ST Kinetics CPW
Encyclopedia
The CPW is a multi-caliber submachine gun
developed by ST Kinetics of Singapore
as a PDW
-class firearm. The prototype is chambered in 9x19mm Parabellum but the manufacturer assures that the weapon's modular design allows for a simple caliber conversion to either 5.7x28mm or 4.6x30mm.
lever-delayed blowback
operated weapon (using what STK calls a cam recoil mitigation mechanism), which contributes to the low felt recoil and allows for use with high pressure ammunition. The weapon has a conventional submachine gun layout with the magazine housed in the pistol grip. The pistol grip's backstrap and the 30-round magazine are molded from a translucent plastic which allows the shooter to quickly verify the level of ammunition visually. The receiver is machined from a lightweight aluminum alloy
and most of the other components are made of a high-strength polymer
to further reduce weight and costs.
The barrel and bolt assembly can be quickly replaced, converting the submachine gun to the small-caliber armor-piercing PDW ammunition.
The CPW is fully ambidextrous; it can be used with equal ergonomic ease by both right and left-handed shooters. Every single lever, control or toggle has been mirrored on the opposite side of the receiver – this includes the cocking handle, the fire control selector/manual safety switch (installed above the pistol grip) as well as the bolt release lever, which is used to slam the bolt closed after inserting a new magazine. The ejection port is located on the right side of the weapon.
The CPW has a collapsible metal stock that provides stability during aimed fire. When collapsed, the weapon is not much larger than a conventional pistol
, allowing for easy handling and concealment; the CPW can be carried in a holster.
Two Picatinny rail
s are provided in the CPW for mounting sights and tactical accessories – one continuous rail runs across the top of the receiver and a second shorter accessory rail is installed under the barrel, in front of the trigger guard. The top rail can accommodate conventional iron sight
s or optoelectronic sighting devices such as reflex sights. The bottom rail is intended primarily for laser aiming modules, vertical grips and flashlights.
Submachine gun
A submachine gun is an automatic carbine, designed to fire pistol cartridges. It combines the automatic fire of a machine gun with the cartridge of a pistol. The submachine gun was invented during World War I , but the apex of its use was during World War II when millions of the weapon type were...
developed by ST Kinetics of Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
as a PDW
Personal defense weapon
A personal defense weapon is a compact semi-automatic or fully automatic firearm similar in most respects to a submachine gun, but firing an armor-piercing rifle round, giving a PDW better range, accuracy and armor-penetrating capability than submachine guns, which fire pistol-caliber cartridges...
-class firearm. The prototype is chambered in 9x19mm Parabellum but the manufacturer assures that the weapon's modular design allows for a simple caliber conversion to either 5.7x28mm or 4.6x30mm.
Design details
The CPW is a modular selective fireSelective fire
A selective fire firearm has at least one semi–automatic and one automatic mode, which is activated by means of a selector which varies depending on the weapon's design. Some selective fire weapons utilize burst fire mechanisms to limit the maximum or total number of shots fired automatically in...
lever-delayed blowback
Blowback (arms)
Blowback is a system of operation for self-loading firearms that obtains energy from the motion of the cartridge case as it is pushed to the rear by expanding gases created by the ignition of the propellant charge....
operated weapon (using what STK calls a cam recoil mitigation mechanism), which contributes to the low felt recoil and allows for use with high pressure ammunition. The weapon has a conventional submachine gun layout with the magazine housed in the pistol grip. The pistol grip's backstrap and the 30-round magazine are molded from a translucent plastic which allows the shooter to quickly verify the level of ammunition visually. The receiver is machined from a lightweight aluminum alloy
Alloy
An alloy is a mixture or metallic solid solution composed of two or more elements. Complete solid solution alloys give single solid phase microstructure, while partial solutions give two or more phases that may or may not be homogeneous in distribution, depending on thermal history...
and most of the other components are made of a high-strength polymer
Polymer
A polymer is a large molecule composed of repeating structural units. These subunits are typically connected by covalent chemical bonds...
to further reduce weight and costs.
The barrel and bolt assembly can be quickly replaced, converting the submachine gun to the small-caliber armor-piercing PDW ammunition.
The CPW is fully ambidextrous; it can be used with equal ergonomic ease by both right and left-handed shooters. Every single lever, control or toggle has been mirrored on the opposite side of the receiver – this includes the cocking handle, the fire control selector/manual safety switch (installed above the pistol grip) as well as the bolt release lever, which is used to slam the bolt closed after inserting a new magazine. The ejection port is located on the right side of the weapon.
The CPW has a collapsible metal stock that provides stability during aimed fire. When collapsed, the weapon is not much larger than a conventional pistol
Pistol
When distinguished as a subset of handguns, a pistol is a handgun with a chamber that is integral with the barrel, as opposed to a revolver, wherein the chamber is separate from the barrel as a revolving cylinder. Typically, pistols have an effective range of about 100 feet.-History:The pistol...
, allowing for easy handling and concealment; the CPW can be carried in a holster.
Two Picatinny rail
Picatinny rail
The Picatinny rail or MIL-STD-1913 rail or STANAG 2324 rail or a "Tactical Rail" is a bracket used on some firearms in order to provide a standardized mounting platform. A similar system is the Weaver rail mount.-Description:...
s are provided in the CPW for mounting sights and tactical accessories – one continuous rail runs across the top of the receiver and a second shorter accessory rail is installed under the barrel, in front of the trigger guard. The top rail can accommodate conventional iron sight
Iron sight
Iron sights are a system of shaped alignment markers used as a sighting device to assist in the aiming of a device such as a firearm, crossbow, or telescope, and exclude the use of optics as in telescopic sights or reflector sights...
s or optoelectronic sighting devices such as reflex sights. The bottom rail is intended primarily for laser aiming modules, vertical grips and flashlights.