The RF Ministry of Defense refuses to purchase Kalashnikov assault rifles

27.09.2011 — News

UDMURTIAN REPUBLIC.

The legendary Kalashnikov assault rifle does not suit the Russian army any longer. Representatives of the RF Ministry of Defense announced that in 2012-2013 it is not going to purchase AK-74 rifles, as the army needs a new assault rifle with better fire accuracy and longer range.

The Information and PR Department of the Izhmash Concern, OJSC, manufacturing AK-74 rifles had no comment on the above statements. According to the Izvestia newspaper, the Russian army stopped purchasing the Kalashnikov assault rifle in 2011.

Independent experts see the claims of the military agency as unjustified. The sources close to the developers of small arms informed RusBusinessNews that the problem of firing accuracy had been solved by Izhmash more than ten years ago when the company manufactured the Nikonov assault rifle (AN-94). Rifles were purchased for special units of the Defense Ministry. However, the AN-94 failed to get into widespread service, as it turned out to be more complicated than the AK-74. The General Staff decided that Russian soldiers would be unable to make use of its advantages.

In this regard, the experts note that the Ministry of Defense set incompatible tasks to arm manufacturers: to make a simple assault rifle for under-qualified recruits, though it should be comparable in performance with the rifle able to accomplish difficult battlefield objectives. The Kalashnikov assault rifle was designed in 1947 and today is being used by more than 50 armies in different countries.