The chief designer at the Kalashnikov concern, Sergei Urzhumtsev, recently stated that the first lot of AK-12 assault rifles, updated to reflect lessons from a recent special military operation, is expected to be ready in the latter half of this year. This information was reported by TASS.
Urzhumtsev emphasized that all implemented changes would be carried through. He noted that production is already underway and that the initial batch would be released in the second half of 2023 in portions aligned with the state order, underscoring a steady and planned rollout.
He added that on the eve of testing, the AK-12 rifles had been modified to incorporate insights from the experience of the special operation in Ukraine. By mid-June, the first 100 units had already been handed over to troops for field evaluation and feedback.
Earlier, Alan Lushnikov, the head of the Kalashnikov concern, had reported progress on a new submachine gun developed for the Russian Ministry of Defense, indicating ongoing adaptation of weapons programs to current requirements.
On February 25, another batch confirmed that the AK-12 remained in the lineup of equipment deployed to the battlefield. It was noted that the two-shot cut mode was removed from the design, as it did not provide a meaningful productivity gain and instead added unnecessary complexity to the mechanism.