Free Republic

The Kalashnikov assault rifle, chambered for the 5.56x45 mm NATO caliber cartridge, has aroused great interest among foreign customers, the president of the Kalashnikov concern, Alan Lushnikov, told TASS. "The assault rifle [AK-19 chambered for the NATO cartridge] is of great interest to various foreign customers," he said. The AK-19 assault rifle was created on the basis of the AK-12, approved for use by the Russian Armed Forces in 2018.

efense manufacturer Kalashnikov, a subsidiary of industrial giant Rostec, told reporters at Russia’s ARMY 2021 defense exhibition that the AK-12 assault rifle will become the new basic weapon for Russian troops. “The AK-12 has served as a replacement for the AK-74 since 2018 and will become the basic gun of the Russian Armed Forces in the next few years,” Kalashnikov’s press office announced. The company noted that the AK-12’s current and final design is based on feedback from field tests conducted in the lead-up to ARMY 2020. “The AK-12’s final design, shaped following its operational evaluation by troops, was featured...