The Vityaz-SN is a 9×19mm Parabellumsubmachine gun developed in 2004 by Izhmash. It is based on the AK-74 and offers a high degree of parts commonality with the AK-74. The gun is directly developed from the PP-19 Bizon. It is the standard submachine gun for all branches of the Russian military and police forces. "Vityaz" is Russian for "knight".
Design details
The Vityaz-SN is a selective fire weapon that uses a simple closed bolt, straight blowbackmethod 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, however the piston rod and rotary bolt were removed and the piston extension was plugged with a steel insert. The return spring and guide rod are almost identical to those of the AK. The Vityaz has a four-groove barrel with a 240 mm right-hand rifling pitch. It is chambered for the 9×19mm Parabellum pistol cartridge and will also fire the new high-pressure armor-piercing 7N31 round that can penetrate soft body armor. 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 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 enables fully automatic fire and the lowest position activates the semi-automatic function of the trigger. It utilizes 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. The forearm has attachment points for laser target designator, tactical flashlight and fore grip. The Vityaz-SN is provided with two types of rail system for mounting various optical or collimator sights. A Picatinny railon top of the receiver or a dove-tail side rail, and it also has the standard AK-type front and rear sights.
: 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.
