The CEO of Russia’s famed Kalashnikov Concern announced that the company would redesign the AK-12 assault rifle in response to feedback from troops in Ukraine.
Necessity has long been touted as the mother of invention, but experience could be its father. That has certainly been the case with firearm development.
Moreover, it could be argued that machine guns weren’t really “necessary”, and the adoption of the weapon had unforeseen consequences.
The trenches dug across the Western Front during World War I were very much the result of machine guns changing the battlefield dynamics, but it was during the same horrible conflict that the “submachine gun” was born from lessons learned by the military leadership.
The CEO of the Kalashnikov Concern, Russia’s primary small-arms maker, has suggested that the latest generation of the AK-12 assault rifle is based on “combat experience analysis,” resulting in improvements over the previous series.
“I can provide an example of the modernization of our main AK-12 assault rifle. Currently, the concern is mass-producing the third generation of this product.
“The so-called 2023 version of the AK-12 assault rifle underwent all necessary testing in 2023. It was developed entirely based on the combat experience of the previous two versions, of 2018 and 2021,” explained Alan Lusknikov, Kalashnikov Concern CEO and member of the Russian Union of Machine Engineers.
In an interview with the Russian state news agency TASS, Lusknikov added that the improvements to the AK-12 third-generation models were the result of frontline experience. Designers at the arms firm reportedly visited testing grounds as well as with “active units” near the combat zone.
It is unlikely the designers were anywhere near the front lines, but they did receive feedback from troops who had used the AK-12 in combat.
“This is not an easy job: all the collected information should be systematized, all changes should be incorporated into the design documentation and approved by the customer,” added Luskniko.
“So, these aren’t really quick processes, but to be fair, it must be said that bureaucratic red tape is now being resolved much more quickly than before.”
The TASS report didn’t identify which improvements were made to the AK-12 or whether production has begun on the next batch of assault rifles featuring the modernization.
However, it has been previously reported that the Kremlin has struggled to equip its forces with the AK-12, with many units receiving the AK-74 or even the Cold War-era AK-47/AKM.
A batch of AK-12Ks, a shortened variant of the gas-operated assault rifle chambered in 5.45x39mm, was delivered to Russian forces in October 2025.
The Kalashnikov Concern didn’t specify how many units the batch included. Still, unlike with Russia’s tanks or aircraft, which typically see just a handful delivered at a time, the Russian arms maker has been able to produce hundreds or even thousands of the weapons. That still isn’t enough to meet demand, however.
The AK-12 is a modernized version of the AK-74, itself an upgrade of the AK-47 of Cold War notoriety.
The AK-12 is, in essence, the latest in a series of assault rifles purportedly developed by Mikhail Kalashnikov during the later stages of World War II and finalized shortly after the end of the conflict.
There is now a debate on how much outside insight Kalashnikov may have had, but he will forever be linked to the AK-47.
- Caliber: 5.45×39mm
- Barrel Length: 415 mm (16.3 in)
- Total Length: 880–940 mm (adjustable)
- Weight: ~3.3–3.5 kg (empty)
- Magazine Capacity: 30 rounds (standard)
- Operation: Semi-auto, Full-auto (older models had 2-round burst)
- Action: Gas-operated, long-stroke gas piston
- Sights: Updated diopter/iron sights, Picatinny rail on receiver
- Ergonomics: Adjustable stock, ergonomic grip
- Modularity: Picatinny rails on the handguard (top, bottom, sides) for accessories.Improved
- Design: Hinged dust cover, free-floating barrel, modernized magazine design with ground rest feature.
- Variants: AK-15 (7.62x39mm), AK-19 (5.56x45mm NATO), and shorter-barrel AK-12K.
The company now known as the “Kalashnikov Concern” predates the famed Russian arms designer’s life by roughly a century. It was founded by Tsar Alexander I of Russia, who introduced it in 1807 as the state’s military arsenal.
It remained under state control following the Russian Civil War and, until 2013, was known as the Izhevsk Machine-Building Plant.
In recent years, Kalashnikov has supplied about 95 percent of all small arms in Russia and exported them to 27 other countries.
(National interest)
