When people think of the latest Russian small arms development, they naturally think of the AK-12. The design attempted to bring the venerable Kalashnikov pattern into the post-9/11 world of rails, optics, and force multiplier accessories. Though this could be done with the help of third-party accessories on the old AK platform, the AK-12 made the gun out-of-the-box ready for all the gadgets promised from Russia’s defense budget. However, anyone familiar with military procurement and weapons deployment will know that often the shiny and new platforms have to wait for production to ramp up, for budgets to be finalized, and more often, for the “good enough” older platforms to break down.

For this reason, when the war in Ukraine began, I was skeptical of the AK-12 having any significant use. The AK-74m and AK-100 series of weapons were my best guess as the most common weapons to be used. Without access to classified or insider information, I used the old Cold War yardstick of looking at the May 9^th Victory Day parades. In the years leading up to the 2022 full-scale invasion, only specialized units like airborne and naval infantry groups goose-stepped their way across Red Square with rifles strapped across their stripped chests. More troubling, or perhaps reassuring depending on your point of view, parts kits spirited into the United States and began to show that the AK-12 as the platform was not such a step forward as the Russians were hoping. Though the weapon is not the most common platform over there, it surprised me in how often it was captured by Ukrainian forces, or otherwise photographed by Russians themselves. Ukrainian forces routinely fight with captured AK-12s as a stopgap for dwindling Soviet stock, and latent production of Ukraine’s own AR platform, the UAR. The evidence shows that I was proven wrong. Russia has made a concerted effort to put the AK-12 into as many hands as possible, and what is more, the Russians are learning lessons from its deployment.

In response to these lessons, and possibly even criticism from international experts online, the weapon progresses through three iterations of the rifle: the model 2015, the 2022, and the 2023. Simultaneously, Tula, another famed site of Russian arms production, and Kalashnikov Concern have started to work on three new cartridges. In typical Russian fashion, Russia tends to copy a good design when they see one (just look at their automotive industry over the last ninety years). One possible new cartridge, the 6.02x41mm seems to compete with the US 6.8x51mm, as the US reconsiders its own formula for cartridge capability for its new generation of standard-issue small arms.

The 5.45×39 cartridge, which the AK-12 and the AK-74 platforms use, was its own response to the American use of .556 as a military cartridge in Vietnam- a high-speed micro-caliber round designed, let’s be honest, for varmint hunting, which could deliver high-energy onto a human size target. As everyone naturally remembers from high school physics, force equals mass times acceleration. Acceleration, of course, is speed squared. That means you get a big force multiplier for going faster while if you increase only mass, you get less bang for your buck than if you increase acceleration. Things get complicated in the real world, though. Things that are light also slow down with greater ease. Likewise, inertia also means that things with more mass take more energy to get going, but also take more effort to stop. It’s why we use high-mass uranium ammunition to break through tank armor like butter. Similarly for soft targets, you’d like a round that ideally passes its energy into the target without penetrating, or else that energy is lost in the pass-through. Okay, the physics lesson is over, but the Russians have been paying attention to this balancing act between speed and mass that every weapons engineer has been dealing with ever since forever.

In 2020, the Tula Cartridge Plant and Kalashnikov Concern began running the numbers on 6.7x45mm, 6.5x39mm and 6.02x41mm. The ideal round would need to have a manageable recoil impulse for automatic fire but still meet penetrating action values. After all, the goal of the round is to deal with modern body armor-clad targets, without being unmanageable for basic conscripts. The initiative selected the 6.02×41 as the most optimal candidate. To compare the round to 5.45×39 and 7.62×39, the round has superior kinetic energy at extended distances, maintaining armor-piercing capability up to 900 meters, according to Kalashnikov Concerns own publications. This is due to the bullet shape and improved external ballistic capabilities. Once again, the mission set of the cartridge matches the American 6.8x51mm, which similarly attempts to bring full-powered ballistics to intermediate cartridges to defeat Chinese and Russian body armor threats. However, this new Russian cartridge would need a weapon.

The AK-22 and SVCh:

To test the potential of the 6.02x41mm caliber, Kalashnikov Concern has modified a standard AK-12 model into the AK-22, showcasing its adaptability and versatility. AKs surprisingly accommodate re-chambering well. Additionally, the SVCh (Sniper Rifle, Large Caliber), which seeks to replace the SVD Dragunov, has been chambered for the 6.02x41mm cartridge. As an aside, there is talk of developing a new cartridge to replace the aging 7.62x54R. This could lead to the creation of a new general-purpose machine gun (GPMG) to rival the nascent U.S. 338 Norma Magnum lightweight medium machine gun program. These two short and long platforms allow for ballistic testing and overall weapon handling for the round. Though the SVCh platform, due to barrel length and inherent accuracy, is likely to see the top-level performance of the round, the Russians (to date) have avoided a return to “battle rifles” for standard-issue military arms.  Kalashnikov Concern recently completed a three-year contract to supply AK-12 rifles to the Russian Ministry of Defense, reportedly ahead of schedule. There is certainly a need for more rifles as the war progresses and resources are lost.

The future of the 6.02x41mm cartridge and the potential adoption of the AK-22 and SVCh for special military operations in Ukraine remain uncertain but intriguing possibilities. Will the Russians change horses mid-stream or will they introduce an experimental program as they did for the 7.62×39 in the waning days of the Second World War? History will show how these discussions will play out.

One critical consideration for the future of Russian assault rifles is ensuring that new developments outperform their predecessors. The AK-12 faced criticism for not significantly surpassing its predecessor and lacking widespread adoption of optics. Russia will certainly take notice of these past experiences, such as the U.S. Advanced Combat Rifle program, to create competitive offerings like the Vortex XM157. This will likely cause some hesitancy in adopting the cartridge any time soon. Beyond the AK-12, Russian firearm developers are considering the AM-17 series, Russia’s monolithic upper receiver rifle, which offers compact and full-size rifles in various calibers, with a focus on reducing weight and improving ergonomics. The platform takes on the challenge of the AK’s rigid receiver design and limited optic mounting options over the top of the receiver. The AKV-521, described as “the 500 Series AK,” addresses these challenges as well, radically changing the AK’s function to incorporate a lower receiver hinge vaguely reminiscent of an AR-15.  The RPL-20, a belt-fed light machine gun, rechambered in 6.02x41mm, could potentially fill the role of the US M249 or the new XM250. However, such a transition would require doctrinal changes in how Russia deploys and employs light machine guns and GPMGs.

Russia is entering an exploratory phase of weapon design, learning from its “Special Military Operation” in Ukraine, and striving for continuous improvement in its small arms and equipment. It remains to be seen what path it will take, but the development of the AK-12 and exploration of new calibers, along with potential alternatives like the AM-17 and AKV-521, demonstrate Russia’s commitment to staying competitive in an ever-evolving global arms race. As the future unfolds, the Russian firearms industry will play a crucial role in the nation’s defense capabilities.

By Lynndon Schooler

Vladimir Zlobin, the former director of the AK-12 project, can be characterized as an ambitious weapons designer. In fact, he is likely the most significant designer of Kalashnikov’s future development in recent history and the designer to bring Russia’s most famous export, alongside vodka and caviar, into the 21^st century. I recently had the opportunity to handle the newly adopted variant of the AK-12, and in continuation of my prior work documenting the early prototype development of the AK-47, I could not pass up the chance to dig into its development cycle from Russian primary sources. The AK-12 and its rivals indicate that the Kalashnikov’s evolution is as much alive and in flux as it was in the heady days of 1946–1949. The Russian Army faces new threats and has requirements for technologically contemporary force multipliers. As a result, the Kalashnikov of the next decade will look substantially different from Mikhail’s Kovrov workshop prototypes but nonetheless will keep the same mechanism presented to Stalin in 1949. It was Vladimir Zlobin who took the first concrete actions to manifest a modular next-generation AK rifle and in 2011 took up work at the famed Izhmash Factory in Izhevsk. Today, the institution is part of Kalashnikov Concern. His goal was to design a rifle comparable to the AK-107 recoil balanced rifle, which was being tested at the time for the beginning of the Ratnik trials—the new design being simpler and remaining more traditional than other radical recoil balanced next-generation designs.

In 2012, Zlobin’s team produced the first prototype of the AK-12 to little success. While visually distinct, the rifle suffered from a long list of defects including full-auto reliability issues, requiring the design team to constantly alter and fine tune the design. The new 2013 version addressed the issues of the first iteration, putting the AK-12 back to the drawing board for a third time. The 2015 iteration remained similar to the first iterations; however, it was fitted with a combination front sight gas block in an effort to reduce the weapon’s over all weight. As seen on the two previous designs, the original design was to be ambidextrous with a left to right swappable charging handle with a simple collar on the carrier; removing the dust cover to move the charging handle from left to right, it had a very interesting selector design for improved ergonomics for left- or right-hand shooters and a bolt catch and bolt release. All features were deducted on the next iteration.

By late 2015 to early 2016, Vladimir Zlobin, the original designer who oversaw the project for four years, was replaced for internal reasons by Sergei Urzhumtsev, the former CEO of Molot factory in the Southern Kirov region of Russia. Urzhumtsev was appointed the Deputy General Director and Chief Designer at Kalashnikov Concern. Now in control over construction, Urzhumtsev scrapped the design and its futuristic aesthetic in favor of a new more traditional and simpler design called the AK-400 series at the time. Simplifying the design reduced the cost by allowing manufacturing to use AK-100-generation equipment, change over to a new variant and ease training familiarity and rifle introduction. The gun would also be familiar to those who have handled an AK-74M and would be easily integrated into current rifle training regimes. The new AK-400 was shortly renamed AK-12 and was adopted for military service in 2016, under the designation GRAU 6P70.

AK-12 in Its Current Format

The current 2016 iteration of the AK-12 uses a modified AK-74M/100 series construction. It uses an enhanced selector lever and fire control group that fulfill the 4-position requirement for safe, fully automatic, two-round burst and semi-automatic fire. The two-round burst was a requirement by the Russian Ministry of Defense; the original iterations were designed for three-round burst. At the bottom of the receiver a new selector stop is used to accommodate the additional selector position. The rear trunnion is carried over from the 100 series but uses a new recoil guide assembly to secure the new dust cover securely to allow optics mounted on the top M1913 rail to return to zero. A removable rear sight aperture mounts to the rear of the railed dust cover. The AK-12 uses a standard AK receiver from the AK-74M/100 series; however, it does not have a cutout for a forward folding stock locking latch. The front trunnion appears to also be the same as the AK-74M/100 series, but it has a securing block welded in place on top of the front trunnion in place of a rear sight tower as seen on the previous AK series. In its place, a permanently secured block holds the gas tube and mount for the front dust cover rotating pin. This pin secures the dust cover to the front block and allows it to rotate upward. The front trunnion utilizes a “bolt rotate rivet” to lock the bolt into the battery seen on the left of the weapon.

This design feature is a trait of previous military and Saiga products currently in production. The lower handguard secures under the front trunnion with a removable pin intersecting the receiver and two wings of the handguard concealed under the trunnion. The gas tube cover slides on two rails on the lower handguard and is secured in place by the front dust cover lever. The gas tube is non-removable, but a plug in the gas block, secured by a detent, can be removed to access the tube and gas port for cleaning. To the rear of the front sight/gas block is a sling attachment ring, which allows for free movement of a sling to either side of the rifle. The front sight post is elevation-adjustable only with windage done on the rear sight via an RPK-style rear leaf aperture sight. The gas block also has the rear bayonet lug with cleaning rod eyelet; the front bayonet lug is attached to the front muzzle device attachment block. The AK-12 has a new proprietary muzzle attachment block with a reminiscent AK-74 break. The new muzzle attachment method can accept new proprietary suppressors. Unfortunately, the muzzle attachment block is not compatible to any previous muzzle device or suppressor thread pitch. To remove the muzzle device the detent is pushed and rotated 1/4 turn to remove for cleaning or to add a proprietary suppressor.

The AK-12 stock contains a new cleaning kit capsule including a sectional cleaning rod. To access the cleaning kit, a plunger on the bottom of the buttstock is pulled out, and the buttpad slides either up or down for access. The pistol is fitted with a capsule for accessories. Also introduced alongside the AK-12 is a new 5.45mm magazine design with two design iterations. The early version had a visible square recess on both sides of the magazine for a future project that was canceled. The currently manufactured AK-12 magazines have eliminated this feature. The AK-12 will accept all AK-74 pattern magazines and the new 95-round 5.45 RPK-16 magazine.

Increasing Accuracy

Izhmash and Kalashnikov Concern took approaches to increase accuracy in both the AK-12 and AK-15. The barrel tolerances were tightened up, rifling was modified, and contact between the barrel and other components was minimized. Despite the efforts to “almost freefloat” the design to increase the weapon’s accuracy, so far no drastic improvements were shown during testing.

The AK-12, in the form officially adopted by the Russian Federation, weighs 7.71 pounds with a barrel length of 16.3 inches. The rifle’s M1913 mounting points for modern war fighting devices amplify the weapon’s effectiveness on the battlefield and are a step forward for the modern Kalashnikov operator. Russian sources expect to see deliveries of both the AK-12 in 5.45×39 (6P70) and the AK-15 in 7.62×39 (6P71) in early 2019.

As part of the requirements of the Ratnik program for a new 5.45×39 rifle, a new 7.62×39 rifle was submitted, originally the AK-103-3 which was dropped for a completely new rifle development.

The AK-15 is intended for Russian special forces needing more firepower than the micro caliber 5.45 and serves also as a good export option for the external AK market to countries still using 7.62×39 cartridge. The hard hitting 7.62×39 remains a relevant and outstanding urban close-quarters caliber and is in use in nearly all global conflicts today. The AK-12, AK-15 and even AK-308 are currently the sole members of the new AK-400 family of rifles and have the same basic components and designs apart from their calibers.

Additionally, the AK-15 accepts all standard AK/AKM pattern magazines and RPK 7.62×39 drums. The AK-15 was released with a magazine resembling the new AK-12 magazine but respectively in 7.62×39. The new AK-200 series of the modification over the 100 series also uses the AK-12/-15 magazines, to their respective calibers. There are also an AK-12K and an AK-15K with short mid-length barrels similar to the AK-104/-105 size.

Conclusion

Kalashnikov Concern’s production history shows a commitment to meet the current and future needs of the Russian warfighter. However, as was seen in the Soviet era, the road from concept to final product is long and winding, often with many surprises. Somehow, it is clear that Kalashnikov and its heritage (i.e., the basic mechanism from 1947 and the idea that simple design has reliable function) are a guiding light along the way.

Source: Vladimir Onokoy at The Firearm Blog.

The AK-100 series successor wasn’t created overnight – the first models were already evaluated by 2009.  The new rifle even got designated then as the AK-200 – but still arguments abounded whether that should be another modified 100-series rifle with rails all over, or a totally new design.

In July 2010, the first press statement told everybody to prepare for a revolution soon to come – a totally new modular design, a new opening in the long career of the AK.  It was said to enable exchanging bolts and barrels, shoot different cartridges, to have enhanced ergonomics, better functionality and to be good enough to challenge the best that the West was able to muster.  It was also said that the Russian Defence Ministry was very much interested in the new weapon, taking an active part in shaping the new design, and purportedly even contracted the Izhevsk plant for the AK-100 series wholesale replacement.

Fifth Generation Avtomat Kalashnikova seen from the right.

Fifth Generation Avtomat Kalashnikova seen from the left. On this rifle, the single shot position of the safety-selector is denoted with letter O instead of more customary 1.

Then traditional silence fell, and on January 24, 2012 the new Avtomat was shown to the public for the first time amongst much fanfare.  The new design, created by the Izhmash’s chief designer, Vladimir Viktorovich Zlobin, was designated the “AK-12,” for “Avtomat Kalashnikova Model 2012.”

Four months later another presentation took place, but this time for a chosen few, at a closed meeting of the Interministerial Working Group of the Military-Industrial Laboratories Committee in Solnechnogorsk on Lake Senezh, 65 kilometers from Moscow.  The participants, representatives of the Defense and Internal Affairs Ministries, as well as Federal Security Servicemen, were able not only to look at, but shoot the new rifle as well.

In common opinion, the AK-12 has a much milder recoil and muzzle jump than the predecessors.  Nevertheless, numerous modifications and changes were requested, most of them arising from input by the special forces users that were in attendance at the presentation.  The Izhmash representative promised all would be implemented by the end of 2012.

The AK-12 with accessories, as shown in January 2012. Note the scope, extended buttstock, foregrip, 40mm GP-34 under barrel grenade launcher module and sheathed bayonet. The magazine attached is an old 30-round one coming from an AK-74M. The 4-stacker besides holds 60 rounds, while the drum takes as much as 95 cartridges. This earlier model has a separate lower rail bolted to the lower handguard – already replaced with monolithic polymer lower handguard with integral rail. Note a replaced cocking handle on the right side of the receiver.

New, Yet Old
Those who expected miracles could be disappointed by the weapon’s appearance.  AK-12 has some minor ‘loans’ from the FN SCAR or the Czech Sa-58, but even with the naked eye one can see the AK heritage.

It still remained a gas-operated long-stroke piston selective-fire rifle with the gas tube above the barrel.  The bolt carrier is connected with the operating rod and the gas piston is at the front end of the op-rod.  It fires from a closed bolt; this bolt being set into a bolt carrier, and locks to the receiver trunnion by turning to the right.  The fire control group has an internal hammer, and all the other innards, automatic sear, disconnector and trigger operate in the same manner as in the AK-74.

Novelties
The most important novel feature of the AK-12 is the caliber-swap concept.  The AK-12 receiver is said to have been re-designed to allow barrel-swapping and thus caliber-changing (but honestly, it doesn’t look like it changed much, and certainly no quick-change features are present).  The basic version (and the only one so far demonstrated) is chambered for the 5.45mm x 39, but it can be changed to the original AK round, the 7.62mm x 39, or the 5.56mm x 45.  The advertisement indicates also the 7.62mm x 51 NATO round, but it seems highly unlikely that such a big and powerful round could be fired in the same receiver – probably another set of building blocks would be needed, just like with the SCAR-L/SCAR-H or HK416/417.  Also, 6.5mm Grendel or 6.8 Rem SPC were speculated as possible chamberings as well, but so far nothing official has been said about them.  The factory statements predict a wide variety of possible configurations, with different barrels, different calibers, different FCGs, different stocks, for military, police, civilian-legal semi-only, etc.

The AK-12 in full firepower with a 95-round drum magazine and 40mm GP-34 grenade launcher attached. Note the grenade launcher module attached to the false rear ‘bayonet lug’ under the gas block – the real bayonet lug is under the front sight.

The ergonomics has been greatly enhanced in comparison to the predecessors.  The telescoping stock is foldable to the side (left or right, whatever the need of the user) and set in-line with the barrel axis to reduce muzzle jump.  The stock latch is the part of the stock itself, not the rifle, thus enabling easy reversing of the stock folding direction.  For export to where folding stocks are deemed ‘non-sporting,’ the latch can be easily disabled or the stock can be exchanged for a solid, non-folding variation.  The rubber-clad cheek-piece and butt-plate are height-adjustable.  A new muzzle device has a standard 22 mm external diameter to enable rifle grenade use.

The cocking handle has been relocated significantly to the front, and can be fitted from left or right, according to the shooter’s wishes.  The receiver cover is all new, much sturdier and hinged at the front, with an integral 1913 rail all along the top.  At the rear end of the rail a tangent sight with a peep hole (for aiming with a stock) and notch (for aiming while shooting from the sling with butt folded) is attached to the top rail.  There are more rails as well: on top of the handguard (in-line with the cover rail), and even on top of the gas block.  The handguard also has rails on the sides and at the bottom.  Lugs under the gas chamber and front sight holder are intended for an underbarrel grenade launcher (GP-25, -30 or -34) (the former) and bayonet attachment (the latter).

The main sight of the rifle is a red dot sight – this time an Aimpoint Comp M4 knock-off. Just behind the red dot mount a mechanical sight is mounted on the rail. Note the flip-over peep-hole or notch sight. (A.V. Karpenko)

The receiver cover latch is actuated by the lever on the right above pistol grip.  Right in front of it another totally new lever-style control is situated – a four-position safety/fire selector.  The positions are: ‘ΠΡ’ (=PR, for Predokhranyeniy, SAFE), ‘1’ or ‘O’ (for Odinochniy, SEMI), ‘3’ for 3-round BURST and ‘AB’ (AV for Avtomaticheskiy, AUTO).  This lever has replaced the legendary Kalashnikov safety-selector-dust cover (itself a ‘loan’ from John Moses Browning’s Remington Model 8 rifle).  Theoretical rate of fire in fully automatic firing is 600 rpm, but is said to rise up to 1,000 rpm in 3-round bursts.

Other controls are located in the front part of the trigger guard.  The magazine latch is classical in appearance, but it said to be redesigned to enable magazine release with the trigger finger.  The oval buttons above are bolt catch actuators – another big-time novelty in the AK-12.  The bolt catch is mostly manually-actuated, for inspection purposes, as the hitherto introduced magazines lack the bolt catch actuator projection on their followers.  The 5.45mm AK-12 takes all AK-74M-compatible 30-round magazines, as well as RPK-74 45-round magazines.  The 7.62mm variant would also take all AK/AKM/RPK magazines, of 30-, 40- and 75-round capacity.  New types of magazines introduced with the AK-12 comprise a new 30-round magazine with bolt-catch actuator, 60-round quad-stack banana and a 95-round drum.

Carbine (AK-12U), 9mm submachine gun (PPK-12),  Designated Marksman Rifle (SVK-12), and Light Machine Gun (RPK-12) versions of the AK-12 are also planned, as well as a semiautomatic-only civilian export version.

The ambidextrous (left- or right-folding) buttstock is adjustable for length of pull, height of buttplate and cheek piece. (A.V. Karpenko)

Now What?
No one seems to know what’s next.  The future awaiting the AK-12 seems hardly bright, so far.  The MoD has ordered a test batch and the testing is already under way.  Only when it is done can a decision be made whether the Russian Army would re-arm – or wait a little longer for another new rifle.  The security forces are also testing the AK-12 and carefully select the wording of their press releases so as not to put themselves in any awkward commitment.  Only the manufacturer is sure to have the rifle in full production for the country’s military – and soon, ‘at the latest in FY2013.’  Whether it would be so depends on the will of Izhmash’s main client: the Army of the Russian Federation.  And the Army, even though it ordered a test batch, seems to be neither overly impressed with the new rifle nor interested in it.  In 2011, for the very first time, the Army did not buy a single Kalashnikov assault rifle, and is openly referring to it as ‘obsolete.’  The military does not want any more Kalashnikovs – they already have as many as 17 million of these in its mobilization stocks, counting both older 7.62 mm AKM and newer 5.45mm AK-74 variants.  The ministry representative once mused that, “We already have enough Kalashnikovs to wage several world wars,” and although his quip was quickly glossed over by his superiors, it seems to voice the general attitude toward the once iconic Comrade Rifle.

The AK-12 was created and financed with Izhmash’s own money and the company vows to find remuneration in the international markets, including a civilian one, if the Army won’t budge.  There seems to be a big sales potential, given the popularity of AK-tuning throughout the world.  Thus, the opportunity may come to have a factory-tuned Avtomat Kalashnikova-PIP, right straight from the original manufacturer, bristling with 1913-rails, enhanced ergonomics, fully ambidextrous, fitted with a bolt hold-open and all the bells and whistles.

– AK-12 SPECIFICATIONS –
Caliber: 5.45 mm x 39
Length, O/A, stock extended: 945 mm
Length, O/A, stock folded: 725 mm
Barrel length (bore only): 415 mm
Sighting radius: 583 mm
Weight, w/o magazine: 3.3 kg
Weight, empty 30-rd magazine: 0.23 kg
Weight, empty 60-rd magazine: 0.33 kg
Weight, empty 95-rd magazine: 1.0 kg
Max. sighting range: 1,000 m
Rate of fire (theor.): 600 (FA)/1,000 (3-rd burst) rpm