KGP-9

Lore & Background

Development of the KGP-9 began in 1986 when János Egerszegi, head of the Hungarian Institute for Military Technology, proposed a new submachine gun in 9mm Parabellum instead of 9x18 Makarov, which was disliked by Hungarian police counter-terrorist units. The most promising design came from FÉG, developed by Zoltán Horváth. Weapon trials started in 1988 but stalled due to the socioeconomic upheavals of 1989. Field trials in 1993 revealed failure to feed malfunctions, which FÉG blamed on poor-quality MFS ammunition; officers disputed this, noting the same ammunition fed reliably from UZI submachine guns and IWI Jericho 941 pistols. Testers also disliked the folding stock and safety. Further prototypes in 1996 exhibited a tendency to go into full-auto fire when set to semi-auto, attributed to poor quality control after the factory's privatization. A refined prototype was tested in 1997 by the military and the Law Enforcement Agencies Training Center (RSZKK). The military accepted the weapon, but the police rejected it, as the UZI, Micro UZI, and Heckler & Koch MP5 already filled the role. The KGP-9 was accepted by the Hungarian prison service, and about 1,000 units were taken by the military, later replaced by the CZ Scorpion Evo 3.

Reader's Guide

The KGP-9's significance lies in its role as a domestically produced submachine gun for Hungary during a period of political and economic transition. Its development spanned the fall of the Hungarian People's Republic and the privatization of FÉG, which introduced quality control issues that delayed adoption. The weapon's design blends features from the AK series (trunnions, riveted magazine well, top cover retention) and the UZI (telescopic bolt, barrel nut), offering good accuracy in semi and full auto due to its closed bolt and telescopic bolt system. However, the lack of a bolt catch and the magazine follower blocking forward bolt movement forced forceful magazine removal. Despite initial problems and police rejection, the KGP-9 served with Hungarian forces in Kosovo, Afghanistan, and Iraq, and remained in use with prison guards. Its legacy is that of a serviceable but imperfect design that filled a niche until replaced by more modern platforms.

Did You Know?

• The KGP-9 was developed in response to Hungarian police counter-terrorist units disliking the 9x18 Makarov caliber.
• During 1996 trials, the KGP-9 had a tendency to fire full-auto when set to semi-auto.
• The KGP-9's charging handle is on the left side and there is no bolt catch.
• The civilian variant, the KGPF-9, is capable of semi-automatic fire only.