Not so long ago, all our compatriots who had at least some relation to the army or the production of weapons were literally dumbfounded by the thundering news - the AK-74, which was the main weapon of the Russian soldier for the past almost four decades, will no longer be purchased from the Izhmash plant..
This claim was made and supported by several arguments. First, at least six million AK-74s are already stored in military warehouses. According to some experts, this weapon will be enough to supply the regular army for another 10-15 years. Secondly, this machine gun, which took part in almost every major conflict that took place on any continent over the past four decades, is morally outdated. Its low accuracy of combat, as well as poor performance when firing in bursts, no longer suits the Ministry of Defense.
Well, maybe it is. But the same arguments can be viewed from a different angle. Is six million units enough for 10 years? Quite possible. But this statement turns out to be true only if it is calculated from the point of view of a peaceful, civilian person. Will this weapon be enough in a global military conflict? Most likely no. Or are the generals expecting to print out long-term storage warehouses that store hundreds of thousands of Mosin rifles, SKS and Degtyarev machine guns? Quite possible. But if the AK-74 can be considered obsolete, can you not say the same about the weapon that was created 30-80 years before it?
Of course, many experts argue that now the time has long passed when everything was decided by a simple number of soldiers, as it was during the Second World War - after all, now there are high-precision missiles, a multiple launch rocket system, aircraft with powerful equipment, and so on. However, even then, in the 30s and early 40s, some experts argued about the same, looking back at the First World War and a number of other conflicts (like the Spanish Civil War), they argued that tanks, aircraft and artillery would completely change the course of the battles. But then they turned out to be wrong, and the queen of the fields - the infantry - bore the brunt of the Great Patriotic War. Will it not happen again today?
Yes, perhaps the AK-74 is outdated and it is time to change it. Just what to change? Of course, the AN-94, also known as Abakan, demonstrates much better results. But its accuracy weakly compensates for the complexity of the design. But for an ordinary soldier, a machine gun is much better suited, which will shoot, even if dropped into mud, sand, water, swamp, after which you can pick it up and continue shooting. Of course, American M-4 weapons perform much better at shooting ranges when compared to the AK-74. Here are just the best results are shown ONLY during shooting ranges. When it is possible to calmly disassemble the jammed automatic carbine on a special table, clean it and assemble it again. Is it possible to do the same during a battle or just in the middle of a swamp? Hardly. But the AK-74 is quite capable of doing this. And this has to be done much less often - any sand is simply ground into dust, falling into the mechanism, and the branches - into chips, simply being thrown out by the bolt carrier when fired. But it is the reliability and ability of the machine to shoot in ANY conditions that is one of the main requirements that modern weapons must meet. And the AK-74, unlike the overwhelming majority of Western weapons, fully meets this requirement.
However, it is worth returning to the question of finding a replacement for the famous automaton. Izhmash agreed with the demands of the Ministry of Defense, asking to issue a certain amount for research. Alas, this request was not granted. Moreover, Defense Minister Anatoly Serdyukov "reassured" the specialists, saying that if Izhmash cannot create weapons that meet the needs, then machine guns, like sniper rifles, will be purchased in the west. This can only mean one thing - Russian weapons, which were rightfully considered the best in the world for many centuries, will be consigned to oblivion. It is quite understandable that if the Russian army does not arm itself with Russian weapons, they will not be produced. What result this will lead to is quite understandable. The unique school of Russian gunsmiths will be destroyed by its own government.
AK-74M
True, it is not yet known what kind of Western weapons will be purchased. Some experts look with hope at the samples of domestic weapons. It is quite possible that the same AK-74M, equipped with a bar for optical sights, will be able to meet the requirements of the Ministry of Defense at least partially. As practice shows, the installation of the simplest collimators allows you to increase the firing distance up to 2 times. In this case, targets will be confidently hit at a distance of 500-600 meters. If we consider shooting without optics, then this distance decreases to 300-400 meters.
The problem can be solved even more simply - old AK-74s can be equipped with an aiming bar, which will allow them to be fitted with optics. This will at least give time to domestic designers to create new models of small arms. It is quite understandable that if a massive purchase of weapons for the army abroad begins, it will be possible to put a bold cross on Russian weapons.
In July 2011, the first deputy general director of Izhmash, Maxim Kuzyuk, said that the concern was developing a new assault rifle that would differ from the classic scheme of the Kalashnikov assault rifle. What this means, Kuzyuk did not specify, but noted that the new machine "will be able to compete with the most modern analogues of small arms in the world." According to the program, new weapons will be created from scratch. "We have an army, ground forces, special units, and everyone has their own requirements. And creating a platform that will fulfill various tasks and goals is our priority task," Kuzyuk said.
Therefore, all that remains is to hope that the ministers will come to their senses and will be able to assess all the consequences of their decisions.
