POTD: The Kalashnikov AK-12 Rifle and Its Airsoft Version
Photo Of The Day and we take a look at what’s going on in Russia. In January 2025, Kalashnikov Concern delivered the first batch of the upgraded Model 2023 AK-12 rifles to a customer, fulfilling scheduled government contracts. As the standard-issue service rifle of the Russian Armed Forces, the AK-12 is said to see widespread adoption, with annual production volumes remaining consistently high to meet ongoing military demand.
The 5.45 mm AK-12 is the standard service assault rifle of the Russian military. The barrel is 415 mm and the weight is 3.7 kg.
The latest iteration of the AK-12 incorporates refinements aimed at improving ergonomics, reliability, and battlefield effectiveness, reflecting feedback from operational use.
The images above are probably as close as most of our readers will ever get to a real AK-12.
However, there’s another chance as Kalashnikov Concern just unveiled Russia’s first domestically produced airsoft gun—the AK-12—at the All-Russian StrikeCon 2025 festival.
This airsoft rifle is the result of a collaboration between Kalashnikov Concern and StrikeArms LLC, maintaining the exact dimensions of the real AK-12. It is mentioned that most of the external components are mass-produced counterparts of the AK-12’s original trim, manufactured at Kalashnikov Concern’s facilities in Izhevsk. As a result, the airsoft copy retains the exact size, coatings, and durability of the real AK-12.
Below is an image of Russia’s first airsoft gun.
Source: Kalashnikov Concern
