MOSCOW, August 30. /TASS/. The Kalashnikov Concern increased small arms production by 40% in the past year, said Bekkhan Ozdoyev, Industrial Director of the Cluster of Conventional Armaments, Munitions and Special Chemistry at the Rostec state corporation.

"Today, Kalashnikov is the flagship of the Russian defense industry, and contributes considerably to achieving the goals of the special military operation. The company increased small arms production by 40% in the past year, while the production of Vikhr, Strela and Kitolov high-precision missiles rose almost 1.5 fold. Drone production also grew significantly. This trend will only get stronger in the future," Rostec quoted him as saying.

The Kalashnikov Concern said in a report in April that it had increased the production of certain goods by 20% in the first two months of the year compared to the same period of 2022.

Vikhr missile

The Vikhr guided aircraft missile is designed to hit maneuverable, armored ground targets fitted with dynamic protection equipment, as well as medium-speed aerial targets, including helicopters, attack aircraft and drones. The missiles come standard on Ka-52 helicopters. Upgraded Vikhr-1 missiles will be installed on Mi-28N attack helicopters.

The Russian Defense Ministry regularly reports that Russian helicopter crews destroy the Ukrainian army’s Western-made armored equipment with the use of Vikhr missiles. Experts point out that the missile’s tandem warhead makes it possible to destroy almost any Western tank.