KMZ AEK-971

History

The AEK-971 Assault Rifle emerged from the Kovrov Machine Works (KMZ) in the 1980s, and design work began ten years earlier. At the heart of the weapon is a conventional automatic weapon system that fires the usual array of standard Soviet cartridges via a pneumatically rotating bolt breech. They are similar in form and function to the classic line of Kalashnikov rifles, including a gas cylinder above the barrel and a curved detachable magazine. The AEK-971 differs in that it uses the BARS action - "Balanced Automatic Recoil System" - which has been shown to improve the shooter's ability to shoot in continuous fire (i.e. burst fire, fully automatic fire) by reducing the effects of recoil accuracy.

In the BARS system, the recoil effect is shifted closer to the muzzle, and the rearward action of the bolt and bolt carrier helps to further reduce the effect of "muzzle climb".

The AEK-971 was one of several guns competing to find the next standardized Soviet Army rifle, including the competing AN-94 described elsewhere on this site. The rifle was eventually adopted, albeit in limited quantities and distributed to various branches of the Soviet Navy and the Federal Armed Forces, but this design was barely seen in terms of range - it successfully fought against Russian troops in the Second Chechen War .Although the AN-94 is heavier and more expensive to manufacture, it outperforms the AEK-971 in the long run.

Nonetheless, support remains for the AEK-971 design, which has successfully survived and provided several related variants and sub-variants. The AEK-971 became the main variant of the series, chambered in the 5.45x39mm cartridge, while the AEK-972 was chambered in the Western preferred 5.56x45mm NATO cartridge. This results in a slight deviation in the magazine curvature.

The AEK-973 is the third in the series and holds a 7.62x39mm rifle cartridge for better penetration at range. AEK-971 and AEK-973 subsequently produced their own sub-variants, which became the improved AEK-971S and AEK-973S, respectively.

The duo used an all-new trigger system, three-round burst mode, and a lighter stock.

More modern versions of the AEK-971 are the A-545 and A-762. As the name suggests, these models hold 5.45x39mm and 7.62x39mm cartridges, respectively. The A-545 actively competes with the AK-12 model, as both are in limited service for evaluation purposes.

The A-545 is considered a direct successor to the earlier AEK-971 series.

Specification

Roles

Dimensions

Performance

Changes