If you take a closer look at the new Kalashnikov Assault Rifle, namely the muzzle brake of the twelfth model, you will notice a small and extremely specific detail - a strange-looking contraption, which in its shape resembles a small crown. In the weapon, not a single rivet is set just like that, and it is quite obvious that the "crown" is not needed for beauty. Then what is it really for?
The Kalashnikov-12 assault rifle was created in 2016 and adopted by the Russian army in 2018. Together with the two-hundredth series machine guns, he is one of the representatives of the fifth generation firearms. The weapon did not pass state tests under the Ratnik program. In the end, preference was given to the hundredth series submachine guns. Despite this, the sample still went into mass production and today is quite actively used, including in special units of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the FSB of Russia.
As already noted, the AK-12 muzzle brake has a specific "crown". This detail was added to the design of the machine for a reason and not for beauty. It performs two functions at once. Weapon lovers wondered for a long time why exactly the strange crown was needed, but in 2019 Viktor Kopytsev, one of the assistants to the director of the Kalashnikov concern, dismissed all questions in this regard with his speech. According to him, the "crown" is an important tactical accessory.
The mentioned element is needed in order to make life easier for the soldiers of special units. The muzzle brake crown is a knife that can be used by a fighter to bite through barbed wire. To do this, you need to pull the wire on the muzzle and make a single shot. Metal under tension will instantly burst upon contact with the bullet. In addition, the crown can be used to break glass. Its shape makes the glass crumble, which greatly simplifies the fighter's task and makes shooting at the glass unnecessary.
If you want to know even more interesting things, then you should read about ASh-12 the new main machine gun of Russia.