Shipka

The Shipka was produced by Arsenal AD, the Bulgarian state arms manufacturer based in Kazanlak, and entered production in 1996. It was developed to meet the requirements of the Bulgarian police and armed forces. The weapon takes its name from the Shipka Pass in the Balkan Mountains, near the Arsenal works, where Bulgarian volunteers and Russian troops defeated Ottoman forces during the Russo-Turkish War of 1877.

The Shipka operates on a straightforward blowback system and fires from an open bolt. The upper receiver is steel, while the lower receiver, incorporating the pistol grip and trigger guard, is moulded from polymer. The buttstock is formed from steel wire and folds to the left side of the receiver, giving the weapon a compact configuration for stowage and transport. The layout was intended for vehicle drivers, aircrew, special operations personnel, and other troops requiring a close-quarters weapon with greater range and rate of fire than a pistol.

Prototype and pre-production Shipkas were chambered for the 9×25mm Mauser cartridge. Series production weapons were chambered for the 9×18mm Makarov round, in line with Bulgarian and Warsaw Pact ammunition stocks. Following Bulgaria's accession to NATO, Arsenal introduced a version chambered for 9×19mm Parabellum.