MOSCOW (Sputnik) — Saturday's Victory Day parade in Moscow's Red Square will feature Russia's largest small arms Kalashnikov Concern manufacturer's modernized AK-74M assault rifle, according to the company.
"This modern small-arms system can be adjusted for any tactical mission and will greatly expand the weapon's potential," Sergey Urzhumtsev, deputy CEO and Chief Designer, said in a statement published Wednesday on the company's website.
Kalashnikov Concern, part of state technologies corporation Rostec, promises a 50-percent increase in the AK-74M's accuracy at a distance of up to 300 meters (328 yards). The new modification is also expected to be fitted with a 40-mm grenade launcher and a bayonet.
The May 9 parade to commemorate the 70th anniversary of Nazi Germany's defeat in World War II will feature over 16,500 servicemen, nearly 200 units of military equipment and about 140 helicopters and planes.
Other military equipment to be unveiled at the parade include a new-generation Armata main battle tank with an unmanned remotely-controlled turret; the fifth-generation RS-24 Yars (NATO reporting name SS-29) intercontinental ballistic missile; high-end armored personnel carriers; high-precision self-propelled artillery systems; as well as the famous Sukhoi Su-30 (Flanker-C) and Sukhoi Su-35 (Flanker-E) fighter jets.
