This 9 mm Stechkin automatic pistol was developed at the end of the 1940s and the start of the 1950s by I. Ya. Stechkin and was entered into service by the USSR’s Armed Forces in 1951, at the same time as the Makarov pistol. The APS is intended for use by officers who directly take part in combat, as well as for soldiers and sergeants of some special subdivisions.