From the author
In mid-March, on some forum, I accidentally discovered an image of a weapon, hitherto unknown to me, and it attracted my attention with its unusual appearance.
The shape of the forend and the receiver cover were reminiscent of the PP "Lynx" or "Vityaz", but there were some differences.
But everything indicated that the product was a distant relative of the Kalash.
And so it turned out.
On the pages of "Military Review" I did not find a single mention of this "trunk", and therefore decided to collect material sufficient for review and lay it out for the same gun lovers like me.
In general, I pulled pictures and a couple of paragraphs of text from different places, added a little from myself and here you are: a review about the experimental submachine gun "Cheetah" is ready.
Do not judge strictly the quality and completeness of the provided material - it is better to share information if you have it.
Thanks!
Background
In the early 90s, Russia was swept by a wave of crime, and in order to resist it, law enforcement agencies desperately needed a compact, concealed automatic weapon for close combat.
A weapon was required, whose destructive power of a bullet and its tendency to ricochet would be less than that of the AKS-74U.
It was then, by order of law enforcement agencies, many design bureaus resumed work on improving the models developed in the 70s and 80s, and also began to create new weapons systems.
At that time E. F. Dragunov began to refine the PP-71 created in the 1970s for the Soviet Army, and the Klin (PP-9) and Kedr (PP-91) were born.
Around the same time, the design bureaus of Tula, Kovrov and Izhevsk created such small-sized PPs as Kashtan (AEK-919K), Cypress (AEK-919K), Cobra (PP-90), Bizon (PP-19) other.
In the mid-90s, it became clear that due to the use of insufficiently effective ammunition (9x18 PM and 9x18 PMM), most Russian submachine guns do not provide reliable destruction of targets in personal protective equipment.
According to the specialists of the research institute of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation, it followed that out of this entire galaxy of their requirements, only "Bizon" could meet, if not for its screw magazine.
Birth
Based on the changed requirements and looking back on the experience of their colleagues, the design team consisting of A. V. Shevchenko, G. V. Sitov, I. Yu. Sitnikov began to proactively develop their own design.
The authors dreamed of creating a universal modular complex, which, depending on the tactical situation, the shooter could use as a submachine gun chambered for 9x18 PM, silent weapons chambered for 9x21 SP-10 or under the specially designed cartridge 9x30 "Thunder".
And so that all the necessary changes in the design can be made by the shooter himself by replacing several parts in just a few minutes, immediately before the start of the operation.
Sketch of the PP “Gepard” with a magazine for 40 rounds.
The joint development of specialists from the Rex arms company and military unit 33491 was completed in 1995, and in 1997 the experimental Gepard submachine gun was presented to the public for the first time.
By that time, the PP "Gepard" passed tests at the Rzhevka test site (military unit 33491) and a positive decision was received from the All-Russian Research Institute of State Patent Examination (VNIIGPE) under the number 95501070 (032975) dated 02.11.95.
PP "Gepard" with PBS. Right view.
PP "Cheetah" with a folded stock. Left view.
Design features
PP "Gepard" (also known under the names 9 mm submachine gun "Gepard" or Personal Defense Weapon "Cheetah") is distinguished not only by its memorable appearance, but also by the ability to use up to 15 (fifteen !!!) types of domestic and foreign pistol cartridges of caliber 9 mm in different capacities.
"Cheetah", like the PP "Bizon", was developed on the basis of a 5, 45-mm Kalashnikov AKS-74U assault rifle, from which about 65 - 70% of the parts were borrowed.
It was assumed that such a high percentage of unification would allow, if necessary, quickly and with the lowest financial costs to organize the production of "Gepard" at the Tula Arms Plant, which previously produced 5, 45-mm AKS-74U.
According to unverified reports, a civilian version of the Gepard could be produced by the REX Firearms from St. Petersburg, as if it were a subsidiary of Izhmash.
A complete set of PP "Gepard" consists of the following parts:
barrel, receiver, receiver cover, gas tube with pad, forend, butt, ergonomic fire control frame, magazines for 20 and 40 rounds, firing mechanism, replaceable firing units (bolts), return mechanisms (replaceable), muzzle devices (muzzle brake-compensator-swirler-flame arrester, clutch, blank firing bushing, silent flameless firing device).
At PP "Gepard" sighting devices of the open type, as in the AKS-74U, and consist of a cross-over rear sight at 100 and 200 m and a front sight, the adjustment of which can be carried out both in the vertical and in the horizontal planes.
The barrel has original replaceable chambers, which allows you to use a wide range of cartridges, namely:
With a universal adapter chamber:
9x18 PM all nomenclature (bullets with lead and steel cores, bullets
all-metal and expansive), 9x18 PMM (all nomenclature), 9x19 with a bullet of increased penetration (RGO57 / 7N21), 9x19 PARA (all nomenclature), 9x21 (RGO52), 9x21 (RGO54 / 7N29 / SP-10) with a bullet of increased penetration.
* I ask Kirill Karasik to correct him: he was about 2 years ago about special cartridges.
With the chamber chambered for the 9x30 "Thunder" cartridge (developed in military unit 33491):
9x30 "PP" - with a bullet of increased penetration, 9x30 "VT" - with an armor-piercing tracer bullet, 9x30 "PS" - with a bullet with a lead core, 9x30 "PB" - with a subsonic speed of a bullet
PP "Gepard" surpassed most of the existing at that time domestic submachine guns both in accuracy of single fire and in accuracy of firing in short bursts (3-5 shots).
The advantages in accuracy were achieved through the use of a rational layout of the submachine gun, the placement of the frame handle under the center of mass of the weapon, as well as the use of an effective muzzle brake-compensator-swirler, and in automation - balanced firing interchangeable units (bolts), a rigid fixed buttstock (folding on left side), a hammer firing mechanism similar to the AK74, a special design of the barrel bore (weakly expressed cone to the muzzle, rational steepness of the rifling).
The radius of dispersion of hits at ranges of 50 and 100 m.
Photo from the bourgeois press.
Distance of confident hitting targets in body armor.
Photo from the bourgeois press.
Another table with statistics of slaughter from the bourgeois press.
To solve various special tasks, the Gepard PP had replaceable firing assemblies (bolts), which were easily replaced without special devices and tools.
For firing 9 mm cartridges 9x18 PM used firing unit No. 1, which was a free breechblock, consisting directly of the breechblock frame and inertial mass (frame). The frame had a lightweight gas piston, which made it possible to give the frame an additional impulse, using the energy of the powder gases discharged through the gas outlet in the barrel into the gas chamber.
The use of combined automation (a free shutter with a discharge of powder gases) made it possible to ensure trouble-free operation of the automation in various climatic conditions in the temperature range - 50 ° C … + 50 ° C.
For firing 9 mm cartridges 9x18 PMM, 9x19 PARA, 9x19 RG057, firing unit No. 2 was used, which was unit No. 1 with a heavy additional replaceable gas piston and a return mechanism No. 2 with a spring with an increased pre-compression force.
For firing 9 mm cartridges 9x21 RG052, RG054 (SP10) used firing unit No. 3, which was a semi-free shutter, consisting directly of the shutter frame rotating around the longitudinal axis and the inertial accelerated mass (frame).
The frame had a lightweight gas piston, which made it possible to give the frame an additional impulse, using the energy of the powder gases, similarly to the firing unit No. 1.
The bolt had two lugs with an inclination of 40 degrees.
In the extreme forward position, the bolt was turned by a figured protrusion of the frame to the right and the lugs of the bolt went behind the lugs of the receiver.
When fired, under the action of the pressure of the powder gases at the bottom of the sleeve, the bolt slowly turned, the inclined lugs interacted with the lugs of the receiver, the upper protrusion of the bolt interacted with the shaped cutout of the frame and accelerated its movement back.
An additional portion of powder gases in the gas chamber imparted an additional impulse to the frame, which ensured the trouble-free operation of the automation in difficult conditions.
For firing 9-mm cartridges 9x30 "Thunder" used firing unit No. 4, which was a bolt with two lugs rotating around the longitudinal axis and a bolt carrier with a gas piston (similar to the AKS-74U). Automation worked by diverting part of the powder gases through the gas outlet in the barrel, similar to the AKS-74U.
Additionally, before shooting, it was necessary to replace the universal chamber with a 9x30 chamber.
The use of a powerful 9x30 cartridge made it possible to hit the enemy in 6B2 * class bulletproof vests at ranges up to 400 m, which gave him significant advantages over modern domestic and foreign submachine guns.
* Zh-81 (index GRAU 6B2) - Soviet splinter-proof body armor of the first generation.
“Cheetah” had an original fire control frame, which allowed firing with two hands or one hand in extreme situations, shooting from behind cover “blindly” with minimal risk from enemy fire for the shooter, from the hip, from the armpit, through clothing (when wearing concealed).
Concealed wearing
The original suspension of the belt through the upper and lower swivels made it possible to use the Gepard PP for concealed carrying with a magazine for 22 rounds.
Automatic fuse
The presence of an automatic safety device directly on the trigger (similar to the Glock-17 pistol) made it possible to pre-switch the translator into single or automatic fire mode while wearing the PP hidden, without compromising the safety of the weapon, which gave the shooter the opportunity to suddenly open fire in extreme situations.
Dual Weapon
The versatility of the sample was expanded due to the possibility of firing under water to defeat the enemy at ranges of 3-5 m using cartridges 9x19 RG057, 9x21 RG052 and 9x21 RG054 (SP 10).
The presence of a flameless silent firing device made it possible to perform special tasks silently from the 9-mm Gepard PP, minimizing the unmasking factor (sound, flame, dust) as much as possible, in addition, the design of the device reduced the unmasking factor (gas bubble) when firing underwater and allowed perform combat missions covertly in two environments simultaneously.
All of the above innovations made it possible to significantly increase the effectiveness of the combat use of submachine guns.
The creators read that the 9-mm submachine gun "Cheetah" most fully met the requirements of modern combat.
Combat use
According to unconfirmed reports, a scanty number of “Cheetahs” entered a certain special-purpose unit for testing, and 2 “Cheetahs” seem to have even been “spotted” in Chechnya.
Reduced version
The unification of the submachine gun with the basic model AKS-74U made it possible, without significant changes in the design of the Gepard, to produce the MINI-Gepard with the dimensions of the MINI-UZI submachine gun, which made it possible to use a lighter and more compact submachine gun for concealed carrying when performing special tasks.
Civil version
The creators intended to release the civilian version on the basis of the Gepard PP.
The prototype was presented at the Moscow International Arms Exhibition in July 1997 as a Gepard hunting carbine chambered for a special 9x30 mm Thunder cartridge.
It differed from the base model in its elongated barrel and butt shape and was equipped with a 20-round magazine.
Most likely, the civilian version lacked an automatic firing mode and the ability to use all types of ammunition.
A strange marketing ploy, to put it mildly.
Neither here nor abroad have ever heard of the special 9x30 mm "Thunder" cartridges.
After all, it was developed simultaneously with the Gepard software and specifically for it.
I think it would be better to offer a version chambered for 9x19 PARA.
This is what Beretta did a few years later: they produce a semi-automatic CX4 Storm carbine chambered for a pistol cartridge.
Table with prices for various modifications. Again from the bourgeois press.
Despite the fact that first-class technical solutions are implemented in this weapon, it is unlikely that it will ever be put into mass production.
The complexity of re-equipping a submachine gun for various ammunition does not compensate for the advantages of different-caliber weapons.
"Cheetah" has in the kit at least three different locks and two return springs, with which the shooter will have to suffer.
Moreover, Russia has weapon systems that have already been adopted and are in serial production.
They, too, can solve all those tasks for which this unusual submachine gun is designed.
Of course, some special-purpose units that have to stay in enemy-controlled territory for a long time may like such a weapon, which is capable of using a wide variety of types of 9 mm ammunition.
In general, as with all similar systems, the disadvantages of the practical use of the "Cheetah" are many times greater than all the advantages that weapons provide, allowing the use of various types of ammunition.
Also, do not forget that the shooter needs to carry a set of locks and return springs with him and remember that he is suitable for a certain type of cartridge.
It's just that the "Cheetah" complex turned out to be too large (like a multitool) and complex for the armed forces to use it in this form.
