A short-recoil pistol called the Thunder 9 was developed for handling the higher pressure of the 9mm Parabellum cartridge. The weapon resembles the Walther P88 handgun in certain ways. The frame is an aluminum alloy, while the slide and barrel are made of high-strength steel. Black matte, nickel, and a two-tone finish with a slide finished in nickel and a satin black frame are available, and all of them are non-reflective. The integrated grips are made of polymer. For the first shot, the trigger is double-action; for all following shots, it is single-action. The pistol has an ambidextrous safety, loaded chamber indicator, an ambidextrous magazine release button, a decocker that is operated by the safety lever, reinforced sights, a combat trigger guard, a firing pin block, and an integrated accessory mounting groove in the frame (added after 2000 in the Pro variant). There are full and compact versions of this model.