There was a time when a downed pilot had little more than a sidearm, and that's not enough in a firefight. Perhaps the Kremlin understood that fact, as it had seen a great number of its aircraft shot down in Afghanistan. Since the 1980s, many of its aircrews were equipped with the Kalashnikov AKS-74U shortened assault rifle.

It would seem to be a welcome option for the pilot who has to do some walking instead of flying.

First introduced in 1979 for use by paratroopers, vehicles, and artillery crews, the short assault rifle proved to be a failure due to insufficient range and limited accuracy. Furthermore, the weapon was prone to overheating. Yet, for more than 40 years it has remained the primary survival weapon for Soviet/Russian pilots.

Moscow saw the AKS-74U as a good enough option for any aviator who had the misfortune of being shot down. Yet, the ongoing war in Ukraine, where Russia has seen a significant number of its aircraft shot down, may have resulted in some consideration given to the choice of weapon in the cockpit.

Enter the PPK-20

At this week's Dubai Airshow, Kalashnikov Group President Alan Lushnikov told state media outlet Tass that the firearms manufacturer was working on including the PPK-20 submachine gun in the portable survival kit of Russian Aerospace pilots.

"We still offer the PPK-20 as a unified weapon for pilots. The corresponding work is underway," Lushnikov explained.

His comments come after it was previously reported that the Russian Defense Ministry was considering replacing the Kalashnikov AKS-74U shortened assault rifle with a more compact weapon in the military pilots' portable survival kit.

Kalashnikov Chief Designer Sergey Urzhumtsev had previously told the state media outlet that the firearms manufacturer had already delivered batches of PPK-20 submachine guns to military pilots. In addition, the Kalashnikov Group said that the submachine gun's trials at the Defense Ministry's State Flight Testing Center in Akhtubinsk highlighted the weapon's compactness and its ability to be placed into an ejection seat.

Chambered for 9mm, the PPK-20 is a derivative of the Vityaz-SN submachine gun. It is a straight blowback SMG that has an effective range of 50 to 100 meters, a practical rate of fire of 30 to 90 rounds per minute, and a cyclic rate of fire of 800 rpm.

The new compact weapon can deliver fire in the single and auto modes, and it is further equipped with a detachable sound/flame suppressor. The submachine gun is also outfitted with a right-side folding telescopic buttstock made of impact-resistant polymer. Scopes can be mounted on the PPK-20's Picatinny rail on the dust cover, while other accessories can be attached to the Picatinny rails on the top and bottom of the handguard, as well as the M-LOK interface on the sides.

The U.S. Air Force Has the GAU-5A

Russia isn't alone in developing a better survival weapon for its pilots. During the Cold War, the U.S. Air Force introduced several weapons – including the M4 Survival Rifle, a .22 caliber bolt-action rifle developed by Harrington & Richardson from their commercial M265 sporting rifle.

That rifle was meant to allow a downed aircrew to hunt wild game for food rather than to deal with a hostile enemy.

In the late 1950s, Eugene Stoner – who would go on to develop the AR-10 and AR-15 – designed the ArmaLite AR-7 Explorer, a semi-automatic firearm in .22 Long Rifle. It is still used as an aircrew and civilian survival weapon, but for military aviators who find themselves in hostile territory, its biggest drawback is that it is lacking in stopping power.

To that end, the U.S. military has recently adopted the GAU-5/A, a semi-automatic rifle that features a specialized Cry Havoc Tactical Quick Release Barrel (QRB) kit, which allows the gun to neatly break into two pieces.

The weapon weighs less than seven pounds and can be assembled in about thirty seconds. Unlike the original survival weapons that were primarily only good for foraging, the GAU-5A fires the high velocity 5.56mm round. It can take down large game but also defend against enemy soldiers who might expect to find a poorly armed pilot.

Author Experience and Expertise

Peter Suciu is a Michigan-based writer. He has contributed to more than four dozen magazines, newspapers, and websites with over 3,200 published pieces over a twenty-year career in journalism. He regularly writes about military hardware, firearms history, cybersecurity, politics, and international affairs. Peter is also a Contributing Writer for Forbes and Clearance Jobs. You can follow him on Twitter: @PeterSuciu.

Image Credit: Image of AK-47/Creative Commons Image.