RPC Fort

Infobox Company
company_name = Research and Production Company Fort of the Ministry of Interior of Ukraine
company_
company_type = State-owned company
foundation = 1991
location = Vinnytsia, Ukraine
key_people = Vik­tor Pisarenko [ [http://www.vmr.gov.ua/info.aspx?langID=1&pageID=1683& Перелік промислових підприємств міста ] ] , Director
industry = Defense
products = Firearms, weapons
revenue = profit unknown
num_employees =
homepage = [http://fort.vn.ua/about_enterprise/ fort.vn.ua/]

Fort is a Ukrainian weapons manufacturer from Vinnytsia, Ukraine.

History

In 1991 a new company was formed to design and manufacture small arms for Ukrainian Interior Ministry, Security Service and State Border Service of Ukraine. [http://www.mfa.gov.ua/uk/en/publication/content/12731.htm Embassy of Ukraine in the United Kingdom of the Great Britain and Northern Ireland - Publications ] ] At the end of March, 1998 at the opening of Ukraine's only facility serially manufacturing small arms at "Fort" association officials announced that Ukraine had broken the ring of isolation in the serial production of small arms. They said that the plant in Vinnytsia in which over 5 million hryvnias (about $1.2 million) had been in­vested in two years was capable of large-scale production of small arms. The plant launched serial production of the Fort 12 short-bar­reled pistol ordered primarily by the Ukrainian Interior Ministry. Pistol samples were also sent to Uzbekistan that placed an advance order and to Russia. At the opening "Fort" Director Vik­tor Pisarenko said that its design bureau had developed and prepared for production 8 models of short-barreled weapons and 4 models of long-barreled weapons. "Weapons from Vinnytsia surpass analogs, for instance the Makarov pis­tol, in many respects," he said. [UNIAN, 24.03.1998]

Already in May 1998 Ukrainian Interior Minis­try formations started receiving the first Fort-12 and Fort-14TP pistols manufactured in Vinnytsia. [UNIAN-VPK,#20, 1998] At the moment according to "Fort" Chief Engi­neer Evgeniy Bokovoj, all Ukraine's army and police forces are supplied with the plant's out­put. [Interview to Defense Express agency, 03.10.2001] By now the plant has developed over a dozen pistol and gun modifications, some of which - Fort-12-00, Fort-12-02, Fort-14-00, Fort-500 and Fort-500A - were demonstrated at IDEX-1999, IDEX-2001 and IDEF-2001 inter­national arms exhibitions.

As for foreign trade, according to media reports, an agreement was signed in October 2000 on the delivery of a batch of Fort pistols to Uzbekistan. [This was mentioned, for instance, in the re­port of the expert of Small Arms Survey Maria Haug at the international conference "The strengthening role of NGOs in the non-prolifera­tion of small arms in Central and East European countries", Bratislava, 28-29.10.2000] So far it is the only country to which new Ukrainian small arms have been delivered, according to official press reports.

Products

Pistols

Threaded weapon

*Fort-5
*Fort-12
*Fort-14TP
*Fort-15
*Fort-17
*Fort-5 CURZ
*Fort-12 CURZ
*Fort-17 CURZ

Pistols of traumatic action

*Fort-5R
*Fort-6R
*Fort-10R
*Fort-12R
*Fort-12RM
*Fort-12T
*Fort-13R
*Fort-17R
*Fort-17T
*Fort-18R
*Fort-D

Gas pistols

*Fort-12G

port pistols

*Sokol
*Berkut
*Kobra

Rifles

*FORT-500A
*FORT-500M
*FORT-500T
*TOZ-12 OPF
*AKMS-MF
*AKMT-MF

ee also

*List of modern armament manufacturers

References