"Kalashnikov" - machine gun today

We constantly hear about the fact that the "Kalashnikov" is an automatic machine that has no equal, and not soon it will find an equivalent replacement. Such statements are contrary to the latest decisions of the Ministry of Defense of Russia to refuse further purchase of these weapons, and the new Kalashnikov assault rifles (AK 12) are not even admitted to state tests. What is it - the shortsightedness of officials or the machine is really outdated? Let's try to understand.

Modern realities

No matter how good a weapon is, it has its strengths and weaknesses. It is a successful combination of qualities that distinguishes outstanding samples. And, of course, AK had such a combination. "Kalashnikov" - the machine is incredibly technological, reliable and easy to operate, besides having a powerful fire. Meanwhile, he also has shortcomings, such as the relatively low accuracy of automatic fire. Based on the experience of World War II, this shortcoming could not be considered significant, because in a combined-arms battle, fire was conducted by entire units, and the accuracy of fire was not important, but accuracy. If accuracy were the prevailing quality of army small arms, then the trilinear and Mausers of the century before last would still be in service.

Meanwhile, the conditions for conducting armed struggle are changing, and now grandiose battles like the "Kursk arc" are unlikely. As the experience of recent decades shows, armed struggle has moved to cities where the tremendous power of modern support means is not as effective. A fight in the city requires a compact, accurate and universal weapon, that is, those qualities that AK does not have. And here the argument that "Kalashnikov" is a machine for a simple soldier does not work any more, because the demands for a modern soldier are no longer as simple as 30-40 years ago.

Development ways

Modern army small arms develop along the way of creating improved ammunition, the use of synthetic materials in the design and a more dense arrangement of its components, and by achieving a high degree of universality. The latter is achieved through the use of modular structures that allow changing the combat characteristics of each individual sample, depending on the combat mission or conditions. In addition, the military want a machine that has a very accurate automatic fire (which is critical in the city), on which it would be possible to install optics, a grenade launcher and other auxiliary devices.

"Kalashnikov" - machine gun today

Is it possible to modernize the "old soldier" to modern requirements? The designers of Izhevsk plant tried to answer this question positively and created a new Kalashnikov automatic rifle - AK 12. But the words "created" and "new" somehow do not quite fit in with their offspring. They put a Pikatini bar on the old man, screwed a new butt, made a new (two-sided) fire translator and subjected the barrel to a more precise treatment ... everything. And what about "know-how" and requirements for modern weapons?!? It seems that Izhmash decided: "And so it will come down ..." In general, the AK 12 turned out to be not only better than its prototype, but also more expensive. Well, the designers gave the time to finish the machine before the state tests, but it is very doubtful that in two months they will be able to make cardinal changes in the design. Other things being equal, the automatic machine AEK 971 of the Degtyaryov plant with its balanced automation looks much better for the military, and there is room for modernization.