We're just tasting Russian airsoft pistols in the form of the KWA TT-33 Tokarev and MKV Makarov when we hear the news that Russia will officially replace the Makarov with the "Strizh" (literal translation "Swift") and that even replacing the Makarov will be done swiftly: "We are certifying a new pistol, the Strizh, which will replace the Makarov pistol in the next few months," said Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin as reported by Guns.com 3 days ago.

It's a big win for Arsenal Firearms as a young company which just debuted at the IWA 2012 & Outdoor Classics, impressing the crowds with their Arsenal Firearms AF2011-A1, the double-barrel 1911. Arsenal Firearms is an Italian-Russian collaboration with both founders, Nicola Bandini and Dimitry Streshinskiy, both highly experienced gun designers who have a vision of true innovation in the gun industry.

The Strizh, which will have an American-designation as "Strike One" is a hard hitting 9mm Parabellum pistol and said to be better than the Makarov PM. According to Arsenal Firearms, the Strizh boasts of the "Strike Locking System" which for a gun nut like me but poor at explaining gun mechanics, would rather lift the description from their website:

The Strike Locking System has no equal in the history of semiautomatic weapons. It is based on the "1 degree of liberty mechanical law" of the main components (Barrel, Locking Block and Bolt-slide). The major benefits of the invention are:

• In line barrel operation with very tight tolerances with the slide
• Lowest barrel center line over hand grip in history (12 mm)
• Lowest vertical mass movement on operating pin (locking block only and not the whole barrel)
• Fastest locking-unlocking time
• Fully rail-guided barrel inside the slide, for tremendous accuracy coupling with the aiming devices
• Highest ammunition feed level into the barrel, for trouble-free use of any type of bullet, with no deformation upon chambering
• Shortest unlocking-locking action travel (4mm diameter operating pin)
• Totally sealed barrel-to-slide ejection port area, for safest operations of the gun in mud, dirt, dust
• Strongest slide at ejection port area, due to minimal open profile of the sam

With magazine capacities of 17 to 30 rounds it’s longer than the Makarov and can fire in semi and automatic modes. At an initial glance it seems to take its design inspiration with from the Kel-Tech PMR-30 pistol when looking its pistol grip. It's very much configurable with additional accessories such as a rail system for mounting accessories and optics for precision shooting. The recoil is minimized that Guns.com said that " Video shows so little muzzle flip it almost looks like airsoft" which might be good if there is an airsoft version of this that transitioning from one to the other would be easy.

It is an impressive piece of work but for such a very young company and it really came as a surprise that the pistol will be adopted by the Russians as it's also a very brand new pistol and no word about the process of testing before the decision that it'll be officially adopted.

Arsenal Firearms have big plans for this pistol, as they are also going to market it to the US and readying it to compete in IPSC matches. We'll learn more about the performance of the Strike One in the near future if it can prove itself to be wise replacement to an iconic Russian pistol.  And as always here at Popular Airsoft, we look forward to have an airsoft version of this.