Russia unveils new firearm ‘Poloz’, designed specifically for the police

Russian cops will soon have a brand new sidearm. The Central Scientific Research Institute for Precision Machine Engineering has developed a new pistol, designed specifically for Russia's Police and National Guard.

Based on the Army’s semi-automatic pistol ‘Udav’, the new handgun dubbed ‘Poloz’ is accurate at a range of up to 50 meters, and can operate in temperatures ranging from -50 to +50 degrees celsius.

"This compact model is smaller and lighter than the standard army handgun and can be used as a concealed carry weapon,” said Albert Bakov, CEO of the Research Institute. “ It is convenient, reliable and easy to handle, which is extremely important for operational services personnel.”

The Central Scientific Research Institute for Precision Machine Engineering is owned by Rostec, a Russian state-owned conglomerate of strategically important companies, particularly in the defense and high-tech industries. In particular, Rostec owns a majority stake of the world-famous gun manufacturer Kalashnikov Concern.

The new Poloz pistol has a modular design, meaning that the grip can be changed without affecting the other parts of the handgun. The sidearm fires 9x19 mm pistol cartridges, including those with a steel core, and is designed to last for more than 10,000 shots.

The gun’s name, Poloz, comes from the Russian word for the Coluber snake. Other guns made by the company, such as the Udav, are also named after snakes - in this case, the Boa.

The pistol will be officially launched at the ARMY-2020 International Military-Technical Forum, due to be held at the Patriot Expo-Centre on the outskirts of Moscow from 23 to 29 August.

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