Kalashnikov Concern Plans To Start Production Of NATO-Standard Assault Rifle In 2019

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 24th January, 2019) The Kalashnikov Concern is planning to begin mass production of the AK-308 assault rifle with NATO-standard ammunition in 2019, the concern's General Director Vladimir Dmitriev said.

"The factory tests have been completed, and the preliminary tests are coming up. If everything goes well, then this year we will be able to start mass production," Dmitriev said in an interview with Sputnik and the Kommersant newspaper.

"The AK-308 is certainly interesting as a combat weapon, since assault rifles of this caliber are extremely rare, but at the same time we expect that it will have demand domestically as a civilian weapon, because this is one of the main calibers for hunting rifles," Dmitriev said.

The weapon was developed on the basis of the AK-103 assault rifle chambered for 7.62x51 mm rounds (standard rifle and machine-gun ammunition of NATO member countries) with elements and components of the AK-12 automatic rifle, according to the Kalashnikov Concern.