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New Yarigin PYa 6P54 9mm semi-automatic pistol will replace old PM Makarov in Russian army TASS 11505161

Military Defense Industry Technology - Pistol Yarigin PYa 6P54

New Yarigin PYa 6P54 9mm semi-automatic pistol will replace old PM Makarov in Russian army.

Russian Armed Forces receive new organic pistols Yarigin PYa (MoD`s designation: 6P54) pistols intended to replace obsolete PM, according to a source in Russian defense industry. In 2003, the Russian MoD (Ministry of Defense) brought into service Yarigin PYa pistol developed in the 1990s and chambered for new 7N21/7N31 (9x19mm) cartridges. The serial production of the new handgun has been launched in 2011.

The new 9mm organic pistols Yarigin PYa6P55 for the Russian army

"The recent conflicts (including two wars in Chechnya and the ongoing conflict in Syria) have obviously shown pistol remaining an effective weapon. Both officers and contract soldiers should have such firearm to protect themselves in the emergency cases. Tank crews, Special Forces and engineers also need modern compact handguns. Despite the Ministry of Defense`s (MoD) efforts, the venerable but obsolete Makarov PM pistol has not been phased out and many officers of Russian Armed Forces still use them. PM no more meets modern requirement to organic army pistol.

It has low-capacity magazine, huge dimensions and combat weight and lacks of ergonomics. Moreover, PM is chambered for outdated 9x18mm Soviet pistol cartridge that fall short of its Western counterpart, namely, 9x19mm Parabellum cartridge. While foreign armies are rapidly phasing out ageing pistols, such as PM and its derivatives, we still use the handgun developed in the early 1950s," the source said.

Russian PM Makarov pistol

"In the early 2000s the principal decision to switch from 9x18mm to 9x19mm Para cartridge was taken. As a result, the issue of PM replacement has become urgent. In 2003, the MoD brought into service Yarigin PYa pistol developed in the 1990s and chambered for new 7N21/7N31 (9x19mm) cartridges. The serial production of the new handgun has been launched in 2011.

The massive deliveries of PYa pistols to the Russian Armed Forces started in 2012. As of early 2016, several thousand of such handguns have been supplied. Officers are training to master the new firearms. Nevertheless, the PM pistols have not been brought out of service. I suppose that they will have been finally replaced by PYas by 2019," the source pointed out.

The massive deliveries of PYa pistols to the Russian Armed Forces started in 2012.

Makarov pistol was brought into service with the Soviet Armed Forces in 1951. It replace the world-known Tokarev TT pistol chambered for 7.62x25mm cartridge. PM has a combat weight of 0.81 kg, a length of 161.5 mm, a practical firing rate of 30 rounds per minute, a muzzle velocity of 315 m/s, an effective firing range of 30 m and a magazine capacity of eight rounds. During the Cold War era, PM was the only organic pistol of the Soviet Armed Forces. In the 1960s, defense industry developed polymer pistol receiver to reduce the Makarov pistol`s weight, but serial production of such components was not established. In 1990, the Soviet MoD initiated a tender under the Grach (Rook) program to replace PM, but financial constraints after the collapse of the Soviet Union cut back the ministry`s funds.

In the 1990s, two pistols were developed within the tender`s framework, namely, PYa (early modification) and PMM (upgraded variant of PM, M stands for enhanced, Modernizirovanny). PMM retained the technical disadvantages of PM, such as low accuracy and weak cartridge. It featured only ergonomic pistol grip and a new magazine with capacity increased to 12 cartridges, while PYa was a new pistol designed from the scratch and chambered for 9x19mm Para. Russian MoD delayed the acquisition of PM replacement; hence, the PYa officially won the tender under the Grach program in 2003.

Russian GSh-18 pistol

Yarigin PYa pistol has a combat weight of 0.95 kg, a length of 198 mm, a muzzle velocity of 340 m/s, an effective firing range of 50 m and a magazine capacity of 18 cartridges. A Weaver rail can be attached to the pistol`s receiver. PYa`s accuracy was significantly improved over the Makarov pistol`s one.
Hence, Russian MoD has chosen PYa as the new organic pistol of Russian Armed Forces. The firearms is also offered to foreign customers. As of May 2016, Belarus, Armenia and Kazakhstan have acquired small batches of PYas.

It should be noted that Russia pays significant attention to the development of special pistols, for instance, heavy-caliber and silenced ones. TSNIITochMash scientific-research institute is producing Serdyukov SR1M pistol intended for Special Forces on a serial basis. SR1M is chambered for heavy SP10/SP11/SP12/SP13 9x21 cartridges. It has a combat weight of 1.11 kg, a length of 200 mm, a muzzle velocity of 410 m/s, an effective firing range 100 m and a magazine capacity of 18 cartridges. The Serdyukov pistol features increased lethality and stopping effect. SP13 armour-piercing (AP) bullet can pierce IIIA (NIJ)-class body armour and inflict lethal damage at 50 m distance. In 2014, TSNIITochMash revealed the latest modification of the Serdyukov pistol designated as SR1MP. SR1MP has received Picatinny rails for red-dot scopes, weapon flashlights and laser designators, attaching lug for silencer, improved bolt catcher and enlarged safety button. According to open sources, Russian MoD and law enforcement agencies have received several huge batches of SR1M/SR1MP pistols.

The Central Sporting and Hunting Weapons Research & Design Bureau (Russian acronym: TsKIB SOO, a subsidiary of Tula-based Instrument Design Bureau/KBP) has developed GSh-18 pistol that is supposed to be one of the lightest in the world. The pistol is chambered for 7N31 9x19 Para AP cartridge. GSh-18 has a combat weight of 0.8 kg, a length of 183 mm, a muzzle velocity of 600 m/s, an effective firing range of 50 m and a magazine capacity of 18 rounds. Due to high level of assembly and several reliability issues, the serial production of GSh-18 has not been launched. At the same time, the pistol is relatively popular as a sporting weapon. The anti-terror units of several Russian law enforcement agencies have received GSh-18 pistol as the organic weapon. In 2012, TsKIB SOO has revealed the latest GSH-18 variant designated as GSh-18 Tactical. The enhanced pistol has received Picatinny rail for laser designators and weapon flashlights, new receiver and attaching lug for silencer.

Nevertheless, the combat value of pistols on the modern battlefield is being challenged. A source in Russian defense industry said that pistols have not been included in the armament kit of Ratnik advanced equipment.