The Fort-12 (Ukrainian: ''Форт-12'') is a

semi-automatic pistol A semi-automatic pistol is a type of repeating single-chamber handgun ( pistol) that automatically cycles its action to insert the subsequent cartridge into the chamber (self-loading), but requires manual actuation of the trigger to actuall ...

which was designed in the late 1990s by Ukrainian

firearm A firearm is any type of gun designed to be readily carried and used by an individual. The term is legally defined further in different countries (see Legal definitions). The first firearms originated in 10th-century China, when bamboo tubes ...

s designer

RPC Fort Fort ('' uk, КП НВО "Форт" МВС України'' (full name), ''НВО "Форт"'' (short name)) is a Ukrainian weapons manufacturer from Vinnytsia, Ukraine. History In 1991, a new company was formed to design and manufacture small a ...

History

First "Fort-12" pistols were made in 1995, since April 1995 "Fort-12N"Предприятию "Форт" МВД Украины десять лет // журнал "Оружие и охота", № 1, 2005 became an award of

President of Ukraine The president of Ukraine ( uk, Президент України, Prezydent Ukrainy) is the head of state of Ukraine. The president represents the nation in international relations, administers the foreign political activity of the state, condu ...

In December 1998 "Fort-12" was adopted as a sidearm for

Ministry of Internal Affairs An interior ministry (sometimes called a ministry of internal affairs or ministry of home affairs) is a government department that is responsible for internal affairs. Lists of current ministries of internal affairs Named "ministry" * Ministry ...

and until the end of 1998, the first 50 pistols were obtained by the Main Department of Internal Affairs of the city of Kyiv.Генерал Александр Бевз: "С преступностью нельзя бороться наездами" // газета "Сегодня", № 28 (283) от 13 февраля 1999 Later it was adopted as a sidearm for "K" unit of

Security Service of Ukraine The Security Service of Ukraine ( uk, Служба безпеки України, translit=Sluzhba bezpeky Ukrainy}) or SBU ( uk, СБУ, link=no) is the law enforcement authority and main intelligence and security agency of the Ukrainian ...

and security guards. In October 2011, it was proposed to equip "Fort-12" pistols with gun-mounted flashlight.

Variants

* Fort-12 (''Форт-12'') – first model,

9×18mm Makarov The 9×18mm Makarov (designated 9mm Makarov by the C.I.P. and often called 9×18mm PM) is a Soviet pistol and submachine gun cartridge. During the latter half of the 20th century it was a standard military pistol cartridge of the Soviet Union an ...

cartridge :* Fort-12-02 (''Форт-12-02'') – limited edition ( chromium-plated Fort-12) :* Fort-12-03 (''Форт-12-03'') – limited edition ( nickel-plated Fort-12) * Fort-12B (''Форт-12Б'') – a suppressed version of the Fort-12 (with detachable

suppressor A silencer, also known as a sound suppressor, suppressor, or sound moderator, is a muzzle device that reduces the acoustic intensity Sound intensity, also known as acoustic intensity, is defined as the power carried by sound waves per unit ...

) * Fort-12 CURZ (''Форт-12 CURZ'') – second model,

9x17mm The .380 ACP (9×17mm) (Automatic Colt Pistol) is a rimless, straight-walled pistol cartridge developed by firearms designer John Moses Browning. The cartridge headspaces on the mouth of the case.Wilson, R. K. ''Textbook of Automatic Pistols'' ...

(.380 ACP) cartridge * Fort-12N (''Форт-12Н'') – an award of President of Ukraine and state award of Ukraine (since 2000), manufactured in presentational grade (with silvered frame, gold inlays and engravings) * Sokol ('' Сокол'') – IPSC sport pistol with

recoil compensator A muzzle brake or recoil compensator is a device connected to, or a feature integral to the construction of, the muzzle or barrel of a firearm or cannon that is intended to redirect a portion of propellant gases to counter recoil and unwant ...

cartridge. * Fort-12G (''Форт-12Г'') – 9mm

non-lethal Non-lethal weapons, also called nonlethal weapons, less-lethal weapons, less-than-lethal weapons, non-deadly weapons, compliance weapons, or pain-inducing weapons are weapons intended to be less likely to kill a living target than conventional ...

gas pistol A gas pistol is a non-lethal weapon used for self-defense and other purposes. It is typically a close-to-exact replica or conversion of a traditional handgun made to be able to fire blanks or tear gas cartridges. Effective range is up to 4.5 metr ...

. The use of gas pistols in Ukraine is permitted to civil population * Fort-12R (''Форт-12Р'') – 9mm

with the ability to fire ammunition with

rubber bullet Rubber bullets (also called rubber baton rounds) are a type of baton round. Despite the name, rubber bullets typically have either a metal core with a rubber coating, or are a homogeneous admixture with rubber being a minority component. Altho ...

s. 9 mm P.A. cartridge 12 or 13 round box magazine. :* Fort-12RM (''Форт-12РМ'') –

with the ability to fire ammunition with rubber bullets. 13 round box magazine. In production since 2011 * Fort-12T (''Форт-12Т'') –

with the ability to fire ammunition with rubber bullets. 12 or 13 round box magazine :* Fort-12TM (''Форт-12ТМ'') –

with the ability to fire ammunition with rubber bullets. 10 round box magazine

Accessories

* LT-6 (''ЛТ-6'') – gun-mounted flashlight which can be mounted below the barrel.Форт, научно-производственное объединение // Предприятия оборонно-промышленного комплекса России и стран СНГ. Справочник. изд. 4-е, пер. М., 2008. стр.395 * LT-6A (''ЛТ-6А'') – gun-mounted flashlight which can be mounted below the barrel. * Fort-4 (''Форт-4'') – detachable

for Fort-12B * standard duty

holster A handgun holster is a device used to hold or restrict the undesired movement of a handgun, most commonly in a location where it can be easily withdrawn for immediate use. Holsters are often attached to a belt or waistband, but they may be att ...

for uniformed security personnel * tactical holster for rapid response units of

riot police Riot police are police who are organized, deployed, trained or equipped to confront crowds, protests or riots. Riot police may be regular police who act in the role of riot police in particular situations or they may be separate units organize ...

("Berkut")

Users

* : in April 2009 one Fort-12N pistol was given to S. S. Sidorsky * : after "

Orange Revolution The Orange Revolution ( uk, Помаранчева революція, translit=Pomarancheva revoliutsiia) was a series of protests and political events that took place in Ukraine from late November 2004 to January 2005, in the immediate afterm ...

" at least two Georgian officials (

Mikheil Saakashvili Mikheil Saakashvili ( ka, მიხეილ სააკაშვილი ; uk, Міхеіл Саакашвілі ; born 21 December 1967) is a Georgian and Ukrainian politician and jurist.

and

Vano Merabishvili Ivane "Vano" Merabishvili ( ka, ივანე "ვანო" მერაბიშვილი; born 15 April 1968) is a Georgian politician and 9th Prime Minister of Georgia from 4 July to 25 October 2012. A former NGO activist, he became dir ...

) received Fort-12N pistols * : :* Fort-12T, Fort-12TM, Fort-12R and Fort-12RM are allowed for private security guards * : in March 2018 one Fort-12N pistol was given to

Jaber Al-Mubarak Al-Hamad Al-Sabah Sheikh Jaber Al-Mubarak Al-Hamad Al-Sabah ( ar, جابر مبارك الحمد الصباح, Jābir Mubārak al-Ḥamad aṣ-Ṣabāḥ, born 4 January 1942) is a Kuwaiti royal and former politician who served as the prime minister of Kuwait fro ...

* : in September 2010 one Fort-12N pistol was given to

Bronisław Komorowski Bronisław Maria Komorowski (; born 4 June 1952) is a Polish politician and historian who served as President of Poland from 2010 to 2015. Komorowski served as Minister of Defence from 2000 to 2001. As Marshal of the Sejm, Komorowski exercised ...

* : :* Fort-12 – at least, several pistols since

Annexation of Crimea by the Russian Federation In February and March 2014, Russia invaded and subsequently annexed the Crimean Peninsula from Ukraine. This event took place in the aftermath of the Revolution of Dignity and is part of the wider Russo-Ukrainian War. The events in Kyiv th ...

in 2014. In Crimea,

Simferopol Simferopol () is the second-largest city in the Crimea, Crimean Peninsula. The city, along with the rest of Crimea, is internationally recognised as part of Ukraine, and is considered the capital of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea. However, ...

" Berkut" unit was armed with several Fort-12 pistols since October 1999 :* Fort-12T – since 2008 were sold on civilian market as non-lethal self-defence weapon. Since 1 July 2011 import of non-lethal self-defence weapon is prohibited Since August 2014 Ukraine have banned the export of arms and military products to Russia (incl.

magazines A magazine is a periodical publication, generally published on a regular schedule (often weekly or monthly), containing a variety of content. They are generally financed by advertising, purchase price, prepaid subscriptions, or by a combination ...

and other spare parts for previously sold Fort-12T pistols) * : :* Fort-12 – сurrently, Fort 12 is issued to the

National Police of Ukraine The National Police of Ukraine ( uk, Націона́льна полі́ція Украї́ни, translit=Natsionálʹna polítsiya Ukrayíny, ; , NPU), often simply referred to as the ( uk, Поліція, lit=Police, label=none), is the nation ...

and security forces but is only supplementing

Makarov PM The Makarov pistol or PM ( rus, Пистоле́т Мака́рова, r=Pistolét Makárova, p=pʲɪstɐˈlʲet mɐˈkarəvə, t=Makarov's Pistol) is a Soviet semi-automatic pistol. Under the project leadership of Nikolay Fyodorovich Makarov, it ...

s in service."''20 вооруженных неизвестных в камуфляже ворвались в два административных здания Государственной службы охраны ГУМВД Украины в Донецкой области... со склада были похищены 129 автоматов "Калашникова", 430 пистолетов "Макарова", 20 пистолетов "Форт", а также 14 тыс. боеприпасов''"Службу Госохраны Донецка ограбили: похищено более 500 единиц оружия
// Корреспондент.NET от 22 июля 2014 :* Fort-12R – in 2000 Fort-12R was adopted as non-lethal self-defence weapon for

customs service Customs is an authority or agency in a country responsible for collecting tariffs and for controlling the flow of goods, including animals, transports, personal effects, and hazardous items, into and out of a country. Traditionally, customs ...

. In 2002

adopted Fort-12R as non-lethal self-defence weapon for

militsiya ''Militsiya'' ( rus, милиция, , mʲɪˈlʲitsɨjə) was the name of the police forces in the Soviet Union (until 1991) and in several Eastern Bloc countries (1945–1992), as well as in the non-aligned SFR Yugoslavia (1945–1992). The ...

. Later Fort-12R was adopted as non-lethal self-defence weapon for

State Border Guard Service of Ukraine , Dorozhno-patrulnaya sluzhba, abbr. ДПС, DPS), Russian Traffic Patrol Service The State Border Guard Service of Ukraine (SBGS; uk, Державна Прикордонна Служба України, ''Derzhavna Prykordonna Sluzhba Ukrayin ...

. Also, Fort-12R and Fort-12RM are allowed for private security guards * : :* in February 1998 one Fort-12N pistol was given to

Islam Karimov Islam Abduganiyevich Karimov ( uz, Islom Abdugʻaniyevich Karimov / Ислом Абдуғаниевич Каримов, italics=no; russian: link=no, Ислам Абдуганиевич Каримов; 30 January 1938 – 2 September 2016) was t ...

:* an agreement was signed in October 2000 on the delivery of a batch of Fort-12 pistols to Uzbekistan"''The plant launched serial production of the Fort-12 short-barreled pistol ordered primarily by the Ukrainian Interior Ministry. Pistol samples were also sent to Uzbekistan that placed an advance order and to Russia... As for foreign trade, according to media reports, an agreement was signed in October 2000 on the delivery of a batch of Fort pistols to Uzbekistan. So far it is the only country to which new Ukrainian small arms have been delivered''"
Valentin Badrak
Ukraine's Small Arms Production and Export
// "Moscow Defense Brief", № 5, 2001

Gallery

File:Pistolet fort 12 travmatik com 2 by-sa.jpg, Fort-12 File:Pistolet fort 12 travmatik com 3 by-sa.jpg, Fort-12 disassembled File:Pistolet fort 12r travmatik com by-sa.jpg, Fort-12R

References

Literature

* Макет масо-габаритного пістолета Форт-12: керівництво з експлуатації. – Вінниця: КНВО "Форт" МВС України, 2007. – 10 с.

External links

* M. R. Popenker
Fort 12 pistol (Ukraine)
at the Modern Firearms website {{RPC Fort weapons .380 ACP semi-automatic pistols 9×18mm Makarov semi-automatic pistols Semi-automatic pistols of Ukraine Weapons and ammunition introduced in 1998