AEK-971 | |
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An AEK-971, shown with an unfolded buttstock.
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Type | Assault rifle |
Place of origin | Soviet Union |
Service history | |
Used by | See Users |
Wars | Second Chechen war |
Production history | |
Designer | Sergey Koksharov |
Designed | 1978 |
Manufacturer |
Kovrovskiy Mekhanicheskiy Zavod (original) Degtyarev plant (current) |
Variants | AEK-971 AEK-971S AEK-972 AEK-973 AEK-973S A-545 A-762 |
Specifications | |
Weight | 3.3 kg (7.3 lb) unloaded (AEK-971) 3.3 kg (7.3 lb) unloaded (AEK-972) 3.25 kg (7.2 lb) unloaded (AEK-973) |
Length | 960 mm (37.8 in) with stock unfolded 720 mm (28.3 in) with stock folded |
Barrel length | 420 mm (16.5 in) |
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Cartridge |
5.45×39mm (AEK-971, AEK-971S, A-545) 5.56×45mm NATO (AEK-972) 7.62×39mm (AEK-973, AEK-973S, A-762) |
Action | Gas-operated, rotating bolt, balanced recoil system (BARS) |
Rate of fire | 900-rounds/min Practical: Automatic: 100 (rd/min) Semi-auto: 40 (rd/min) |
Muzzle velocity | 880 m/s (2,887 ft/s) (AEK-971, AEK-971S) 850 m/s (2,789 ft/s) (AEK-972) 700 m/s (2,297 ft/s) (AEK-973, AEK-973S) |
Effective firing range | 500 m (547 yd) |
Maximum firing range | 100–1,000 m (109–1,094 yd) sight adjustments |
Feed system | 30-round or 45-round RPK-74 detachable box magazine or 60-round casket magazine |
Sights | Adjustable iron sights, hooded front post and rear notch on a scaled tangent |
The AEK-971 is a Soviet / Russian selective fire assault rifle that was developed at the Kovrov Mechanical Plant (KMZ) by chief designer Sergey Koksharov in the late 1970s and 1980s. The primary model, the AEK-971, uses the 5.45×39mm round fed from standard 30-round or larger box magazines used by the AK-74, AK-74M, and similar weapons.
The AEK-971 was developed to participate in a competition announced by the Ministry of Defense of the USSR, during which preference was given to the AN-94. The initial AEK version differs from modern samples, as many innovations were perceived as unnecessary by the Ministry of Defence, which led to a simplification of the early model. The AEK-971 is approximately 0.5 kg (1.1 lb) lighter than the AN-94, simpler in design and cheaper to manufacture.
The AEK-971 assault rifle has been combat proven in Chechnya tested by naval infantry and interior forces, and prepared for mass production. Only a few small batches of this assault rifle have been produced so far and adopted for service with units of the Ministry of Justice of the Russian Federation.
Though losing an initial contract for production against the AN-94 as a result of the Project Abakan assault rifle selection trials held from 1980 to 1994 in Russia, the Russian Army begun field trials of this weapon. The AN-94 assault rifle, which was officially adopted by Russian army, has a slight accuracy edge over the AEK-971 in 2-round-burst mode. In full automatic mode or during longer bursts (3–10 rounds per burst) the AEK-971 is more accurate. In late 2014, an updated variant of the rifle passed state trials and will be tested operationally with Russian forces in early 2015.
The AEK-971 is based on previous AK rifles in internal design and layout, but features a Balanced Automatics Recoil System (BARS) that enhances the traditional Kalashnikov long stroke gas piston operating system by reducing the negative effects of recoil. Balanced recoil systems were previously applied in the AO-38 and AL-7 experimental assault rifles and in the AK-107 and AK-108. BARS works by shifting mass toward the muzzle of the rifle as the bolt and bolt carrier recoil rearward by way of a counter-weight that negates the impulse of the gas piston and bolt carrier, resulting in more controllable automatic fire. For the AEK-971 automatic firing accuracy is improved by 15-20% in comparison with the AK-74M.