The defense industry celebrates the Day of the Gunsmith, significantly increasing the production of weapons and equipment
MOSCOW, September 19 - RIA Novosti. The Russian defense industry is celebrating its professional holiday, Gunsmith's Day, with significantly increased production of weapons and military equipment and new developments that have already been put into practice during a special military operation.
Gunsmith's Day is celebrated annually in Russia on September 19. The decision to establish a professional holiday for gunsmiths was made taking into account the outstanding role of the creators of weapons in ensuring the preservation of the defense capability and independence of the Russian state, the export potential and prestige of Russia in the world.
Russian President Vladimir Putin emphasized the quality, reliability and effectiveness of Russian military products. Russia continues to be among the top five leaders in the global arms market and retains its leading export positions in many areas, the head of state said at a meeting of the Commission on Military-Technical Cooperation in May this year.
Russian weapons have proven their high effectiveness during the special operation, they are adapted to new tasks, conditions and challenges, Rostec CEO Sergey Chemezov said earlier in an interview with the magazine Razvedchik. At the moment, the vast majority of Rostec's military products have been tested in the CBO zone, he said. According to Chemezov, this applies, in particular, to tanks and infantry fighting vehicles, heavy flamethrower systems, various types of multiple launch rocket systems (MLRS), missile systems, and small arms.
The Russian military-industrial complex (MIC) has reached a production scale that ensures the interests of the Ministry of Defense and at the same time implements and concludes new export contracts for the supply of weapons and military equipment, Alexander Mikheev, Director General of Rosoboronexport, told RIA Novosti earlier.
The figures eloquently show the interest of foreign customers in Russian weapons and military equipment. Rosoboronexport's export order portfolio exceeded $60 billion, which is a record figure for the company's 25 years of operation, Chemezov emphasized this year.
Rostec has increased production of ammunition, lightly armored vehicles and MLRS shells tenfold compared to 2021, Chemezov said during a working meeting with Putin in the Kremlin in June. In 2024 alone, the production of new lightly armored vehicles and tanks increased 1.1 times, ammunition for barrel artillery - 1.3 times, for lightly armored vehicles and tanks - 2.1 times, MLRS shells - 1.7 times, Chemezov said.
Mini-missiles for Pantsir anti-aircraft systems have been put into mass production, and the complex, equipped with a full ammunition package of such missiles, can shoot down dozens of enemy drones, Rostec told RIA Novosti in the summer. And the guided missiles of the Tornado-S multiple launch rocket system, which have a longer range and greater power than their foreign counterparts, effectively break through enemy air defenses and electronic warfare, Rostec said.
As for the use of new Russian weapons, as the Russian Defense Ministry reported in July, the serial 5.45-millimeter RPL-20 belt-powered light machine gun is being successfully tested in the special operation zone, and paratroopers were among the first to use it. The RPL-20 is a modern light hand-held machine gun, which is manufactured by the Kalashnikov concern (part of Rostec) and surpasses the previous model, the RPKS-74, in its characteristics. The machine gun was modified based on the recommendations of the airborne assault units received during military operation in the area of the SVO.
Also, according to the Russian Defense Ministry, a new modification of the Kalashnikov assault rifle (AK-12K) is being successfully tested by paratroopers in the special operation zone. As noted by the military department, the experience of using a full-size Kalashnikov AK-12 assault rifle in the area of its 2023 model has shown that for assault-type units, the dimensions of the weapon are the main requirement. The AK-12K has improved technical, ergonomic and operational characteristics.
Kalashnikov Concern has produced the first experimental batch of the small-sized 5.45 mm AM-17 assault rifle, the development of which took into account all the wishes of the military personnel in the special operation zone, Kalashnikov said in early September.
Russia is enormously ahead of NATO countries in the field of creating heavy flamethrower systems, the West does not have such machines, which, as its experience shows, sometimes allow it to occupy enemy positions without firing a single shot, Bekhan Ozdoev, industrial director of the Rostec arms cluster and a member of the bureau of the Russian Engineering Union, said earlier.
Russian–made heavy flamethrower systems (TOC) are a unique weapon that provides a qualitative advantage on the battlefield, and there are examples when the use of these systems allowed fighters of the Russian Armed Forces to occupy enemy positions without a single shot, Ozdoev emphasized. There are no comparable analogues in the world and, in particular, in Western countries, he added.
TOS-2 Tosochka has a significantly increased firing range. The updated fire control system allows it to pinpoint positions and reliably destroy enemy targets. The wheelbase allows the TOS-2 to enter and leave the firing position faster, increasing the survival rate of the vehicle in counter-battery warfare. In addition to the Tosochka, the TOS-1 and TOS-1A Solntsepek tracked heavy flamethrower systems are used in the SVO zone. TOS-1 has an unofficial nickname "Pinocchio". According to Rostec, it is associated with the characteristic shape of the head of the rocket projectile of the system – the fuse of the ammunition protrudes from the body like the nose of a fabulous Pinocchio.
