The AK-12 combined arms assault rifle of the 2023 model has become more reliable, ergonomic and comfortable, Alan Lushnikov, president of the Kalashnikov concern, told reporters at the company's shooting center at the Patriot Exhibition and Convention Center. According to him, the weapon was modified taking into account the experience gained in the NWO zone.
"If we talk specifically about the AK-12, there are a lot of changes, but I can say two things. The new ergonomic butt is different, there are design features that allow you to shoot in a more comfortable way. And the fire translator - it used to be in three positions: single shot, double shot and automatic fire. According to the wishes of the fighters and the customer (the Ministry of Defense), we removed the cut-off for two shots - it turned out to be unclaimed, "Lushnikov said.
He noted that the specialists of the Kalashnikov concern work closely with the military, adapting weapons to their recommendations. The president of the concern said that the AK-12 will continue to improve, and one of its modifications may become smaller.
"The AK-12 has proved itself, it is in great demand. Everything that we supply to the Ministry of Defence, as far as I know, almost immediately ends up in the theater of operations, and this speaks for itself. Of course, any product requires constant improvement, development, so we do not stop, we constantly interact with users, with the customer, we understand their needs: how to change the design, what should be the consumer qualities, ergonomics. We are constantly working in this direction," Lushnikov added in an interview with RT.
Recall that the AK-12 was put into service in 2018. Its basic version is available in caliber 5.45 mm. The concern also produces a modification for the caliber 7.62 mm - AK-15. Weapons are supplied to the Ground Forces, Airborne Forces and Marines of the Russian Federation.
The assault rifle was developed on the basis of the AK-74M by a team led by Sergey Urzhumtsev, who holds the position of chief designer of the concern. The AK-12 is 54% unified with its predecessor, from which it inherited high reliability, reliability and relatively low production costs. At the same time, the AK-12 is more accurate, ergonomic and "more enduring" when firing non-stop than the AK-74M.
The weight of the AK-12 / AK-15 with a magazine without cartridges is 3,7 kg, the barrel length is 415 mm, the magazine capacity is 30 cartridges, the rate of fire is 700 rounds per minute.
Among the advantages of the machine is the ability to install a whole range of additional devices: sights, night vision devices, flashlights, target designators, as well as the principle of a hung barrel, which made it possible to increase the accuracy of fire.
Structural reinforcement
As Sergey Urzhumtsev said at a meeting with journalists at the Patriot Exhibition and Convention Center, deliveries of AK-12 to the troops began in 2019. In the process of operation, the military had certain comments and recommendations, which, along with the experience of the combat use of these weapons during the NMD, formed the basis for constructive changes.
In the 2023 assault rifle, the trigger mechanism was redesigned, in particular, the cut-off mode for two shots was excluded - due to the fact that it complicated maintenance and operation.
"We return to the standard scheme, when the trigger mechanism has three positions: protection position, single and automatic fire. In addition to this option, we introduce a two-way control body for the safety mechanism, "explained the chief designer.
- AK-12 in one of the military units of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation
- RIA Novosti
- © Pavel Lvov
According to him, special levers are installed on both sides of the AK-12, which can be controlled without taking your hand off the pistol grip.
"Moreover, an additional part now appears inside the receiver that blocks the mobile system of the machine gun when the weapon is on the fuse. This is done so that there is no possibility of a large movement of the bolt carrier at certain shock loads - when firing from a grenade launcher, with some blows, "Urzhumtsev added.
The designer explained that the new technical solution will allow less deformation of the safety and firing mechanisms, which were less resistant to loads in previous AK models.
Also, as Urzhumtsev said, the AK-12 of the 2023 model is equipped with a new fixed muzzle flame arrester instead of a removable muzzle brake-compensator. This approach facilitates the installation of devices for silent shooting.
Along with this, the machine received an improved diopter sight, in which a flip rear sight appeared with holes of different diameters (1,8 mm and 4,5 mm) for the convenience of aiming at different distances, under different weather conditions and illumination. As the designer explained, a rear sight with a diameter of 4,5 mm is needed for effective shooting at distances of 100-150 m, in conditions of pollution, dust, rain or insufficient light. When shooting at long distances, you can switch to a diameter of 1.8 mm in one motion.
Commenting on the changes in the butt, Urzhumtsev said that the AK-12 began to be equipped with a removable "tactical cheek", which makes it easier to work with the machine gun when installing various optoelectronic devices.
Improvements also affected the forearm and receiver lining. According to the designer, the military noted the lack of strength and increased heat transfer of the plastic from which these elements were made.
"In this case, the structure is strengthened by thickening the individual elements. The pad now has additional attachment points ... The lining is no longer backlash. Relative to it, the forearm is attached with additional attachment points, "said the chief designer of the Kalashnikov concern.
- A soldier of the Novorossiysk airborne assault mountain compound with an AK-12
- © Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation
In addition, he spoke about simplifying the assembly and disassembly of the AK-12 of the 2023 model, modeled on previous models.
Now the machine is undergoing a cycle of tests in order to confirm the feasibility of the changes made, Urzhumtsev said. Verification of the updated weapons should be completed by mid-June. At the same time, in the near future, a batch of 100 units of modified AK-12 will be transferred to the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation for military operation.
"Reliability and convenience"
As the experts interviewed by RT noted, the concern's specialists have done a great job of eliminating comments from the participants in the NWO and the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation. First of all, the performance of the AK-12 was improved.
"The AK-12 has been tested in real combat conditions. It has always been normal practice to refine the model put into service. In this case, we received a machine gun of the 2023 model, which implements technical solutions in order to increase the reliability and convenience of weapons. It can be seen that the concern's specialists were attentive to the wishes of the military, "said Alexander Butyrin, a columnist for the Fiery Frontier magazine.
In his opinion, the improved AK-12 has really become easier to operate, more ergonomic and even more convenient in terms of using additional devices - silencers, sights, target designators. The expert drew attention to the new diopter sight, which should improve the accuracy of shooting at short distances.
"The main feature of the AK-12 is lower recoil, increased accuracy of fire and the ability to install a wide range of additional devices. Yes, there were problems with the diopter sight, but the specialists quickly made changes. I am sure that now it will be much more comfortable to fire from the updated machine gun during precipitation, in the field and in different light conditions, "Butyrin believes.
A similar point of view is shared by the founder of the MilitaryRussia portal, Dmitry Kornev. In a conversation with RT, he drew attention to the fact that the creators of the AK-12 listened to complaints about the endurance of materials and individual components. For this reason, the forearm and receiver lining were reinforced. An important decision was to increase the reliability of the firing mechanism.
"The announced design changes should not be taken critically. This is almost the same machine that was put into service in 2018. Changes in terms of design can be called cosmetic, but this refinement is important for ease of use in real combat conditions, "Kornev explained.
- AK-12 combined arms assault rifle
- RIA Novosti
- © Alexei Panshin
According to him, any combat experience always becomes an incentive to improve standard weapons and create new models. Kornev is confident that in the NVO zone, the AK-12 proved to be a worthy individual weapon - mainly due to its good accuracy and adaptability to the installation of additional devices.
"The creators of the AK-12 at the development stage understood that even an ordinary infantryman in modern conflicts needs a weapon that allows you to conduct combat operations at night and shoot more accurately. With this in mind, the AK-12 was created. Now we are witnessing its evolution. These weapons are becoming more reliable and convenient, adapted to the recommendations of military personnel, "Kornev concluded.