AEK-971

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.

History

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.