Not only new drones and missiles, but also a new PP
If you build a new house, make a railing around your roof, so that you do not bring bloodshed on your house if someone falls from it.
Deuteronomy 22: 9
Deuteronomy 22: 9
stories about weapons. Why do people invent something new when there's something old and it works just as well? Why do they invent and make their own when they can easily copy someone else's good product for not too much money and produce it successfully at home? It's clear that when it comes to weapons, one should, in theory, focus on one's own, native products. But the experience of Nagant revolvers, Maxim machine guns, Mauser rifles, FALs, M16s, and our own AK proves otherwise. And these are just a few well-known examples. Developing something from scratch is especially foolish for small countries. Well, unless they've come up with something so innovative that it's simply wow! An example is the Uzi submachine gun, which, in a sense, revolutionized its niche. But there's also, apparently, a moral satisfaction in the fact that someone is starting to think, "We can do it too."
So in Ukraine, they've once again decided to do something "new." And it's not DroneNot Rocket And not a kamikaze boat with missiles on board, but... a very ordinary submachine gun, presented at the Enforce-TAC 2026 arms exhibition, in two variants: one with a telescopic stock, and the other with a folding one. So, there's something for everyone, so to speak, although otherwise there's no difference between them. The submachine gun was named FORT-230. And it's another submachine gun chambered for the 9mm Browning cartridge.
The FORT-230 submachine gun features a signature DLSLS suppressor and a telescopic stock. The "hook" above the folding grip at the front is clearly visible, preventing the hand from slipping onto the barrel.
Everyone knows today that the submachine gun is a type of combat weapon, and its popularity has waxed and waned since its inception. The very first example was not the short Vollmer carbine, but the twin-barreled Villar-Perosa Mod. 1915 machine gun, chambered for the rather weak Glisenti cartridge. It was primarily intended for aircraft, meaning it was... aviation The weapon was impossible to hold in your hands like a rifle. Moreover, due to its extremely high rate of fire, its magazines emptied very quickly, and the weak cartridge made it even more difficult to fire at any significant distance.
And yet, it was precisely this dead-end design in every sense that formed the basis for such a new type of individual weapon as the submachine gun. It was followed by models such as the German MP-18, the Italian Beretta MAB, the British STEN (especially advantageous for its low cost and ease of production), and then more modern models such as the Heckler & Koch MP5 and the Israeli Uzi. And here's what turned out: a submachine gun chambered for 9mm Para cartridges turned out to be almost the ideal combat weapon for use in vehicles and aircraft. High maneuverability in confined spaces and the ease of installing a silencer make it very suitable for special forces tasked with close combat. As soon as this was discovered, many countries rushed to acquire their own submachine guns. Some turned out better, others worse. And now Ukraine has joined the ranks of manufacturers of this type of weapon with its FORT-230 – a submachine gun of its own Ukrainian production.
Ukrainian FORT-230 submachine gun. The lower receiver is made of polymer with sling mounts.
Let's start by saying that the FORT-230 submachine gun isn't strictly speaking a new product; it was first introduced to the world back in 2021. It was developed and manufactured by RPC Fort (the Scientific and Industrial Association of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine). Its purpose is to replace older Soviet-era models, primarily the AKS-74U chambered for 5,45×39mm. In other words, it brings the weapon one step closer to Western designs chambered for the most common European cartridge.
The FORT-230 is a submachine gun designed in the style of the Uzi, with a magazine located inside the pistol grip. This new submachine gun operates on a blowback-operated, telescopic bolt, designed to reduce its size. This means its bolt partially covers the barrel, allowing it to be long enough to deliver sufficient power and fire accurately with 9mm Parabellum rounds. At the same time, this submachine gun remains very compact (410 mm when folded, with a 190 mm barrel).
As noted above, the FORT-230 is produced in two variants: standard and "A" variant. The standard variant features a three-position telescopic stock, while the "A" variant features a stock that folds to the right. The polymer lower receiver features a fire mode selector and an ambidextrous magazine release. The charging handle remains fixed during firing and can easily be repositioned to the right side for left-handed shooters. Spent cartridges are always ejected to the right. There is no ejection port on the left (just in case!).
The front of the receiver features an additional folding grip (adjustable to four positions) and a small hook that serves as a hand rest. This prevents the hand supporting the weapon from slipping toward the muzzle. The muzzle is threaded for a muzzle brake, which can be replaced with a proprietary quick-release suppressor. The upper receiver is made of steel and features a full-length Picatinny rail (a must-have these days!), which can accommodate a variety of mechanical, optical, or electronic sights. Furthermore, if the shooter feels like they haven't equipped their submachine gun with everything they need, an additional rail can be installed on the side for mounting various accessories.
The FORT-230's rate of fire in fully automatic mode is quite high, at approximately 900 rounds per minute. This rate of fire (no more, no less!) is considered ideal in terms of the compromise between the weapon's target and its capabilities. That is, it's fast enough to engage a moving target in close combat without depleting the entire 20- or 30-round magazine in just a few seconds.
This submachine gun with a telescopic stock weighs approximately 3,2 kilograms, while the A version weighs 3 kilograms. Overall, the FORT-230 is another thoroughly modern and, one might say, classic example of a submachine gun from the first third of the 21st century, combining classic mechanical and operational characteristics. The magazine inside the grip and the telescopic bolt have been around for a long time, but the design itself has been updated to meet the demands of the times: steel and plastic. Most importantly, the designers considered both left-handedness and the ability to equip this weapon with a variety of accessories, including red dot sights, in line with modern requirements.
Technical characteristics of the FORT-230
Model: FORT-230 / FORT-230 A
Type: Submachine Gun
Caliber: 9 mm
Fire Mode: Semi-automatic or fully automatic (900 rounds per minute)
Magazine: Box magazine for 20 or 30 rounds
Barrel length: 190 mm
Overall length without buttstock: 410 mm
Overall length with extended stock: 640 mm or 630 mm (mod. 230 A)
Weight: 3,2 kg / 3,0 kg (mod. 230 A)
Time will tell how effective this weapon will be in combat. And time will also reveal another important thing: the extent to which industry can replicate this demonstration model and, most importantly, produce this submachine gun in sufficient quantities to supply combat units.
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