The Vietnamese STV-022 Short Barrel Rifle / Personal Defense Weapon

The Firearm Blog has so far covered many new weapons produced by the Vietnamese small arms industry, from assault rifles to sniper rifles, light machine guns, pistols, and some other unusual guns. Today, let’s talk about a rather interesting rifle that is being adopted in significant quantities by the Vietnamese military: the STV-022 stockless carbine. In the USA, such weapons are often called “rifle-caliber pistols”, but they are typically not employed by military forces.

As mentioned in previous articles about STV-380 and STV-215, “STV” is the abbreviation for “Súng Tiểu liên Việt Nam” (Vietnamese Submachine Gun); however, unlike the STV-380 and STV-215, which the number indicates the barrel length, in the STV-022, the number “022” means the year 2022, when the weapon was officially accepted into service. It was first seen being carried by security guards at the Vietnam Defense Expo 2022, showing its intended role as a dedicated weapon for guard duty.

Using the 7.62x39mm cartridge, the STV-022 shares the same Galil-style milled receiver and receiver cover with the STV-125 and STV-380. Picatinny rails are located on the receiver cover and the handguard. Instead of a stock, there is a sling loop on the back plate of the receiver.

The safety lever/selector is similar to AK/STV, which is non-ambidextrous and located on the right side. There is also a birdcage-type flash hider. Right from the factory, each STV-022 comes with a tactical flashlight and front grip.

The STV-022 uses a special 15-round AK-style magazine, though it can accept a standard 30-round magazine after moving the front grip a bit forward to make room for magazine insertion.

Photos taken during training appear to show soldiers handling the recoil by pushing the weapon forward, putting tension on its sling. This technique is common among Vietnamese public security forces and military special forces, which often operate submachine guns like the MP5K or Uzi in close-quarter combat without deploying the stock or without the stock altogether.

The soldier pushes the weapon forward, putting the tension on the sling, then combines it with the front grip to create a relatively stable platform for firing. In the past, this technique was used by the British SAS regiment with their MP5s, but it was used by other units as well.

The author first saw this technique being taught in the early 2000s by an instructor who was serving in one of the volunteer units during the Bosnian War. In this region during the war, many soldiers often carried their AK with the folded stock, and this technique appeared as a way to quickly open fire without unfolding the stock.

According to Vietnamese media, the initial request to develop a compact PDW came from the 144 Guards brigade. This is one of the elite units of the Vietnamese army, tasked with the protection of General Staff members and facilities in the capital of the country, Hanoi.

Since its introduction, besides the soldiers on guard duty, the STV-022 has also appeared in the hands of the Vietnamese Border Guards, Naval Infantry, and Special Forces and was seen during patrols and combat exercises.

The lack of a stock remains a hot topic every time the STV-022 appears in the media. Many say that such a compact rifle reduces soldiers' fatigue, especially when doing multiple-hour guard shifts. They add that since the security situation in Vietnam is relatively calm, therefore the STV-022 is ideal for peacetime use.

Other people disagree, and say that a collapsible stock would not add too much weight to the gun but would make it more effective.