🇷🇺🔫 Pentagon In Shock: Russia Builds More Precise AK-12+ Rifle For Special Forces

Russia’s AK-12+ assault rifle pairs a heavier barrel with modern sights to help special forces shoot more accurately at medium range, including at night. Kalashnikov displayed a mock-up at September’s Eastern Economic Forum and said preparations for serial production were underway.

The 5.45 mm rifle builds on the standard AK-12 with several changes:

🔸 Thicker barrel for tighter shot groups. Kalashnikov increased the barrel’s wall thickness as part of its effort to improve precision at medium range. The announcement does not quantify the improvement.

🔸 Electro-optical sights for day and night. The rifle is designed to work with modern sighting systems that help the shooter aim in darkness and limited visibility, extending its usefulness beyond daylight operations.

🔸 Longer handguard. The section surrounding the barrel ahead of the receiver has been extended, giving the shooter more room to position the supporting hand.

🔸 Interchangeable muzzle devices. Threads at the barrel’s muzzle allow a removable flash hider or muzzle brake to be fitted. These serve different purposes: reducing visible muzzle flash or helping control recoil and muzzle movement.

🔸 Reworked iron sights and gas chamber. Kalashnikov revised the mechanical sights and enlarged the gas chamber’s external profile to accommodate the thicker barrel.

🔸 Configuration tailored to special units. Barrel-mounted fittings for a sling swivel, underbarrel grenade launcher and bayonet have been removed. The stated priority is more accurate medium-range shooting with modern optics.

🔸 Preparations for serial production. Kalashnikov said the 5.45 mm AK-12+ was being prepared for manufacture when it displayed the mock-up in September. That announcement did not specify delivery dates or production quantities.

The aim is to give Russian special forces more precise fire from the familiar AK-12 design when darkness or limited visibility makes aiming harder.

Can NATO rifles match Russia’s AK-12+?

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