The PP-90 is a Russian

9 mm 9 (nine) is the natural number following and preceding . Evolution of the Arabic digit In the beginning, various Indians wrote a digit 9 similar in shape to the modern closing question mark without the bottom dot. The Kshatrapa, Andhra and ...

folding Fold, folding or foldable may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * ''Fold'' (album), the debut release by Australian rock band Epicure *Fold (poker), in the game of poker, to discard one's hand and forfeit interest in the current pot *Above ...

submachine gun A submachine gun (SMG) is a magazine-fed, automatic carbine designed to fire handgun cartridges. The term "submachine gun" was coined by John T. Thompson, the inventor of the Thompson submachine gun, to describe its design concept as an autom ...

, developed by the

KBP Instrument Design Bureau JSC ''Konstruktorskoe Buro Priborostroeniya'' (KBP) (russian: АО «Конструкторское бюро приборостроения», AO konstruktórskoje bjuró priborostrojénija Joint-Stock Company - Instrument Design Bureau) is one ...

Tula Tula may refer to: Geography Antarctica *Tula Mountains *Tula Point India *Tulā, a solar month in the traditional Indian calendar Iran * Tula, Iran, a village in Hormozgan Province Italy * Tula, Sardinia, municipality (''comune'') in the pr ...

for use with special units of the

Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs The Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation (MVD; russian: Министерство внутренних дел (МВД), ''Ministerstvo vnutrennikh del'') is the interior ministry of Russia. The MVD is responsible for law enfor ...

(MVD). It is designed for

close quarters combat Close-quarters combat (CQC) or close-quarters battle (CQB) is a tactical situation that involves a physical fight with firearms involved between multiple combatants at short range. It can occur between military units, police/corrections officers ...

, particularly engagements that require the weapon to be deployed rapidly in unusual circumstances.Woźniak, Ryszard. Encyklopedia najnowszej broni palnej - tom 3 M-P. Bellona. 2001. pp271.

Design

The PP-90 (short for '' Pistolet-pulemet obrazets 1990'', russian: ПП-90 – ''Пистолет-пулемет'', "Machine Pistol model of 1990") is an automatic-only weapon that uses the straight blowback method of operation, chambered for the

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. The weapon bears a conceptual resemblance to the 9×19mm FMG submachine gun made by the American company

Ares Ares (; grc, Ἄρης, ''Árēs'' ) is the Greek god of war and courage. He is one of the Twelve Olympians, and the son of Zeus and Hera. The Greeks were ambivalent towards him. He embodies the physical valor necessary for success in war b ...

. The PP-90 can be divided into the following groups: the receiver (which houses the barrel, bolt, return mechanism, safety, and fire selector), the pistol grip/magazine well, and the stock. When carried in the stowed position (the bolt is in its forward, closed position) the pistol grip and magazine are folded under the barrel in line with the bore axis and covered by the folded stock body. The folded weapon resembles a

cuboid In geometry, a cuboid is a hexahedron, a six-faced solid. Its faces are quadrilaterals. Cuboid means "like a cube", in the sense that by adjusting the length of the edges or the angles between edges and faces a cuboid can be transformed into a cub ...

with the following dimensions – 270 × 90 × 32 mm, devoid of any protruding elements, enabling easy concealment. To ready the weapon for firing the stock is pivoted out (simultaneously the pistol grip with magazine, trigger and trigger guard deploy), the safety is disengaged and the bolt cocked. The bolt’s cocking handle is placed at the rear end of the receiver housing and is accessed from beneath the stock. During the design phase, emphasis was placed on safety when operating the weapon; the internal mechanisms are configured to ensure that it is impossible to discharge the firearm in its folded position or when the stock is not fully deployed. The PP-90 also has a manual safety and fire selector switch. The safety toggle, installed on the left side of the receiver housing, has two settings: a top “P” position – indicating the weapon is safe and the bottom “O” setting – for automatic fire. The "safe" setting mechanically disables the bolt catch. The weapon’s internal safety mechanism also features a drop safety that prevents it from being discharged when dropped with a loaded chamber. The submachine gun is fed from a detachable 30-round box

magazine 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 combinatio ...

, placed in a well inside the hollowed pistol grip. The magazine catch is located in the heel of the pistol grip. For aimed firing the PP-90 uses flip-up

iron sight Iron sights are a system of physical alignment markers (usually made of metallic material) used as a sighting device to assist the accurate aiming of ranged weapons (such as a firearm, airgun, crossbow or even compound bow), or less commonly as ...

s (notch and front post); these are made from thin sheet metal and fold down to lie flush against the receiver housing top cover. The barrel's muzzle is also threaded and will take a sound

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 ...

. The submachine gun with spare magazines and a cleaning brush is carried in a holster that can be slung from a duty belt or shoulder rig. The weapon can also be used with a sling.

Variants

*A version of the PP-90 chambered in the

9×19mm Parabellum The 9×19mm Parabellum (also known as 9mm Parabellum or 9mm Luger or simply 9mm) is a rimless, tapered firearms cartridge. Originally designed by Austrian firearm designer Georg Luger in 1901, it is widely considered the most popular handgun a ...

pistol A pistol is a handgun, more specifically one with the chamber integral to its gun barrel, though in common usage the two terms are often used interchangeably. The English word was introduced in , when early handguns were produced in Europe, an ...

cartridge is known as the PP-92. *A

selective fire Selective fire is the capability of a weapon to be adjusted to fire in semi-automatic, fully automatic, and/or burst mode. The modes are chosen by means of a selector switch, which varies depending on the weapon's design. Some selective-fire we ...

version has also been developed, designated PP-90M.

Users

* – Law enforcement. * – At least 880 were bought"''Агентству таможенного контроля Республики Казахстан в установленном законодательством порядке передать Министерству обороны Республики Казахстан боевое ручное стрелковое оружие - пистолеты-пулеметы ТБК "ПП-90" в количестве 880 единиц... Настоящее постановление вступает в силу со дня подписания.''"
Постановление Правительства Республики Казахстан № 902 от 5 сентября 2003 года "О передаче Министерству обороны Республики Казахстан боевого ручного стрелкового оружия"

Notes

References

External links