Recently, the press has been actively discussing the termination of purchases of AK-74 for the armed forces of the Russian Federation. There were even suggestions about the possible removal of the legendary Kalashnikov assault rifle from the army's armament. However, in an interview for Rossiyskaya Gazeta, Defense Minister Anatoly Serdyukov called all these conversations "stupidity" and explained that the rejection of major contracts for the purchase of a Kalashnikov assault rifle does not mean that it will not be used in the future.
He also noted the fact that at the moment fundamentally new design solutions for small arms are needed. The purchase of new assault rifles will begin only after the analysis and comparison of new samples with the Kalashnikov assault rifles already in service. According to one of the models being developed, which the media called "a one-armed assault rifle", the General Staff already suspected that it would retain all the existing shortcomings of the Kalashnikov assault rifle.
The first information that the Ministry of Defense is stopping purchases of Kalashnikov assault rifles appeared at the end of September. They were confirmed by Chief of the General Staff Nikolai Makarov, who explained that this decision was made due to the fact that a huge amount of AK-74s had accumulated in warehouses. He mentioned that it is possible to equip several armies with the currently available assault rifles, so it makes no sense to buy new lots. First you need to deal with those that already exist.
According to RIA Novosti, the plans are to equip the army with new-generation assault rifles. However, at the moment it is not clear which model will replace the AK-74. At the Izhmash plant, even before the tender announced by the Ministry of Defense for the development of a replacement for the AK, the development of a new model, with the working name AK-12, was started.
One of the main advantages of the AK-12, according to the designers, will be the ability to perform all the necessary actions for firing with one hand. However, in the military departments there were concerns about the accuracy of the new model. According to one of the high-ranking representatives of the General Staff, the drawings that were shown to them do not contain any fundamental differences from the models of the old model. The same gas outlet tube will be used, the piston will remain unchanged - all this suggests that in the new model the recoil will remain unchanged and the machine gun will begin to "drive" around after the first shot fired.
At the moment, the AK-12 has not been shown anywhere. There is only a message from the chief designer of the machine, Vladimir Zlobin, in which he mentions the preservation of the corporate, recognizable appearance - the same curved horn, gas outlet and piston will remain. However, in general, the model will receive a new format and a larger ammunition load, it will increase to 60 rounds. He also noted that the reliability and reliability of the new model will remain at the level of the previous ones. And despite the fact that the gas outlet mechanism will remain, in general, the automation will work much smoother.
Representatives of the Russian defense industry report a variety of new products among the weapons being developed, which not only are not inferior to foreign counterparts, but sometimes even surpass them. "Independent Military Review" published information about some of them. The most interesting is the ADS assault rifle with a caliber of 12.7 mm, which allows firing both on land and under water. Information was also announced about the new 12.7 mm ASh-12 assault rifle with a subsonic bullet. However, the adoption of these new products is hampered by the fact that at the moment all warehouses are full of Kalashnikov assault rifles.
Manufacturers mentioned that now the Ministry of Defense buys new items in single copies. General Designer of the State Unitary Enterprise "KBP" Viktor Zelenko in an interview for "Moskovsky Komsomolets" said that the new ADS was tested and put into service four years ago, but it is purchased in meager quantities, two pieces a year.
The designer said that at the moment only the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the FSB are buying new weapons, they are also exported to Algeria, Syria, the Emirates, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Canada and other countries. The quality of the weapon suits everyone, and there are repeated orders, but in Russia there is simply no money for it, Zelenko shared.
He also called the talk that the purchase of new weapons is hampered by the warehouses heaped up with old Kalashnikovs, "utter nonsense." According to him, if you follow this logic, then the Mosin rifle should still be in service, because there is also a sufficient number of it.
In "Moskovsky Komsomolets" appeared the words of the representative of the Izhevsk machine building plant, which says that at the moment Russian gunsmiths have to follow the high requirements set by the Ministry of Defense. However, they do not receive any guarantees that new weapons will be purchased for the army in the future.
