Russian pilots to probably be armed with a PP-200 compact submachine gun.

The Russian Ministry of Defense will decide on the inclusion of the PP-2000 submachine gun in the NAZ of military pilots based on the results of the trial operation of weapons, topwar.ru reports. The PP-2000 compact submachine gun can replace the shortened AKS-74U Kalashnikov assault rifle in the portable emergency kit of military pilots, the decision will be made based on the results of trial operation of the weapon, the company "High Precision Complexes" announced.
Follow Army Recognition on Google News at this link

PP-2000 with Zenit-4TK laser sight, unfolded buttstock (Picture source: Vitaly Kuzmin)

In 2022, a batch of PP-2000 submachine guns was made available to the Russian Aerospace Forces for trial operation. The weapon already passed tests for the placement of military pilots in the NAZ and received positive feedback.

The fact that Russian military pilots could be armed with the PP-2000 instead of the AKS-74U was reported in 2019. The Ministry of Defense considered the option of placing a submachine gun in a wearable emergency kit. The pilot's NAZ, fixed under the ejection seat, includes, in addition to communications equipment, medicines, water, food, etc., an AKSU assault rifle of 5.45X39 mm caliber, cartridges for it and grenades.

The PP-2000 is made by the KBP Instrument Design Bureau. It was first publicly displayed at the Interpolytech-2004 exhibition in Moscow even though its patent was filed in 2001 and issued in 2003. The PP-2000 is a conventional blowback-operated weapon and weighs 1.5 kg (3.3 lb) empty.

The PP-2000 is designed as a close-quarter combat weapon, intended for riot police and special operations forces. In 2008, it was adopted as one of the two standard SMGs of the Russian police (along with the Vityaz-SN).It is chambered in 9×19mm Parabellum, and specifically designed to utilize the new Russian 9×19mm 7N21 and 7N31 (Cyrillic: 7Н21 and 7Н31) +P+ armor-piercing versions of the cartridge. This is intended to give the PP-2000 armor-piercing capability comparable to the FN P90 and Heckler & Koch MP7 personal defense weapons while also being able to use common 9mm Parabellum rounds.

One unusual feature is the ability to store a spare 44-round magazine at the rear of the gun, where it also functions as a stock. A wire folding stock is also available. Another unusual feature is that this firearm's charging handle is located directly behind the front sight and folds out of the way when not in use. A similar folding charging handle can be seen on the Heckler & Koch G36.

Defense News June 2023