« | The Auto Assault-12 is a shotgun capable of a fully automatic firing mode at 300 rounds per minute, making it an incredibly deadly weapon system in close quarters environments. It can load a range of different cartridges, from pellets to slugs and even High Explosive fragmentation shells. ION Inc. security contractor Dixon coined the nickname "Matilda" for his favorite weapon. Armoury Description
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AA-12 12G | |
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Faction | ![]() |
Type | Shotgun |
Calibre | 12 Gauge |
Magazine capacity |
20 |
Dispersion | 0.002 rad |
Variants | None |
Games |
The AA-12 is a 12G shotgun used exclusively by ION PMC contractors in ArmA 2. It was added with the release of the Private Military Company DLC.
Overview
The AA-12 is a blowback-operated, selective-fire combat shotgun that is chambered to fire 12 Gauge shotgun shells.
It is primarily designed to load 20-round pellet or slug shell drum magazines, but can also load explosive fragmentation shells as well. It is able to attain a fire rate of up to 300 rounds per minute, and has a muzzle velocity of 396 m/s. The AA-12 lacks the ability to mount any accessories or muzzle attachments.
With the deadly combination of being able to fire on full auto as well as being able to load high-explosive fragmentation (HE-Frag) shells, the AA-12 is undisputedly one of the most powerful infantry weapons available in ArmA 2. Its destructive potential rivals that of the M32 grenade launcher, and is effective against cars and lightly armoured vehicles such as the BRDM-2. Even helicopters can be damaged (or shot down entirely) should they fly too low and get within range of the AA-12.
However, for all its prowess the AA-12 does have one major drawback: its ironsights are far too small to be used effectively for hitting targets that are beyond 200 metres away. While this can be negated on lower difficulty settings where crosshairs are enabled, it still renders aiming with the AA-12 extremely difficult compared to the M1014 (which has easy-to-use ghost ring sights).
Ammunition
Round name | Base damage value | Aerodynamic friction | Initial velocity (m/s) |
---|---|---|---|
Pellet | 6 | -0.005 | 396 |
Slug | 9 | -0.005 | 396 |
High-Explosive | 9 | -0.005 | 400 |
The AA-12 is capable of loading up three types of drum magazines. All three require only one inventory slot to carry:
20Rnd. AA12 Pellets

Scatters pellets in a small arc when fired.
20Rnd. AA12 Slug

Single-target, high damage shot shell.
20Rnd. AA12 HE

Explosive anti-personnel shot shell. Has a blast radius of 2 metres on impact but does not penetrate vehicle armour.
Trivia
- As mentioned in its Armoury Description, the AA-12 is the favoured weapon of ION contractor Patrick Dixon. He can be seen wielding it throughout the entirety of the PMC campaign, and will notably use it out of frustration in order to scare away the protesters in Vocation should the player take too long in dispersing the crowd.
- The information below details unused, pre-release or removed content.
- Some form of the AA-12 was presumably meant to have been featured in ArmA 3 as well. Remnants of the ArmA 3 AA-12, dubbed as the AA40 (String name: str_a3_cfgmagazines_20rnd_aa40_he1), can still be found in the game files.
- A few leftover references to the AA40 include sound effects (Sound files: aa40_reload_final.wss, aa40_dry_1.wss) as well as config references for its recoil definitions (Config names: recoil_single_aa40, recoil_auto_aa40).
- However, because the model and its icon no longer exist, it is unclear as to what visual differences it would've had compared to the ArmA 2 AA-12.
Gallery
External links
See also
Weapons of comparable role and configuration
- M1014 (USMC/U.S. Army counterpart)
- Saiga 12K (Russian Armed Forces counterpart)
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Handguns | G17 9 mm • M9 9 mm |
Shotguns | AA-12 |
Carbines | M4A1 5.56 mm (M4A3) • XM8 Compact 5.56 mm |
Assault rifles | FN FAL 7.62 mm • M16A2 M203 5.56 mm • XM8 series (XM8, XM8 M320) |
Designated marksmen rifles | XM8 Sharpshooter 5.56 mm |
Sniper rifles | AS50 12.7 mm • KSVK 12.7 mm |
Squad automatic weapons | XM8 Automatic Rifle 5.56 mm |
Machineguns | PKM 7.62 mm |
Launchers | FIM-92F Stinger • RPG-18 |
(Parenthesis) denote variants. Operation Arrowhead | Private Military Company |