The Russian Army will induct modified version of new Kalashnikov AK-12 assault rifle along with several other small arms into operational service next year, a senior government official has revealed.
Military-Industrial Commission deputy chairman, Oleg Bochkarev, said in an interview with Echo Moskvy radio that: ”In 2014, the Russian Army will start receiving new assault rifles, handguns, machine guns and sniper rifles, including 5.45-mm and 7.62-mm variants of the Kalashnikov AK-12 assault rifle.”
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An upgraded variant of the Russian Army’s Soviet-era 5.45mm calibre AK-74 Kalashnikov series, AK-12 is capable of firing foreign-standard barrel-mounted grenades in three different modes, including single shot, three-shot burst and automatic fire.
Rolled out by its manufacturer, Izhmash in January 2012, the rifle retains almost all the AK-74’s features and overall layout, with enhanced technology and features a folding stock, height-adjustable heelpiece, as well as Picatinny rails to support attachment of optical and night-sights, grenade launchers, target indicators and other special equipment.
Configurable for cartridges varying from 5.45mm x 39mm to 7.62mm x 51mm Nato standard, the rifle is also designed to serve as a basic platform for development of AK-12U carbine, PPK-12 submachine gun, SVK-12 sniper rifle RPK-12 light machine gun and several other export versions.
Also known as AK-200, the tactically flexible assault rifle however, demonstrated technical faults during its preliminary trials, which were carried out by the Russian central arms testing body, Tochmash, in November 2012.
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By GlobalDataThe state acceptance trials of the rifle are scheduled to commence in later in 2013, with serial production planned by the end of the year.
Image: The AK-12 assault rifle on display at Engineering Technologies International Forum-2012. Photo: courtesy of Vitaly V. Kuzmin.
