The entry of the Central Research Institute of Precision Engineering (TsNIITOCHMASH, Podolsk) into the Kalashnikov Concern (Izhevsk) will speed up the development of the latest weapons and simplify the deployment of their mass production.

This opinion was expressed in an RT commentary by the editor-in-chief of the National Defense magazine Igor Korotchenko.

“TSNIITOCHMASH is one of the leading developers and ideologists of almost the entire line of small arms in Russia, including weapons for special forces.

Integration into Kalashnikov is beneficial to both enterprises and will have a positive impact on the saturation of Russia's law enforcement agencies with the most modern small arms,” Korotchenko emphasized.

According to the expert, the quality of the implementation of the state defense order for small arms depends on the effectiveness of the Kalashnikov.

The accession of TsNIITOCHMASH to the concern will allow it to make a "powerful leap forward in terms of scientific, methodological and intellectual base."

“This decision, of course, meets the strategic interests of Russia to continue to occupy a leading position as a developer of small arms,” Korotchenko emphasized.

A similar opinion is shared by the columnist for the magazine "Firing Line" Alexander Butyrin.

In an interview with RT, the expert noted that, acting in the same control loop, TSNIITOCHMASH and Kalashnikov would "complement each other."

“Undoubtedly, TSNIITOCHMASH will strengthen the Kalashnikov, but the concern with its resources will also bring a positive effect to the work of the Moscow region enterprise.

Closer cooperation will favorably affect the results of the creation and production of new weapons, ”Butyrin explained.

"New Impulse"

Recall that on July 5, TSNIITOCHMASH and Kalashnikov published information that the Federal Antimonopoly Service granted the Izhevsk company's request to acquire the rights to determine the conditions for the business activities of the Podolsk Research Institute.

The transaction will be implemented through the conclusion of a "trust management agreement for 100% of the company's voting shares for a period of one year."

As a result, "TSNIITOCHMASH will be included in the group of persons of JSC Concern Kalashnikov and will be under its direct control."

  • Test site TSNIITOCHMASH

  • © cniitm.ru

At the same time, the FAS order states that the Podolsk Research Institute will be subject to the prohibitions provided for in Art.

10 of the federal law "On Protection of Competition", which does not allow an economic entity to abuse its dominant position.

“In addition, the Federal Antimonopoly Service of Russia instructs the Kalashnikov concern to ensure that TSNIITOCHMASH fulfills all previously concluded contracts and development work.

It is impossible to carry out measures to re-profile activities and production capacities, the result of which may be the termination of the activities of TsNIITOCHMASH and others, ”the messages of both companies say.

As experts explained, the upcoming deal does not mean the takeover of the Podolsk Research Institute by the larger and more influential Kalashnikov.

The document will protect economic rights and the unique design school TSNIITOCHMASH.

“The deal is designed to give a new impetus to the development of both enterprises, but it is concluded between companies that are, let's say, in different weight categories.

Under such conditions, TsNIITOCHMASH must retain a certain degree of autonomy.

It is extremely important to preserve the original TsNIITOCHMASH design school, its traditions, to prevent the outflow of personnel from Podolsk, ”retired colonel, military expert Viktor Litovkin emphasized in an interview with RT.

TSNIITOCHMASH has been operating for over 78 years.

The enterprise was originally called the Research Institute of Small Arms and Cannon Aviation and was located in the village of Kuntsevo.

Then the Institute moved to the Moscow region.

Within the walls of TSNIITOCHMASH, such well-known scientists as Vasily Petrovich Gryazev and Arkady Georgievich Shipunov worked, who created multi-barreled automatic guns.

Now another legendary gunsmith continues to work at the enterprise - Pyotr Ivanovich Serdyukov, the developer of silent firearms systems.

In total, TSNIITOCHMASH specialists designed more than 200 types of weapons, which then went into mass production.

Basically, these are light firearms, cartridges and ammunition for various law enforcement agencies, including special forces.

Among the outstanding examples of design ideas of engineers near Moscow are the Pecheneg machine gun, the SR-1, Gyurza, and Udav pistols, the SR-2 submachine gun, the Barmitsa and Ratnik equipment sets, the silent Val and sniper rifles. rifle "Vintorez", 5.6-mm cartridge for the Kalashnikov assault rifle and other ammunition.

  • Fighters with weapons developed by TSNIITOCHMASH

  • © cniitm.ru

One of the latest inventions of Podolsk engineers is the PKM-75 high-performance collimator sight, which can be installed on all types of AKs, on Val, Vintorez and assault rifles.

In addition, TsNIITOCHMASH created the latest 120-mm Lotos self-propelled artillery gun for the needs of the Airborne Forces.

The combat vehicle significantly outperforms the late Soviet counterpart "Nona" in terms of tactical and technical characteristics. 

As Litovkin noted, the products of the TsNIITOCHMASH team are not as well known to the general public as the products of Kalashnikov.

Meanwhile, the Podolsk enterprise is the flagship of the domestic industry in the field of providing special forces with the most advanced types of weapons.

“TsNIITOCHMASH mainly has small-scale products.

This is due to the orders of special forces, which are rarely large-scale.

During its work, TSNIITOCHMASH designed a large number of weapons and ammunition that are completely unique and highly effective for their tasks.

Whereas Kalashnikov is traditionally focused more on large-scale production,” said Litovkin.

The expert's words are confirmed by statistics.

The Kalashnikov facilities produce 95% of all small arms in the Russian Federation.

The Izhevsk company is noticeably older than TSNIITOCHMASH and has long been a hallmark of the Russian defense industry, currently supplying products to 27 countries around the world.

In addition, in recent years, the list of military products of the concern has expanded significantly.

The modern Kalashnikov, in addition to a variety of small arms, produces equipment, drones, robotic systems, boats, guided missiles, armored tracked and wheeled platforms.

More fruitful and profitable

According to experts, the process of integrating TsNIITOCHMASH into Kalashnikov will be facilitated by the fact that both companies are part of the Rostec circuit, albeit on different terms.

On its website, the Podolsk Research Institute reports that it is a "organization of direct control" of the state corporation.

At the same time, Kalashnikov is controlled by Rostec through a blocking stake of 25%.

The remaining three quarters of the authorized capital minus one share are distributed among private investors.

  • Demonstration of samples of small arms of the Kalashnikov concern to the Minister of Defense of the Russian Federation Sergei Shoigu

  • © kalashnikovgroup.ru

In a TASS commentary, the industrial director of the Rostec weapons cluster, Bekhan Ozdoev, said that TSNIITOCHMASH and Kalashnikov are already interacting with each other.

For example, it is on the site of the Izhevsk Mechanical Plant that the Udav pistol will be mass-produced.

“The transfer of documentation, the adjustment of the technological process - all this requires time, which we will be able to significantly reduce when merging enterprises,” Ozdoev said.

According to the top manager of Rostec, the transfer of TsNIITOCHMASH to the trust management of Kalashnikov will make it possible to synchronize the efforts of the two enterprises in the creation and production of weapons, as well as "to establish the continuity of the development-production-sales chain."

Alexander Butyrin believes that the integration of the Podolsk Research Institute into Kalashnikov will simplify the bureaucratic procedures for establishing the production of the latest firearms and ammunition for them.

The expert also drew attention to the fact that recently in the defense industry of the Russian Federation there has been a tendency to unite enterprises of one industry into a single management structure.

In this regard, Butyrin called the upcoming deal between the Podolsk Research Institute and the Izhevsk concern logical.

“TsNIITOCHMASH and Kalashnikov conducted quite a lot of parallel developments, especially on pistols and small-sized weapons.

There was not much point in such a semblance of competition, in my opinion.

For both enterprises, it is joint activities that are more fruitful and profitable,” Butyrin concluded.