Russia's Rostec defense consortium will begin production of the newest model of the Kalashnikov AK-12 assault rifle this year. 

Head of Rostec Sergey Chemezov revealed that the new rifle is the fifth generation of the legendary firearm that received a new design mirroring the experience that Russian troops have gained during the war in Ukraine.

“We are working in cooperation with the military and are getting their feedback,” he noted as he unmasked the upgraded rifle on Friday.

He added that "we can promptly react to the changing needs [of the army] and introduce construction changes as well as improving our products."

Moreover, Chemezov stressed the new AK-12 model had “major improvements” and is more user-friendly and ergonomic. He confirmed that this year the new model would be mass-produced.

It is worth noting that the AK-12 assault rifle has a 5.45 mm caliber. It has improved operating precision and fire density in comparison to previous generations. In addition, the rifle has multiple Picatinny rails for gun sights and laser target markers.

The weapon is just one of the cutting-edge weapons offered by the Kalashnikov Group. The 5.5645 mm AK-19 assault rifle and the 9mm PPK-20 submachine pistol are also among them. The company manufactures 7.62mm caliber AK-15 assault rifles for the Russian Army and AK-19 rifles for international clients.

Earlier this month, the Kalashnikov Group, a subsidiary of Rostec, announced a 20-year output boost, with its guns section producing 40% more military and civilian small arms in 2022 than in 2021.

Kalashnikov described the 45 state military contracts, 24 military-technical cooperation agreements, and one arrangement to license manufacture elsewhere as "the greatest deals in history."

That occured after Russian President Vladimir Putin instructed the heads of the defense industry to scale up their efforts of producing weapons and other military equipment to supply the Russian forces fighting on the Ukraine fronts.

Russian Minister of Defense Sergei Shoigu made a visit to the Kalashnikov weapons factory in Izhevsk and told the head of the facility that the government would "significantly increase" purchases from the factory in 2023.

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