AK-12 rifles have a 5.45mm caliber and a free-floated barrel. Reuters File Photo
Russia will begin the production of the new model of the Kalashnikov AK-12 assault rifle this year.
According to the Russia Today report, Rostec defense consortium has finalised an upgrade of the weapon which will “reflect the experience” gained by the Russian troops during the ongoing Ukraine war.
“We are working in cooperation with the military and are getting their feedback,” Sergey Chemezov, the head of Rostec, said while unveiling the modified rifle.
“We can promptly react to the changing needs [of the army] and introduce construction changes as well as improving our products,” Chemezov was quoted as saying by Russia Today.
New model of AK-12 rifles
Produced by arms manufacturer Kalashnikov Concern, the new AK-12 version has been improved to make it more “user-friendly and ergonomic”, Chemezov said, as per the Russia Today report.
Kalashnikov, partly owned by Russia’s state-owned Rostec arms conglomerate, provides 95 per cent of the country’s small arms, noted Business Insider.
Last September, Kalashnikov Concern’s president Alan Lushnikov told the RIA state news agency that they are modernising the AK-12 weapon.
As per a Reuters report, the modifications include two-way control of firing modes, adjustable cheek rest and disabling the two-round burst cut-off.
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Features of current AK-12 rifles
AK-12 has a 5.45mm caliber which gives it high “operational accuracy and fire density” as compared to its earlier generations, the report said.
The rifle is equipped with Picatinny rails for “gun sights and laser target indicators”, according to Russia Today.
“The AK-12 is also outfitted with an easily detachable bayonet-type high-performance muzzle brake. The muzzle’s design allows installing noiseless and flameless firing devices,” Russia’s TASS agency reported in July last year.
The AK-12 was designed to replace the AK-74M assault rifle. Wikimedia Commons File Photo
It was designed to replace the AK-74M assault rifle which provided poor balance and ergonomics, as per a Military Today article.
Resembling the previous AK-100 series weapons, AK-12 rifles – which have a free-floated barrel – were adopted by the Russian Army in 2018.
The AK-12 is a “gas-operated, selective fire weapon”, states Military Today.
While there have been many prototypes of the AK-12, the final version was based on the AK-400 prototype model and was identified as “more reliable, more accurate, and better suited among the modern Russian equipment”, says SOFREP.
According to Army Recognition, weighing 3.3 kg, the AK-12 rifle is 0.945 mm long, with a barrel length of 415 mm.
Its fire rate is estimated to be 1,000 rounds per minute. Its magazine capacity is 30 rounds and the rifle has an effective range of 625 m, says the SOFREP website.
“The iron sights of the AK-12 are also improved versus the AK-74M, although the change could be a controversial move. The AK-12’s iron sights are peep sights mounted close to the shooter’s face, similar to those on the M16. This allows for more accurate fire, with the tradeoff of the sights requiring more training to use rapidly and effectively,” Charlie Gao, a commentator on defense and national-security issues, wrote for the US’ The National Interest magazine in 2019.
‘Poison bullet’
The AK family rifle has a long history of operation in conflicts. As per The Print, around 7.5 million rifles of the AK series are in use across the world and are developed in various countries.
It is not only used by armed forces but also by terror groups.
Around 7.5 million AK family rifles are in use across the world. AFP (Representational Image)
During the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in December 1979, Erenow says that mujahideen fighters in Afghanistan had dubbed the 5.45x39mm cartridge of the AK rifles “poison bullets” due to its destructive capabilities.
“The mujahideen so feared this mysterious new rifle and its odd-sized cartridge that they called it “poison bullet” because of its almost supernatural destructive power. The new bullet was not only smaller than previous AK rounds, many of which the mujahideen had captured during raids, but it was also more deadly — even more so than the M-16 round that had prompted its development,” Erenow said.
As per Silah Report, the 5.45 round gained popularity in the regions of Pakistan and Afghanistan since then and is still used by the Russian military.
The cartridge is called Kalakov within Pakistan and Afghanistan, Silah Report further said.
With inputs from agencies
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