The Malaysian Army’s 11th Special Service Regiment under the 21st Special Service Group (SSG) have taken delivery of the Sig Sauer 9mm MPX-K submachine gun. The Asian Defence Journal (ADJ) reported that the submachine gun was selected to equip the Squadron’s Combat Rescue Teams (CRT) that specialise in close quarter battle (CQB). The CRT are the first user of the new firearm in Malaysia. The CRTs have been armed with the tried-and-tested Heckler & Koch MP5s of numerous variants since the 1980s, especially the compact MP5-Ks and suppressed MP5-SDs. The SSG had requested the Army to acquire new SMGs with funding for the acquisition via open tender being approved in 2020.
The SIG MPX is a gas-operated submachine gun designed and manufactured by SIG Sauer, and is primarily chambered in 9×19mm Parabellum. It is a gas-operated firearm featuring a closed, rotating bolt. These design features, rare in submachine guns, were chosen to enhance the safety of the user and to have a more reliable firearm. It was designed in 2013 and was released to the general public in 2015. It features the SIG Sauer short stroke push-rod gas system to reduce the recoil and improve the reliability of the weapon. The MPX is reportedly currently in service with India’s National Security Guards (NSG), Indonesia’s Detachment 88 (DENSUS 88) dan Marine Corps, Royal Thai Police, and elements of the United States Army. It is also used by the Hong Kong Police Force Railway Response Team (RRT) which has since merged with the Counter Terrorism Response Unit (CTRU).
The MPX, in its second generation, features a system that would allow for conversion from 9mm to .357 SIG or .40 S&W. Since its inception, first party conversion kits have not been made available for either of the two production generations of the gun. The standard MPX submachine gun comes with no sights and a full-length Picatinny rail system on the top of the weapon. Gen 2 MPX’s come with a flat faced Timney trigger and M-LOK rail. The MPX has a short-stroke gas piston system in order to increase the accuracy of the weapon which operates from a closed bolt. It is designed in this way to prevent water or dirt from entering the chamber and causing malfunctions as well as to use a suppressor with greater ease.
MPX-K is a compact variant of Sig MPXwith a 114 mm (4.5 inch) barrel. The highly compact MPX-K with a 4.5” barrel is highly suited for close quarter battle (CQB) situations in which short-barreled weapons are essential due to the limited spaces in structures, aircraft and ships. Furthermore, the 9mm caliber is preferred over 5.56mm weapons in such circumstances since it can mitigate collateral damage in the forms of possible injuries to hostages, or friendly forces due to ricochets. It features an ambidextrous selector switch for fully automatic (law enforcement/military models) and semi-automatic. It also features an ambidextrous bolt catch. The barrel is free-floating and is surrounded by polymer/steel Picatinny rail (later M-LOK) mounts.
