ObP.9-25

Ingame model from Altirus: The Second Leersog War mod for Ravenfield

The ObP.9-25 (Obretziy Pijstalka, 9mm, 525; or Defense Pistol, 9mm caliber, production year 525) was a Syrvanian compact submachine gun developed during the Chergarian Invasion for use by vehicle crews. It was designed to be compact enough to fit into a tanker holster (though it could not fit with the magazine inserted) and to minimize external parts that might snag on clothing. The design became infamous for its use of a notoriously impractical, low-profile charging handle with an internal locking mechanism, which would often break and present maintenance difficulties, yet would remain in Syrvanian service for many years after it was officially replaced.

## Design and development

While the AtP.9-22/K was originally intended to be used by tank crews, crews nevertheless had difficulty fitting them inside small vehicles such as the CzL.1. With tanks utilizing aggressive tactics as the war progressed, crews would often be forced to bail out from their tanks well ahead of supporting infantry, and the size of the 9-22 meant it was often left behind in burning vehicles, or could not be brought to bear in time for them to effectively defend themselves from nearby enemy combatants. Nevertheless, automatic fire was deemed essential, as it could enable dismounted crews to suppress enemy combatants for long enough to seek cover or relative safety.

The Ministry of Defense put out a tender for a fully automatic sidearm in mid 524, which would be met by two different designers; brothers Franek and Grzegor Razow, who had invented the P.9-24 emergency pistol, came forward with a design that would be designated as ZaW.Ra 9-24 (Zaswiadcniy Warez, Razow, 9mm, 524), while Jakeb Szavdski presented a design derived from the Sotekin Pocket 9, designated the ZaW.Sz 9-24 (Zaswiadcniy Warez, Szavdski, 524). Despite Szavdski's design ostensibly proving more effective in trials, the Razow design would ultimately be selected. Although the Bureau of Defense Production stated the reason to be the Razow brothers' reputation for cheap, expedient emergency designs, and the pressing need to put a stop-gap weapon into service with as few complications or delays as possible, other theories suggest the decision was made upon discovering Szavdski's ties to the Syrvanian True Republic Movement, and that their decision was politically-motivated to avoid a conflict of interest with the National Party.

The Razow brothers' design incorporated a locking catch within the receiver. The bolt was uncoupled from the charging handle, resulting in no extruding moving parts. By twisting the charging handle when the bolt was forward, the catch would secure the bolt and allow it to be cocked. A spring-loaded mechanism then allowed the charging handle to be returned to the forward position by twisting it in the opposite direction. The mechanism was prone to breaking, having been made of poor-quality metal with thin, flimsy parts. The issue was compounded by the difficulty involved in repair, with users having to disassemble the entire weapon to access the non-interchangeable, broken parts.

## Service history

Upon being issued with the ObP.9-25, tankers had minimal time to train with their new sidearms, and with the war in its final months, rarely needed to use them. While some users found it confusing during that time, its reputation became cemented afterwards as personnel had more time to train with it, experiencing persistent issues with reliability. At this point, its reputation and odd design choices had earned it the nickname "Opjie", or "Why", by its users. Users also complained about the lack of a stock, and high recoil due to its light weight, making it difficult to get consistent hits in fully automatic fire.

By the time of the invasion of Hetland, the CzL.2 light tanks and CzS.2 medium tanks had entered service, with more room to carry AtP.9-22 submachine guns inside, though ObP.9-25s nevertheless were still carried in the smaller CzL.1 and its variants, or aboard the newer tanks to save space. With Independent Rapid Divisions seeing greater than usual interaction between tank crewmen and their accompanying troops, ObP.9-25s would often be shared with, traded to, or stolen by infantrymen, who found appeal in the novelty of a compact submachine gun, but frustration in its poor performance.

Despite its reputation, and its official replacement - the ObP.9-27 - entering service just as the war drew to a close, the ObP.9-25 remained in circulation up until the end of the war in Lavinia.