The Kalashnikov Concern fulfilled the 2025 State Defense Order in full. The company's specialists have also developed a new version of the machine gun, barrage ammunition and drones. Alan Lushnikov, Kalashnikov's CEO and a member of the Bureau of the Russian Engineering Union, spoke about new weapons, military uniforms and more in an exclusive interview with TASS on the results of 2025 on the eve of the UMEX-2026 exhibition in Abu Dhabi.
— Alan Valerievich, the 7th International Exhibition and Conference of Unmanned Systems and Simulators UMEX 2026 begins tomorrow, I would like to start our interview with this one. What new products did Kalashnikov make?
— We have brought several of our well-known products and, one might say, novelties to Abu Dhabi. In the segment of guided barrage ammunition, we show our well-known products that have received good reviews from military personnel from the military training area, these are the Kub-2E and Kub-10E. We presented these products for the first time a year ago at the IDEX 2025 exhibition here in the UAE. During this time, the serial production of these products was mastered and their delivery to the customer began.
We also show our scout "Skat 350 M". This is, without false modesty, a fairly successful device that is really popular among customers due to its high efficiency and reliability. Finally, we have brought two products that we can call novelties due to the profound degree of improvement of their predecessors. These are the Goliath 2.0 and Karakurt 2.0 copter—type UAVs. They were developed taking into account the opinion of military personnel based on the results of the testing of previous Goliath and Karakurt models in the military training area. Both new UAVs allow you to search, detect, recognize, and monitor stationary and mobile targets at any time of the day. Unlike the previous generation of devices, the new models include various operator assistance systems, including an optical positioning system, a target capture and retention system, obstacle avoidance systems, emergency alerts, and others.
In addition, the Goliath 2.0 and Karakurt 2.0 complexes provide the transmission of telemetry, control commands, and video images over a secure radio channel and have the ability to adjust the operating frequency of the radio link during flight, which is especially important when exposed to interference on the battlefield. Both drones have gyro-stabilized day cameras combined with thermal imagers.
— Alan Valerievich, what is the most important outcome of 2025 for the Kalashnikov Concern?
— The most important result of last year, and this is our absolute priority, is the fulfillment of the State Defense Order in full and on time. And for a number of positions, even early completion, despite the increased volumes.
— What are these positions, can you take a closer look?
— For example, this is our line of guided ammunition "Cube". We fully and ahead of schedule completed the shipment of all products to the customer at the end of October. This is taking into account the significant, really serious growth in the volume of government orders for this line over the past year.
— So the product is in demand, and there is trust in it?
— Yes, our "Cubes" have confidently become part of the armament of the Ministry of Defense and have occupied their niche among the nomenclature of other manufacturers. In fact, in three years, entire lines and families of these products have been developed and put into production. In 2025, we introduced several new products for the first time. We have launched production and started supplying the customer with new ammunition from the UB Kub line — these are the Kub-2 and Kub-10.
Moreover, we have completed the pairing of the Kub-2 UB with our scout Skat 350 M, using our original Kalashnikov software. So now we offer our customers a ready—made, highly efficient solution - a tandem scout and UB. By the way, the effectiveness of all our products is confirmed by their active use in the free zone. The feedback from the military is extremely positive.
— How is the feedback received by the concern organized?
— It is clearly organized through several channels. First of all, we have repair teams working in our area to maintain our various equipment, from small arms to tracked chassis and UAVs. Our specialists see the nature of the damage and, in addition to carrying out repairs, analyze the information they receive and transmit it to enterprises for further work. Secondly, the concern has a representative office in the historical territories, which is known to the Ministry of Defense and where military personnel can always apply in accordance with the established procedure. Thirdly, representatives of our design bureaus regularly travel to the SVO area, again, to receive feedback and provide any recommendations or explanations. There are other channels for receiving feedback, so our products are constantly being improved and refined based on the wishes of military personnel.
— Could you give me an example of working with a specific product?
- of course. I can give you an example of upgrading our main AK-12 assault rifle. The concern is currently mass-producing the third generation of this product. The so-called AK-12 assault rifle in the 2023 modification was protected by all necessary types of tests in 2023. It appeared entirely based on the results of the combat experience of the previous two versions — 2018 and 2021. This was preceded by a lot of work: our designers went to the landfills and to the operating units in the free zone, talked to a variety of people, and eventually a new version of the product was born, which we are now producing.
This is not an easy job: all the information collected must be systematized. All changes must be made to the design documentation and agreed with the customer. So, these are not very fast processes, but, to be fair, I must say that bureaucratic delays began to be resolved much faster than before.
— Are there any new products that the concern has already developed during its development?
- yes. Most recently, we presented to the customer and received from him a positive decision to start production and supply of a compact version of the AK-12 assault rifle, the so-called AK-12 K assault rifle. It's an assault rifle. Stormtroopers need an efficient, compact product to work in dense urban environments. And we made such a machine gun as soon as possible in six months and delivered a large serial batch to the troops. So this is an example when, based on feedback from military personnel from the SVO zone, we have created an almost new effective product.
— Alan Valerievich, Kalashnikov today is one of the few domestic holdings that, so to speak, "covers" a serviceman in several areas at once — in small arms, missiles, boats and drones. In addition, the concern also dresses and shoes our fighters.
— Yes, indeed, our enterprises, in particular Triada-TKO, Techinkom, and the Research Institute of Steel, develop and produce professional combat clothing, equipment, and personal protective equipment. Triada-TKO is generally one of the leaders and key suppliers of the Ministry of Defense in the field of uniforms and military equipment. In 2023, we began supplying the troops with a set of new-generation VKPO 3.0 uniforms and a bulletproof vest with the KBS Strelok weight distribution system. The prototypes of these products were developed by us on our own initiative to provide special-purpose units and received a positive assessment based on the results of testing.
So we moved on. A promising set of Novator uniforms was developed and demonstrated to the President of the Russian Federation, Supreme Commander—in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin, which, in particular, includes a promising all-season set of VKPO 3.2 field uniforms for temperate climates, a summer cap, summer gloves (fire–resistant), mittens, a promising Novator-BS combined arms armor helmet, a promising Novator–BJ combined arms bulletproof vest, Novator–TS advanced combined arms backpack and sleeping bags. I would like to note that due to the use of new materials and technologies, we have managed to achieve significant improvements in the characteristics of our products.
"Which ones?"
— I'll give you some examples. We have combined a summer and demi-season suit into an all-season suit, thereby reducing the number of products, while maintaining the comfort of use in the warm season and protection from precipitation and wind when used in the cold season. The thermal insulation properties of insulated suits, fleece jackets and underwear have been improved through the use of improved materials. In the field of personal protective equipment, through the introduction of one of the know-how, we were able to improve the protective characteristics of the helmet with a comparable mass and protection area with the current combined-arms helmet.
We paid special attention to the bulletproof vest to increase its protective characteristics from fragments of mines and grenades of a possible enemy. The design of the body armor itself allows it to be flexibly adapted from an unloading system to an assault body armor for use in various regions and specific tasks, from the African continent to Northern latitudes. The design of the new modular backpack provides integration with a bulletproof vest, provides for the transportation of heavy weapons, containers with drones, and the internal interface allows equipment to be adapted using additional containers to meet the needs of engineers, doctors, and communications specialists. We are expanding our expertise in the field of equipment by developing and implementing system solutions for protecting hands and bivouac. According to the results of military operation, the products are being finalized, and work is underway to supply the products.
— Alan Valerievich, in accordance with the presidential decree of August 11 this year, starting in 2026, all uniforms of the Russian Armed Forces should be produced only in domestic factories, and starting in 2027 — exclusively from domestic materials. Are you ready for this?
"Ready!" As I have already stressed, we are one of their key suppliers of uniforms and military equipment for the Russian Defense Ministry, so we are at the forefront of implementing the presidential decree. Throughout 2025, we have made a number of significant efforts to expand our production facilities. We have several new production sites in different regions of the country. The same applies to materials. We actively work with domestic fabric manufacturers and conclude contracts with them. So, the presidential decree will certainly be implemented without prejudice to the supply of our products to customers and their quality.
— Alan Valerievich, returning to the versatility of the Kalashnikov Concern: How do you provide yourself with qualified personnel from a wide variety of industrial sectors — metallurgists, gunsmiths, shipbuilders, doctors, and light industry specialists?
— This is a huge problem. And not only Kalashnikov, but our entire defense industry. It is quite obvious that there are not enough highly qualified personnel. Of course, we are constantly monitoring the labor market and looking for the specialists we need, but we are increasingly realizing that stability in staffing can only be achieved through our own system of "growing" staff. This is what we did especially actively last year.
We have developed an entire "educational" strategy, which includes the work of finding and training staff right from school to university. To do this, we have the Kalashnikov Academy, and the Kalashnikov Polytechnic project, which selects the most talented young people from specialized colleges and institutes for their further targeted studies at leading Russian universities under our supervision. During their studies, they complete internships at our factories, receive scholarships, and after graduation they join a team they already know.
— Isn't this a federal-level project? Are you looking for promising young people in all regions?
"Almost." Mainly in the regions of its presence. And these are Moscow, St. Petersburg, Izhevsk, Kirov, Lipetsk. At the end of last year, the "Kalashnikov Concern Day" was held at the congress of the People's Militia of the DPR in Berdyansk. A very talented and genuinely interested, open-minded youth gathered there. I had a live conversation with them, and they bribed me with a few points. Firstly, the desire to grow and develop. Secondly, the experience they have gained in these long-suffering regions. They don't need to be told what a weapon is, how it works, or what its real value is. They know for sure that a man with a gun is a defender, and life has taught them that. They are able to provide first aid no worse than a trained medical instructor or a paramedic. Therefore, I am absolutely sure that with such a respectful attitude to serious things, with their life experience in universities, they will become excellent gunsmiths under our guidance. And I immediately announced at the meeting that they would be awarded ten places at our best universities. With the payment of a scholarship, with a guarantee of employment. So we're just getting started with the historical regions.
— What is expected from Kalashnikov in 2026?
— High-quality and reliable products are expected from us. Products that really help fighters solve their tasks on the battlefield, that protect and save their lives. The dynamics and logic of CB require the speed and efficiency of the development and implementation of new products, modernization of existing ones. This, in turn, requires participants to review existing processes and protocols.
