same caliber, which slows down the bullet in order to silence it but can still pierce body armour, are the Russian-made VSS and the VSK rifles used by special forces, Jones said.

"There's an increasing interest in suppressor weapons for... tactical reasons," said Jones, using the specialist term for guns fitted with silencers.

The AK-9 could be of interest to other special forces in the world -- "commando-like units who have been able to engage an enemy sentry or shoot their way out of trouble and not be heard," he added.

The weapon is still being tested and, pending approval from the Russian defence ministry, it is being kept under wraps. During a visit to a shooting range outside Izhevsk, the gun was shown but could not be demonstrated.

"We think it has big export potential. We hope we can get export permission as soon as possible, said Grodetsky, explaining that arms factories now had to be "flexible," providing for regular soldiers as well as special forces.

Development of the weapon is part of a massive programme of modernisation of Russia's armed forces, ranging from hi-tech Iskander missiles to new uniforms for Russian soldiers.

"The Russian army is now receiving modern equipment, not a large part but it's a serious programme of modernisation," said Nikolai Novichkov, an arms specialist at ITAR-TASS news agency.

Izhmash is known above all for the Kalashnikov, a global brand and one of the most widely used small weapons in the world, valued by soldiers and guerrillas for its simplicity and reliability.

Izhmash makes roughly 100,000 Kalashnikov rifles every year and estimates that another 900,000 rifles similar to the Kalashnikov are being made in other countries such as Bulgaria, China and Poland as "counterfeits."

The Russia-made Kalashnikov sells for some 400 dollars (291 euros) a piece.

Celebrations are being held this week in Izhevsk for the 60th anniversary of the first AK-47 Kalashnikov rifle. The factory is also marking a 200-year history of gunmaking.

The earliest rifle models produced at the factory, some 1,300 kilometers (800 miles) east of Moscow, were used in the Russian Empire's battles against Napoleon at the beginning of the 19th century.

Dragunov, who started working at Izhmash 29 years ago, is part of that history. His father developed a gun, the Dragunov sniper rifle, that is now used by the Russian army and exported throughout the world.

"It's the same as any kind of engineering except you get to see the final product more easily," said Dragunov, whose youngest son also works at the Izhmash arms design centre.

Asked whether he feels any remorse about producing guns, Dragunov smiles and answers: "Can you imagine a world without violence? Firearms are not for killing people, they're a deterrent."

版主的图之前也看过，当时还有说这枪可以用弹筒的。我看着觉得弹匣不够宽，不大像用9X39弹的，现在看了和AK－108的对比后相信了，只是觉得这枪和OC－11有点重复，主要区别就是AK-9用标准的AK74的表尺，可能是不同厂家的产品吧，反正老毛子的事咱也管不着。
版主啊，那个SCH－21是格鲁吉亚的吧。

原帖由 supercommander 于 2007-11-20 10:35 发表
版主啊，那个SCH－21是格鲁吉亚的吧。

You are right, thank you!

Changes have been made to the following pages.

Small Arms Section
Page 052
Page 053
Page 054
Page 112
Page 113
Page 114

Can anyone help identify this thing? I think it’s Chinese.

小时候要是听老师的话，把英文学好现在看到这些“蝌蚪文”就不用抓耳挠腮了。

11/25/2007 Update

WWII Section
Page W14 ---> Germany - Volkspistole
Page W15 ---> Germany – Panzerwurfmine
Page W16 ---> Germany - Panzerbüchse PzB 38 / 39 / GRB39
Page W19 ---> Japan - Type I rifle
Page W21 ---> Japan - Type-92 Anti-Tank Rifle
Page W23 ---> Norway - Kongsberg Colt / Krag Jørgensen series
Page W24 ---> Poland - Maroszek WZ 35
Page W25 ---> Switzerland - Furrer MP41 / Schweizer LMG 25
Page W28 ---> UK - De Lisle Carbine
Page W39 ---> US - Model 97 Trench Gun
Page W43 ---> USSR - PTRD 1941 / PTRS 1941

12/23/2007 Update

Small Arms Section
Page 107 ---> Russia - PP-19-1 Vityaz
Page 135 ---> Switzerland - B&T SAPR


This should be the last update of the year, happy holidays to all!