Russian troops will soon receive Udav pistols, developed by the Central Research Institute of Precision Engineering (TsNIItochmash) in a special configuration with a silencer, in 2023.
In October 2021, Commander-in-Chief of the Ground Forces Oleg Salyukov said the Russian Ministry of Defense was starting to purchase new Udav pistols in combined arms and special configurations to replace Makarov pistols.
The 9-mm self-loading pistol 6P72 (“Boa”), developed at TsNIItochmash by the leading design engineer Ivan Kozlov, has a number of advantages compared to its “classmates”. In particular, one of the novelties was cartridges with a reduced bullet speed and with a bullet with increased penetration. In addition, the indicator of their number, located in the magazine, helps the owner of the Udav to control the consumption of cartridges.
The new pistol fits well in the hand, is suitable for right-handers and left-handers, and also received a universal Picatinny rail. A laser pointer or flashlight is attached to it. With a length of 206 mm and a thickness of 36 mm, the gun without cartridges weighs only 780 grams – this weight was achieved thanks to the use of modern polymer materials. Another advantage of the new weapon is the large capacity of the Udav magazine. It holds 18 rounds, which can be considered one of the best in the world.
The gun is included in the “serpentine” line created at TsNIItochmash, which also includes the Gyurza, Poloz and Aspid models.