Kalash 2012

"At the start of World War 3, this was the best assault rifle used by the army. It is extremely sought after in the Metro due to its great performance."

- Last Light in-game description

The Kalash 2012, or AK-2012, is a fictional next-generation Kalashnikov assault rifle that had been introduced by the Russian army a year before the nuclear war that drove humanity underground - as such, it's fairly uncommon, as most soldiers still used the AK-74M, with the 2012 being reserved for special forces.

Overview
Although the Kalash 2012 is substantially different to the real life next generation series of Kalashnikovs, the AK-200 series that were presented after Metro 2033's release, it bears some similarities to some existing firearms. The general shape and magazine placement are very similar to that of the FN Herstal's P90, a PDW class of weapons designed in the early 90s. While the gas system, muzzle brake and the iron sights resemble those of the AK series of rifles. It is basically a hybrid of the Kalashnikov rifle and FN Herstal's P90, based on how it looks.

The Kalash 2012 is one of the weapons in the Metro that predates the war and it is highly prized. Since the Kalash 2012 is a primary weapon, it can use both dirty and MGR 5.45x39mm cartridges.

The very first Kalash 2012 in the game is available for purchase in the shop located at the Polis Station customs and is, in fact, one of the only two scoped and suppressed variants of the weapon present in the game.

Tactics and Use
The Kalash 2012 is one of the best rifle weapons in both games. It is as accurate as the VSV while fired in bursts and its fire rate is roughly equal to that of the Bastard. The weapon's magazine is also mounted on the top of the receiver, rather than the bottom like most weapons, making it easier to keep tabs on the ammunition count when playing without a HUD. The weapon, however, is only found during the later portions of both games.

Its high rate of fire and middling accuracy makes it unsuitable for conserving ammunition, but can be alleviated by firing the weapon in short bursts outside of close combat. The weapon's reload time is also longer than that of the Kalash. Despite this, the Kalash 2012 is still one of the best weapons to use in the confined tunnels of the metro, where its weaknesses are less of a concern.

Metro: Last Light
Kalash 2012 variants in Metro: Last Light Like some returning weapons, the Kalash 2012 has become one of the most versatile weapons in the player's arsenal in the sequel thanks to the new attachment system.

It accepts a suppressor and is available as early as Sundown level, which makes it invaluable for stealth throughout the game. You can purchase it in level Undercity and onwards, this gun is not available in Depot level.

It can accept reflex, IRNV, and 2x optical sights making it useful for both close and long range combat. It can accept silencer like VSK-94 and AK-74M.

Like Metro 2033, as with all weapons that use 5.45x39mm ammo, the Kalash 2012 loaded with MGRs is capable of killing almost anything with a single shot on higher difficulties. Its high rate of fire, however, is not very useful for conserving ammunition, which means that in this game the ammunition Artyom can carry is limited, it would be wise to pick a weapon with a lower rate of fire. But in close quarters, you will have an edge over your opponents wielding a weapon with a slower fire rate. The Kalash 2012 is rare in the game, and is frequently not chosen by players. This is in part due to the comparative firepower of similar weapons like the RPK-74 and Saiga-12, which are available before the Kalash 2012 is even introduced in game. However, due to the RPK, Saiga and Abzats inability to accept the silencer, its might be a good idea to get the Kalash 2012 if the player's build is heavily based on stealth.

Variants and Customisation
The Kalash 2012 has three attachment slots and five available attachments in total. Unlike the regular Kalash, this weapon can't equip Extended magazine.

Obtainment
{| style="text-align:justify;width:100%"
 * AK2012_sideview_dirty_M2033.png
 * AK2012_sideview_dirty_M2033.png

Metro 2033
Kalash 2012: The standard Kalash 2012 comes with laser and iron sights
 * Near a lot of other weapons in Sparta
 * Two of these can be found during Caves level near the bodies of D6 personnel.
 * Can be found in a box inside a small train before the computer control room.
 * Can be found in the lobby of the computer control room by some crates.
 * Can be found inside the computer control room on a shelving unit along with other supplies on the right-hand side of the room.
 * Can be found in a box on a small train before and after the Amoeba pores.
 * Can be found in Biomass level on a shelf along with a VSV at the bottom of the reactor chamber.
 * Can be found in a supply box in Separation level, next to the Guidance system.

Metro 2033 Redux
In Metro 2033 Redux, the Kalash 2012 remains as the best assault rifle in game, although it is still not available until the later portion of the game, the new customization system allows the user to make the Kalash 2012 more suited to their play style.
 * Black Station: can be looted from a Nazi soldier (the one that looks like an officer) in the room that's around the corner and track from the generator.
 * AK2012_scope_silencer_laser_sideview_dirty_M2033.png
 * Kalash 2012 with Scope and Suppressor:
 * Can only be purchased in Polis.
 * One is dropped by Miller in "Top".
 * }
 * }

Metro: Last Light
Kalash 2012: Although sporting a new model slightly different from Metro 2033, this gun has not changed much (except for a ambidextrous ejection port for spent casings). It has higher accuracy at the cost of losing the default laser sight. The weapon's lower damage output versus the other assault rifles makes this weapon less useful versus mutants, and its 40 round magazine capacity is negated by the fact that most other assault rifles can be upgraded with extended magazines. The weapon is still very effective against humans and is encountered early enough in the game to see considerable use. Because the weapons with more firepower are introduced early in the game, the Kalash 2012 is not common even among NPCs.
 * The Kalash 2012 can first be found as an uncustomized version, in "Sundown", in a tripwired room to the left of the map when facing the ferry. This can be useful to pick up, though it is also available for purchase two levels later, in "Undercity", and becomes fairly common from then on.

Design Issues
The Kalash 2012 is an interesting concept for a next generation assault rifle, but is a fairly implausible gun from an engineering standpoint. The weapon has multiple substantial design issues, which are the following:
 * In its original 2033 appearance, the weapon seems to have no clear ejection port for case extraction, unless it uses caseless ammunition, which it clearly does not. Closer inspection of the weapon while firing shows the casings eject from an area to the right of the barrel, suggesting a forward-ejecting system like the FN F2000, but no tube to divert the spent casings exists on the weapon. Casings ejecting from the front of the firearm is clearly a developer oversight, or an error.
 * This was fixed in Last Light and Redux, where an ambidextrous ejection port can be seen.
 * The weapon lacks a charging handle necessary to operate the gun, chamber rounds, and clear gun jams. The weapon likely has ways of chambering a new round after a fresh magazine, most likely having an automatic bolt-release. However, this does not explain the lack of a charging handle, which is an absolute necessity.
 * The weapon does not seem to have a means to rotate the cartridges into firing position, as they all sit 90 degrees to the chamber. The P90 solved this by having said mechanism in the magazine, rotating each cartridge and feeding it into the gun as it fires. However, 2012 magazines do not seem to have a similar mechanism.
 * The weapon has no room for the bolt and buffer spring (located in the stock/rear-receiver) needed to function.
 * It could be using a vertically moving bolt like the TKB-022PM, another Russian bullpup assault rifle. There were concerns about the weapon's displaced centre of gravity as a result of the magazine location, which is a problem the Kalash 2012 would solve with its top-mounted magazine.
 * The weapon could not mechanically support an AK style gas operating system as it appears to in the current design.
 * The weapon's handle and trigger are too far back for comfortable use in tandem with the stock. The user would have to crook their arm to shoulder the weapon, inducing fatigue.

Trivia

 * Files of Metro 2033 suggest that an unsuppressed scoped and an unscoped silenced Kalash 2012 variants were originally to appear in the game, but were cut at some point in development.
 * When the weapon is swapped with another one the ammo stays in the gun. It can be retrieved but the ammo pickup is much smaller than the size of the magazine; especially on higher difficulties. A lot of ammo can be lost because of this.
 * Its overall design hints that the Russian military wanted to field a compact assault rifle like the AKS-74U, but in a more modern design akin to the P90, making it ideal for vehicle crews or close quarters combat without sacrificing the stopping power of the 5.45x39mm round or having the AKS-74U's inherent flaws of a high fire rate, short range and tendency to overheat.
 * The weapon appears to be based heavily on the OTS-14 Groza, but with a magazine similar to that of the FN P90, and firing the 5.45x39mm ammo used by weapons like the AN-94, AK-74M, and RPK-74, rather than the 7.62x39mm or 9x39mm rounds that the OTS-14 actually uses.
 * The silencer that Kalash 2012 uses doesn't cover the muzzle break, in real life this would negate the effect of the silencer.
 * In Metro Redux, it isn't possible to chamber an extra round, indicating the gun must be an open bolt design. It could also be a mixed-mode weapon, which means it works in open bolt in full-auto and closed bolt in semi-auto.
 * Seeing as the weapon is referred to as "Kalash", it is possible that it was engineered by Mikhail Kalashikov, creator of the famous AK-47.
 * This gun is not to be confused with the real-life AK-12, which is a substantially different weapon from the Kalash 2012 seen in Metro. The former is a modernised AK-74M, with Picatinny rails, an ambidextrous charging handle, and chambering for all modern calibers; it was designed in 2011 and entered production in 2018, long after the game was being made.
 * During the Enlightened ending, the scoped and suppressed variant is seen on Artyom's back, as opposed to the VSV seen in the Ranger ending.
 * In Metro 2033, Artyom never uses a Kalash 2012 against human enemies, as during the final portion of the game where the weapon is available Artyom will only encounter mutants. This is changed in Redux, where it can be acquired and used in Black Station (see locations for more details).
 * The Kalash 2012 is the favoured weapon of the Rangers in Metro 2033 and it's only seen in use by them. Only Miller and Artyom, if the player chooses to do so, are seen using a customised Kalash 2012 though.
 * In Last Light, the Kalash is only seen in the hands of Red Line elite forces, a Hanza soldier in "Quarantine", and Reich officers during the "Anna" chapter. The Kalash 2012 is available in the Ranger arsenal, but few of them use it.
 * The idle animation for the 2012 changes between 2033 and Last Light;
 * In Metro 2033, if Artyom stands idle long enough with it equipped, he will take his right hand off the gun and crack his knuckles.
 * In Metro: Last Light, if Artyom is left idle, he will play with the Kalash 2012 as if he were using a guitar.
 * Artyom never actually uses the foregrip of the Kalash 2012 in Metro: Last Light, instead holding it like a standard Kalash or Bastard. In the original Metro 2033 he does, however this was later changed in Metro 2033 Redux.

Other Images
АК2012