{"id":51652,"date":"2021-02-23T14:34:20","date_gmt":"2021-02-23T14:34:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/uncategorized\/2021\/02\/23\/why-would-russias-kalashnikov-make-a-nato-friendly-assault-rifle\/"},"modified":"2026-08-07T23:41:39","modified_gmt":"2026-08-07T23:41:39","slug":"why-would-russias-kalashnikov-make-a-nato-friendly-assault-rifle","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/digital-show-dailies\/idex\/2021\/02\/23\/why-would-russias-kalashnikov-make-a-nato-friendly-assault-rifle\/","title":{"rendered":"Why would Russia\u2019s Kalashnikov make a NATO-friendly assault rifle?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"\"
Russian company Kalashnikov is at IDEX showing off its new assault rifle, the AK-19, which meets NATO’s caliber standards. (Agnes Helou\/Staff)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates \u2014 Firearms manufacturer Kalashnikov is exhibiting its new AK-19 rifle for the first time outside of Russia during an arms trade show<\/a> in the United Arab Emirates.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The assault rifle meets NATO\u2019s caliber standards: It is chambered for 5.56 x 45mm rounds, and it has a Picatinny rail, a new collapsible folding stock to adjust length, improved aperture sight and a quick-detachable suppressor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The gun is based on the AK-12, which was accepted into service<\/a> by the Russian military in 2018. The AK-19 is compact and suitable for concealed carry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Defense News asked the Russian company\u2019s CEO, Dmitry Tarasov, why it would design a NATO-friendly rifle when there are measures in place that prevent NATO members from buying it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe 5.56 \u00d7 45mm round has been traditionally used by many countries of the [Middle East], Southeast Asia and Latin America. It is a huge market, and many countries in those regions view the weapons originating from Russia with much respect. AK-19 is aimed to woo these markets<\/a>,\u201d Tarasov replied. \u201cThe [Middle East] region is, indeed, in our focus as a fast-growing market for defense products. Our legendary brand is well-established in the region, and we are planning to build upon that.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At IDEX, Kalashnikov is also showcasing a number of military and commercial firearms, speedboats<\/a>, and fire-and-forget missiles, commercial UAVs<\/a>, and bulletproof gear and equipment for special forces. \u201cWe have brought such a variety of products because we feel the ME is the right market for them and we are seeing a lot of interest from delegations at IDEX,\u201d Tarasov told Defense News.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So which of Kalashnikov\u2019s products are getting the most attention from potential Mideast customers?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI would prioritize assault rifles, along with the 100s and 200s series [of] AKs. We have unveiled our new AK-19 chambered for NATO rounds. Our new PLK compact pistol that has just completed trials in Russia is a great product. We promote it as a compact pistol that has excellent ergonomics and will cater for the needs of police, paramilitary and security forces,\u201d Tarasov said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When asked what the next Kalashnikov will look like, Tarasov said: \u201cI will not disclose that, but I\u2019ll give you a hint: We like modern and even futuristic design, we opt for ergonomic solutions.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Defense News spoke with the Russian company\u2019s CEO about why it would design a NATO-friendly rifle when there are measures in place that prevent alliance members from buying it.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":113576,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-noindex":"","_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-nofollow":"","_yoast_wpseo_canonical":"","_acf":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_category":89,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","_smg_distribution_targets":[]},"categories":[160,29,162,89,12,14,36],"tags":[],"coauthors":[3436],"class_list":["post-51652","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-daily-news-roundup","category-digital-show-dailies","category-digital-show-daily","category-idex","category-industry","category-land","category-newsletters"],"acf":{"subheadline":"","legacy_arc_id":"BENA2B5PSVG7XHKS76K2Y6VOKI","arc_canonical_url":"\/digital-show-dailies\/idex\/2021\/02\/23\/why-would-russias-kalashnikov-make-a-nato-friendly-assault-rifle\/","remove_feature_photo":true,"is_sponsored":false,"subtype":"","redirect_url":"","disable_inline_ads":false,"native_logo_pretext":"Presented 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