Kalashnikov Concern has been hard at work improving the AK-12 rifle, which – although its status has waffled between “adopted” and “not” – is expected to be adopted and standardized by the Russian armed forces. The YouTube channel of Grigory Rhein has posted a few videos of shooting the latest incarnation of the AK-12, which differs in a few ways from its predecessors:

The stock aesthetics have changed, and the front sight has been moved from a dedicated front sight block to the gas block. The dust cover has also been changed, and the selector has been modified to a four-position ambidextrous type that improves upon the previous version. The handguard has also been modified with slots that most likely allow the mounting of additional rail segments and accessories, a la M-LOK and Keymod.

While the AK-12 has made appearances at major Russian expos recently, its competitor the A545 (formerly AEK-971) seems largely absent. This, as well as some Russian government officials declaring the AK-12 as standard (upon which substantial doubt has been cast), have made the AK-12 the safe bet for the next Russian service rifle.

Thanks to Retiv for the tip.