russian Kalashnikov defense manufacturer has officially announced that modernized AK-12 rifle, designated as the 2023 model, has been adopted by the National Guard of the russian federation. This decision was formalized by a decree signed on August 28, according to the company’s press release.
Alan Lushnikov, the President of the Kalashnikov company, emphasized the significance of this development, highlighting it as a testament to the “high level of trust in our weapons by the customers”. However, Alan Lushnikov had previously stated that if the military raised any further concerns, the company would be ready to make additional modifications to the AK-12 rifle. Given that this rifle has already undergone several updates and “demodernizations”, his statement carries a certain irony.
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It is worth noting that issues with the AK-12 were identified as early as spring 2022 after only a brief period of use. Russian special forces encountered difficulties due to the lack of standard suppressors and the inability to install third-party options because of alignment problems. This forced them to revert to using older AKMS rifles.
Acknowledging the shortcomings, the Kalashnikov manufacturer undertook another round of modernization for the AK-12 rifle. The most significant change was the removal of the two-round burst fire mode, a feature that had been previously touted by russian media as an advantage over the M4 rifle.
Additionally, the problem of suppressor compatibility was addressed in a rather unorthodox manner by russian forces, by installing a non-removable flash hider, effectively preventing the attachment of any suppressor.
Finally, last spring, the Kalashnikov manufacturer unveiled modernized AK-12 2023 model, with serial production reportedly beginning in December. Deliveries to the troops were scheduled to start early this year.
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