MOSCOW, June 16. /TASS/. Russia’s Kalashnikov Group has dispatched a new batch of AK-12 assault rifles upgraded based on experience gained during the special military operation to Russian troops under a state defense contract, the Kalashnikov Group’s press office told TASS.

"The Kalashnikov Group has dispatched the next batch of improved 5.45mm AK-12 assault rifles in their 2023 modification under the current state contract. The AK-12, adopted for service six years ago, has replaced the AK-74 and become the main individual automatic weapon of service members of the Russian Armed Forces," the press office said.

The number of AK-12 assault rifles supplied to the troops has increased considerably since the start of the special military operation. The interest of foreign customers in the AK-12 is growing thanks to its effective use in the special military operation area and positive feedback from the troops. The AK-12 assault rifle in its 2023 modification differs from previous generations of Kalashnikov automatic guns by its improved ergonomics, adaptation to round-the-clock use and increased accuracy of fire, it specified.

The Kalashnikov Group actively uses the advanced metal powder method (MIM technology) in the production of AK-12 assault rifles: an increasingly larger number of components and assemblies of this weapon is transferred to molding under the pressure of polymer materials heavily loaded with metal powders, it said.