MOSCOW, October 8. /TASS/. The Kalashnikov Group has upgraded the AM-17 small-size assault rifle based on the results of its use in the special military operation in Ukraine and will launch its serial production next year, the Kalashnikov press office reported on Tuesday.

"In 2025, the Kalashnikov Group plans to assimilate the production of the 5.45mm AM-17 small-size assault rifle improved after its operational evaluation in the zone of the special military operation. The AM-17 has been engineered at the Group’s design and technological center, taking into account the requirements set to modern automatic small arms," the press office said in a statement.

The AM-17 assault rifle is set to replace the AKS-74U submachine gun accepted for service in 1979, it added.