Laugo Alien semiautomatic pistol (Czech Republic)

Laugo Alien semiautomatic pistol was first presented in 2019 with great fanfare. Its production started in the Czech Republic in 2020, and its first North American sales are scheduled for 2021. The Alien pistol was designed and patented by an engineer Jan Lucansky, who works for Laugo Arms Czechoslovakia.

Laugo Alien semiautomatic pistol with the replacement top strap with integrated Red Dot sight. Uncocked hammer hangs visibly below the strap.

Originally, Laugo Arms was founded in the Slovak republic in 2001, and its most successful design so far was the CZ Scorpion EVO III submachine gun, bought up and manufactured by Czech company CZ-UB. In 2016 Laugo Arms moved its headquarters to Prague, Czech Republic, and in 2019 it announced its next indigenous product, the Laugo Alien pistol. “Alien” handgun is a niche product, clearly geared toward sport shooting under a variety of practical shooting disciplines such as IDPA, IPSC or USPSA. It has some specific features that might appear to many sport shooters, such as a very low bore axis, fixed barrel, stationary top frame that serves as a stable platform for sights, modular design, and so on. It all comes at a cost, though, and the literal cost is quite high – in Europe Laugo “Alien” pistol is currently (January 2021) selling at about four thousand Euro, while American shooters can preorder their Alien pistols for the pricey sum of five thousand dollars.

Laugo Alien pistol

Laugo Alien pistol is a semiautomatic handgun that uses a rarely encountered gas delayed blowback system with the stationary barrel, conceptually similar to that used in HK P7 pistol. To achieve the lowest possible bore axis, which helps to control recoil and muzzle rise, the gas piston and cylinder are located above the barrel and are offset to the right of the axis of the bore. Return spring is also located above the barrel, to the left of the gas piston. The slide is located mostly above the barrel, and the pistol features a removable top frame, or top strap, which houses the firing mechanism and serves as a stationary platform for iron or red dot sights of various types. This top frame remains stationary when the gun is fired but can be easily replaced by a shooter for another similar module. The trigger unit features a single-action trigger with no manual safeties and automated trigger safety. The firing unit has an internal hammer, which along with its spring and sear is attached to the removable top frame. The hammer axis is located above its head, and the hammer literally “hangs” above the barre when cocked. The trigger is connected to the sear via a set of levers and links. A cocking indicator is provided at the rear of the slide. The pistol is fed using detachable box magazines with a 17-round capacity. Depending on the type of the modular top frame/top strap, Laugo Alien pistol can be equipped with adjustable iron sights, a combination of iron sights and scope mount, or with integral Red Dot sight.

Laugo Alien pistol, patent diagram