Russia has made changes to the Kalashnikov AK-12 to increase the rate of fire and give soldiers more control over fire.
A modification of the AK-12 Kalashnikov entering service in 2018 will disable its 2-round burst cutoff and include changes to firing methods, Kalashnikov Concern President Alan Lashnikov told the state-run RIA news agency. A chuck rest (place to hold the rifle on the cheek) will also be included along with two-way controls.
He did not say when the advanced weapons would be formally handed over to the army, but said only that the design was in the documentation stage.
The AK-12 assault rifle produced by Kalashnikov has a caliber of 5.45 mm and has been improved over the older version, as it was causing problems for the Russian Armed Forces.
The company that manufactures Kalashnikov was banned by the United States in 2014, because in the same year, Russia invaded the Crimean peninsula of Ukraine and occupied it.
The European Union and the United Kingdom have imposed sanctions on the Kalashnikov concern after the attack on Ukraine this year.