The nations of Egypt and the United Arab Emirates are attempting to build a strong defense partnership centered around firearms and ammunition production. While information is still forthcoming on the details of what and how this partnership will develop, Egypt seems to have made a commitment to local production of Emirati firearms. This is a continuation of Egypt’s desire to seek less reliance on the United States and a more diverse arsenal.
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Silah Report Podcast V33: Iranian Submachine Guns (1979-Present)
In our previous article we reviewed the history of different submachine guns which entered Iranian service during the Pahlavi era. In 1979, when the Pahlavi dynasty was overthrown by Islamic Revolutionaries, many small arms purchased by the former regime continued their service with Artesh (armed forces) and newly branded armed forces such as Sepah Pasdaran (the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps). There were a couple of submachine gun purchases made by the new regime in the 1980s from unknown sources, these purchases mostly were conducted by IRGC to arm their units, including a new unit called Ansar-Al Mahdi who are tasked with VIP protection as well Saberin and S.N.S.F. In this article, accompanied by an interview with the author on a recent episode of the Silah Report Podcast, we will examine the submachine gun platforms which entered Iranian service after the Islamic Revolution using photographic evidence.
The American ‘Tommy Gun’ In The Pak-Afghan Region
The Thompson models 1928, 1928A1, M1 and M1A1 submachine guns, famously also nicknamed the ‘Tommy Gun’, are a heavy weight milled all-steel submachine gun design, chambered in the U.S. military’s then standard issue pistol round – the .45 ACP cartridge, and designed in the USA in the wake of World War One. They were first adopted by the U.S. military in a widely used capacity during the World War Two, eventually being supplanted by the cheaper and simpler M3 and M3A1 ‘Grease-Gun’ submachine guns. A small but significant number have also been seen in the Pak-Afghan Region.
Scarce Spanish STAR Submachine Gun In The Pak-Afghan Region
STAR, short for Star Bonifacio Echeverria, is a well known Spanish company which manufactured firearms for around 116 years, from about 1905 to 1997 when they closed up shop. The various firearm designs and platforms they manufactured, apart from some pistol designs, aren’t too common and don’t typically pop up in more out-of-the-way regions of the world. That being said, a small more unknown gem of theirs happened to end up in an arms dealership located in the infamous town of Darra Adam Khel in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan, of all places.
Origins: Darra’s PPSh-41 Franken-Builds
There have been a few images circulating on social media depicting several PPSh-41-patterned submachine guns modified with blasphemous ‘tacticool’ configurations. Locally, these submachine guns are called the ‘Papusha‘ and are chambered in the same 7.62×25mm pistol cartridge as the original guns. The 7.62×25mm round is locally known as .30 bore. Almost all of these images can be traced back to Pakistan, specifically Darra Adamkhel, where dealers have them displayed in their shopfronts and also on their social media pages.
The Pistol Caliber AK Submachine Guns of Darra Adam Khel
In Pakistan, just as in the US, compact firearms such as submachine guns and carbines chambered in pistol calibre cartridges are a hot ticket. They are also popular in neighbouring Afghanistan. Pistol calibre ammunition is widely available, affordable, manufactured domestically and licenses for firearms chambered in it are relatively easy to acquire. This is a major factor in their popularity. In this article we’ll examine some of the pistol calibre AK-pattern firearms which have grown in popularity in the region in recent years.
A Lanchester Machine Carbine in Aleppo
Back in November, friend of Silah Report and frequent author Analyst Mick, shared some photos of a British World War Two-era submachine gun, a Lanchester Machine Carbine. The photos placed the venerable submachine for sale in the Syrian-regime held city of Aleppo. The Lanchester was Britain’s first submachine gun, with plans for its production put in place just before the development of the STEN gun.