PP-19 Vityaz
# PP-19 Vityaz

The PP-19-01 “Vityaz” (Russian: ПП-19-01 «витязь»; Пистолет-пулемет Модель 19-01, romanized: Pistolet Pulemyet Model' 19-01 «Vityaz», lit. 'Submachine Gun Model 19-01' «Knight») is a 9×19mm Parabellum submachine gun developed in 2004 by Russian small arms manufacturer Izhmash. It is based on the AKS-74U and offers a high degree of parts commonality with the AKS-74U, and is an evolution to the PP-19 Bizon.

An upgraded variant known as the PP-19-01 “Vityaz-SN” was released in 2008.

## Design details

The PP-19-01 “Vityaz” is a selective fire submachine gun that uses a simple closed bolt, straight blowback method of operation. 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-19-01 “Vityaz” has a four-groove barrel with a 240 mm (1:9 in) right-hand rifling pitch. It 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. 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.

The PP-19-01 “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. It 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.

The PP-19-01 “Vityaz” features the standard AK-type front and rear sights and dove-tail side rail for mounting various optical or collimator sights. Whilst, the PP-19-01 “Vityaz-SN” features a Picatinny rail on top of the receiver.

## Variants

### Vityaz

The PP-19-01 “Vityaz” is derived from the PP-19 Bizon and features a Warsaw Pact rail. PP-19-01 (version 10) was based on the AKS-74U.

### Vityaz-SN

The Vityaz-SN (version 20) was slightly modified to fit the AK-105 receiver, and replaces the dove-tail side rail with a railed dust cover.

### PPK-20

The PPK-20 is a further modernisation of the Vityaz-SN, developed and manufactured by Kalashnikov Concern. It is available for export. It was previously known as the Vityaz-MO.

The PPK-20 features a Picatinny rail dust cover, the handguard features Picatinny rails on top and bottom, as well as an M-LOK interface on both sides of the handguard, a quick-detachable sound and flash suppressor, folding telescopic polymer buttstock similar to the AK-19, ergonomic pistol grip and ambidextrous fire selector switch.

### Saiga-9

The Saiga-9 is a semi-automatic pistol-caliber carbine variant of the PP-19-01 “Vityaz” with 345 mm barrel sold on the Russian civilian market by Kalashnikov.

### KP-9 and 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.

## Users

* Namibia: Used by Namibian Marines.
* Russia: In 2005, it was adopted by the Interior Ministry. Used by various Spetsnaz units of the Interior Ministry, the Federal Security Service and the Federal Guard Service. 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. The Russian Aerospace Forces decided to include the PPK-20 submachine gun in the survival kit for military pilots.
* Uruguay: Used by police forces.
