Kalashnikov increases production by 30% to meet the needs of the Russian army in Ukraine

The Kalashnikov Group, one of the world’s leading arms manufacturers, has increased weapons production by 30% to meet the needs of the Russian army in Ukraine, the company said this Friday.

In his statement, Kalashnikov recalls the launch in July 2022 of the “Project Conveyor”, which provided for the technological modernization of factories.

The project included gradual improvement of production processes, installation of new equipment and modernization of the assembly line, the Russian company added.

All this allowed the company to fulfill orders of the armed forces on time and with the required quality, explained Kalashnikov executive director Andrei Barishnikov.

In early November, Kalashnikov terminated the contract concluded with the Russian army in 2021, on the eve of the outbreak of the war in Ukraine, on February 24, 2022, for the supply of AK-12 assault rifles of the 2023 model.

In this sense, a new contract was signed for a new version of the AK-12, where several modifications were made in relation to the 2018 model, including a diopter optical sight and an ambidextrous safety.

The contract for the assault rifles is the longest signed by the company, which has also created a special unit to produce “drones”, unmanned aerial vehicles, for the current military campaign.

The consortium, which has been sanctioned by the European Union (EU), US, UK and other countries due to the war in Ukraine, is Russia’s largest manufacturer of small arms.

Moscow, which is expected to increase defense spending by nearly 70% by 2024, has significantly increased the rate of production of weapons and military equipment in recent months, according to Western intelligence sources.