Russian National Guard to purchase new Kalashnikov pistols
The guard is procuring two versions of the Lebedev pistol, the MPL and the MPL1. Details on the amount that is to be acquired have not been released
Eyal Boguslavsky
| 27/05/2021
Photo: Kalashnikov Media
Russia's Kalashnikov Concern announced Monday that the National Guard of the Russian Federation has decided to acquire two versions of the Lebedev pistol, the MPL and MPL1. According to Dmitry Tarasov, CEO of Kalashnikov Concern, sample pistols have already been issued to National Guard units for field testing. In February, it was announced that the pistols had successfully passed government trials and were recommended for adoption. Details on the amount of pistols that the National Guard plans to order have not been released.
The first version of the pistol, the PL-14, was introduced at Russia's ARMY-2015 exhibition. Later, an improved version, the PL-15, and a compact version, the PL-15K, were announced. The latest versions of the full-size Lebedev pistol, which are tailored to the requirements of the National Guard, are the MPL and MPL1. The MPL1 features a longer (5″ vs 4.4″) threaded barrel and suppressor height sights, Kalashnikov said.
The 9x19mm MPL and MPL1 are fed from 16-round magazines. Their ambidextrous controls consist of a push-button magazine release, manual safety and slide release lever. The MPL is 205mm (8.07″) long and weighs 0.8 kg (about 28 oz), while the MPL1, with a standard-issue suppressor attached, is 400mm (15.75″) long and weighs 1.15 kg (a little over 40 oz), according to the company.
The guard is procuring two versions of the Lebedev pistol, the MPL and the MPL1. Details on the amount that is to be acquired have not been released
Photo: Kalashnikov Media
Russia's Kalashnikov Concern announced Monday that the National Guard of the Russian Federation has decided to acquire two versions of the Lebedev pistol, the MPL and MPL1. According to Dmitry Tarasov, CEO of Kalashnikov Concern, sample pistols have already been issued to National Guard units for field testing. In February, it was announced that the pistols had successfully passed government trials and were recommended for adoption. Details on the amount of pistols that the National Guard plans to order have not been released.
The first version of the pistol, the PL-14, was introduced at Russia's ARMY-2015 exhibition. Later, an improved version, the PL-15, and a compact version, the PL-15K, were announced. The latest versions of the full-size Lebedev pistol, which are tailored to the requirements of the National Guard, are the MPL and MPL1. The MPL1 features a longer (5″ vs 4.4″) threaded barrel and suppressor height sights, Kalashnikov said.
The 9x19mm MPL and MPL1 are fed from 16-round magazines. Their ambidextrous controls consist of a push-button magazine release, manual safety and slide release lever. The MPL is 205mm (8.07″) long and weighs 0.8 kg (about 28 oz), while the MPL1, with a standard-issue suppressor attached, is 400mm (15.75″) long and weighs 1.15 kg (a little over 40 oz), according to the company.
