On Russian market In the field of small arms there is a serious struggle between Izhmash and the Kovrov plant named after Degtyarev. New Kalashnikov AK-12 assault rifle against Kovrov A-545.
So far, the gunsmiths from Kovrov are winning this battle. The military allowed their A-545 assault rifle to undergo state testing. According to representatives of the Ministry of Defense, this machine gun integrates better with the “Ratnik” combat equipment. Last week, representatives of the Airborne Forces said that the paratroopers were already ready for military testing.
At the same time, the brainchild of Izhmash is the new Kalashnikov assault rifle, which considered it not to meet the requirements that they place on modern small arms.
What is known about the A-545 and AK-12 assault rifles? The information circulating in the press and on the Internet does not allow us to fully evaluate even the basic characteristics of the new machines. There are Picatinny rails that have set the teeth on edge, both here and there, and they say almost nothing about the characteristics of new types of small arms.
Very little is known about the Kovrov A-545 assault rifle. Chief designer plant named after Degtyarev V. Gromov said that the A-545 is a further development of the AEK-971 assault rifle. Further speaking about AEK-971 we will mean A-545.
The AEK-971 assault rifle has excellent performance in terms of accuracy of fire in short and long bursts in comparison with the AK-74M and even the AN-94 Abakan. In the new A-545 assault rifle, the quality of the balanced automatics, which reduces recoil and barrel lift, is at least the same, and in this respect the Kovrov assault rifle is significantly superior to the new AK-12.
The designers of the AK-12 also worked to improve accuracy and reduce recoil and barrel lift. The AK-12 barrel is located lower than that of the AK-74M; now the barrel axis is closer to the pistol grip, which significantly reduces recoil. In addition, a rubber butt pad appeared on the butt. This minor addition made shooting more convenient for the shooter, which also had a positive effect on accuracy.
The accuracy of single shots for the AEK-971 and AK-12 assault rifles is almost the same as the accuracy of the AK-74M - about 5MOA. So in this regard, the two new assault rifles are approximately equal, although the AEK-971 shoots a little faster and more accurately.
Let's turn to ergonomics. The AK-12 assault rifle is now made for both right-handers and left-handers; the bolt group can be rearranged to suit you. The AK-12 has a rigid receiver cover, which is connected to the receiver like the AKS-74U.
A separate firing mode selector and safety lock are located close to the pistol grip in both the AK-12 and AEK-971. The assault rifles can be operated without taking your hands off; there is also a slide stop. But the Ak-12 has two-way controls for left-handers and right-handers, and this is its absolute advantage.
Both assault rifles will be equipped with both telescopic and folding stocks. In addition, unlike its predecessors, the AK-12's bolt handle will no longer move when firing, and has been moved closer to the fore-end. The problem of the open gap between the receiver and its cover has been solved.
The complex balanced automation of the AEK-971 increases accuracy, but significantly reduces reliability. The connection between the piston and the balancer is carried out through a gear; the balancer itself is secured with a pin, which can simply fly out. And until you put the pin back, the machine will not fire. In turn, the AK-12 does not have any major design difficulties and, accordingly, is more reliable.
The production cost of the A-545 assault rifle is more expensive than the AK-12. In addition, the capacity of the Kovrov plant named after Degterev today is simply insufficient to cope with the volume of production of new machine guns in the quantities necessary for the rearmament of troops. Naturally, Izhmash does not have such problems. The Kovrov plant has already raised the issue of government assistance to expand and re-equip production.
The production of AK-12 at Izhmash will be able to be established quickly enough and in the required volumes. True, many point out that the AK-12 is just a slightly modified AK-74M.
The AK-12 assault rifle is currently being tested at the expense of the developer (during state tests, all expenses are borne by the military department). Izhmash is confident that they will successfully implement all the requirements of the military in the AK-12 and it is their machine that will be adopted as the main one.
This assault rifle, which was repeatedly predicted to replace the Kalashnikov assault rifles in service with the Russian army, received many positive and negative reviews. For example, it was called “an assault rifle NOT for a conscript soldier” (after continuous shooting, during which about 1000 shots were fired, the assault rifle stopped firing because it did not send a cartridge into the chamber). But let's look at the characteristics.
Assault rifle AEK-971 was developed at KMZ ( TO Ovrovsky M mechanical Z avode— explanation website) under the leadership of Stanislav Ivanovich Koksharov in 1978.
The product uses balanced automation. The moving parts are divided into two parts, the bolt carrier and the balancer, connected through racks and pinions. The pistons of the frame and balancer, under the pressure of powder gases, begin to simultaneously move in opposite directions at equal speeds. As a result, the impulses of their movement compensate each other, and the shooter perceives only the impulse of the shot; the displacement of the machine gun under the influence of recoil is much less.
This principle is more complicated than automatic gas engine, which is used in most models automatic weapons. However, at the same time, the circuit is simpler than that of mechanisms with a shifted recoil impulse. In addition to all AEK-971 about 500 grams lighter than the Nikonov assault rifle AN-94 "Abakan".
Moscow was not built right away, as they say. So is the final appearance The AEK-971 assault rifle changed as it developed. But in general, the classic features have been preserved. In order to make the weapon lighter, a light frame stock was installed that folded to the right. The machine gun is equipped with a barrel guard and a plastic forend, and there is a mount for a bayonet or a GP-25 or GP-30 under-barrel grenade launcher. There is also a sector mechanical sight, as well as a rail for mounting a collimator, optical or night sight.
Standard machine gun cartridge AEK-971, 5.45*39 mm, could not penetrate modern body armor, and therefore a machine gun for 7.62 mm caliber was created, AEK-973. Craftsmen from KMZ worked together with specialists from TsNIITOCHMASH to refine the machine gun, as a result of which the machine gun was supplemented with a firing mode in fixed bursts of 3 shots. This mode is preferable for shooting from unstable positions, since it is difficult to control the length of the burst at this rate of fire. The trigger is equipped with a safety switch; when the safety is engaged, the trigger is locked and the groove for passage of the loading handle is blocked. The safety switch is installed on the left side above the pistol grip and is accessible to the shooter’s thumb. A muzzle brake-compensator is attached to the barrel.
A modification of the machine gun has been developed for the 5.56x45 cartridge AEK-972 the same scheme.
The 7.62-mm AEK-973S modification is distinguished by a modified trigger with the safety switch located on the right, and a retractable (to reduce the transverse dimensions) lightweight buttstock. When the butt is retracted, the shoulder rest closes with the pistol grip, forming a streamlined design and not making shooting difficult.
Performance characteristics of Garev-Koksharov AEK assault rifles
| Machine model | AEK-971 | AEK-972 | AEK-973 |
| Caliber | 5.45 mm | 5.56 mm | 7.62 mm |
| Cartridge | 5.45x39 mm | 5.56×45 mm | 7.62x39 mm |
| Weight without magazine | 3.3 kg | 3.3 kg | 3.35 kg |
| Barrel length | 420 mm | ||
| Length with stock extended and folded | 960/720 mm | ||
| Rate of fire | 900 v/m | ||
| Magazine capacity | 30 rounds | ||
| Sighting range | 1000 m | ||
Garev-Koksharov assault rifle AEK-971 / AEK-972 / AEK-973 (Russia)
Assault rifle (automatic) AEK-971 early modification
AEK-972 assault rifle chambered for 5.56×45
AEK-973 assault rifle chambered for 7.62×39
The automatic carbine AEK-971 (GRAU Index - 6P67) was designed at ZiD in Kovrov under the leadership of Stanislav Ivanovich Koksharov based on the Konstantinov system (SA-006), which participated in the 1974 competition. This weapon was developed to participate in a competition announced by the USSR Ministry of Defense, during which preference was given to the Nikonov AN-94 model. The original version differs quite significantly from modern designs, since many innovations were perceived by the Ministry of Defense as unnecessary, which led to a simplification of the machine gun. In the 1990s, the machine gun was again modified and produced in small quantities until 2006 for various Russian law enforcement services, after which production was transferred to the Plant named after. Degtyareva. The production of machines at the new location is not carried out, since the deployment required significant costs, which will not be recouped without the receipt of large orders.
In September 2013, it became known that the AK-12, previously intended for arming the RF Armed Forces as an element of the “Ratnik” combat equipment system, was initially not approved, and then allowed for state testing of samples of modern small arms only if its testing was financed by the concern “ Kalashnikov." It was ahead of the A-545 assault rifle based on the AEK-971 produced by the Degtyarev Plant.
As of June 22, 2014, automatic weapons from two manufacturers were tested for automatic weapons for “Ratnik” equipment: AK-12 from the Kalashnikov concern and A-545 from the Degtyarev Kovrov plant, said the deputy chairman of the Military-Industrial Commission under the government Russian Federation Oleg Bochkarev. Thus, the successor to the AEK-971, the A-545 assault rifle, has prospects for adoption in the RF Armed Forces from the end of the summer of 2014.
Design of AEK-971
The AEK-971 is made according to the traditional layout (front position of the magazine) and is structurally similar to the AK to a large extent - it uses a rotating bolt and automatic reloading based on a gas engine, which is driven by powder gases exhausted through a gas outlet tube above the barrel. The weapon is designed for 5.45x39 mm caliber cartridges; there are also options for 5.56 mm NATO (AEK-972) and 7.62x39 mm (AEK-973) cartridges. For food, standard magazines from AK-74 (indexes 6L20 and 6L23) or AKM are used, depending on the caliber.
The automation circuit has been redesigned to eliminate one of the shortcomings of the AK - insufficiently high accuracy of automatic fire, which is caused by the shaking of the weapon due to the movement of the bolt group when reloading each cartridge during the firing process. For this purpose, the AEK-971 implements a balanced automatic circuit based on a gas engine (a similar circuit was used in the later AK-107 and AK-108 assault rifles). A balancer has been added to the automation unit, corresponding in mass to the bolt group. The bolt frame and balancer are connected through racks and gears, the axis of which is fixed in the receiver. The frame and balancer pistons play the role of the front and rear walls gas chamber. At the moment of firing, under the pressure of powder gases, they begin to simultaneously move in opposite directions with equal speeds, and the impulses of their movement compensate each other. As a result, the displacement of the weapon caused by the operation of the automation is minimal. The accuracy of burst fire from unstable positions is noticeably improved, exceeding that of the AK-74M by 1.5-2 times.
The AEK-971 body is metal, the fore-end, pistol grip and receiver guard are made of high-strength plastic. The fuse-translator flag of the fire modes is displayed on both sides of the receiver (on the left - only the translator). The mechanism provides three firing modes: single, continuous bursts and bursts with a cut-off of 3 shots (in the early version the cut-off was 2 shots). The machine has seats for attaching a 6X4 bayonet and underbarrel grenade launcher(GP-25 “Bonfire”, GP-30 “Obuvka” or GP-34). The sight is a sector one, similar to the AK-74 sight; the sighting block is located in front of the receiver cover. The stock on the original version folded to the left, then it was replaced by a permanent stock, and in the modern version it folds to the right. The first model of the machine gun had a muzzle brake-compensator with the ability to change the holes (increase and decrease when firing from stable and unstable positions, respectively); in the later version it was replaced by the compensator from the AK-74.
The burst accuracy characteristics of the late (simplified) version of the AEK-971 are improved by 15-20% in comparison with the AK-74, and in comparison with the AN-94, worse accuracy of the second hit was revealed when firing in bursts, but better accuracy when firing in long bursts. The warranty life is equal to that of the AK-74 and is 10,000 rounds. Combat rate of fire is 40 rounds per minute when firing single shots and 100 rounds per minute when firing in bursts. The rate of fire is 800-900 rounds per minute (in the early version - about 1500 rounds per minute) in both automatic modes (unlike the AN-94 Abakan, which has a much higher rate when firing with a burst burst). Muzzle energy for a 5.45 mm caliber is about 1500 J, for a 7.62 mm caliber it is about 2200 J with an initial bullet speed of 730 m/s.
Options:
AEK-971 - the basic version chambered for 5.45x39 mm.
AEK-972 is a variant of the AEK-971 chambered for the 5.56x45mm NATO cartridge.
AEK-973 - a variant of the AEK-971 chambered for 7.62x39 mm, uses AKM magazines (GRAU Index - 6P68).
AEK-973S - a variant of the AEK-973, with a retractable telescopic butt, a modified shape and angle of the pistol grip.
Regarding the debate regarding the benefits of using the AEK-971 instead of Kalashnikov assault rifles, the feasibility and effectiveness of the weapons of Garev and Koksharov, I will simply quote a person who actually compared these models in shooting: “I still found the opportunity to shoot with this miracle of 5.45 mm caliber called AEK-971 assault rifle... So that’s what I’ll say, and this is my personal impression - try to shoot long bursts from an AKM while standing at full height, which is unlikely to happen, especially accurately, try from an AK-74 under similar conditions - it’s easier than an AKM , it’s easier to control, but not ideal, and take the AEK-971 assault rifle - it will turn out well, it will turn out better, more compact and as much easier as it is easier to control with automatic shooting 5.45 mm than 7.62 mm. Here are my impressions. The accuracy is much better, there is no barrel drift, or rather there is, but it is completely insignificant. Namely, accuracy during automatic firing is what we need for various official tasks.”
And more experience with the AEK-971:
“I read on the receiver: AEK-971.
“This is for testing,” explains the head of the weapons service, “to the mountain detachments.
Give it to us!
For those in the tank, I repeat, for the mountaineers!
So, Comrade Lieutenant Colonel, they all have 7.62 mm weapons, and we have 5.45 mm - there will be no problems with supplies, they themselves said that 7.62 mm cartridges are not enough, huh?
Long pause.
OK. But, you’re going to write a report, understand, elder?
No question, just give it!
I love weapons, what can I do, especially new ones that no one has seen.
All formalities have been settled, the weapons have been received.
Get your ammunition before heading back!
We gathered in the barracks, let's watch the updates, the hero of the day was of course me, no one had ever seen such a machine gun.
In my service I had the opportunity to use AKM, AKMS, AK-74, AKS-74 and AK-74M. The last one is the most convenient and familiar to me. AEK made a huge impression. It uses balanced automation. The AEK is 160 grams heavier than the AK-74M, but it seems lighter because it is more ergonomic - a more massive forend, a comfortable pistol grip. The fire switch is located with right side, thumb right hand It is convenient to remove the safety and select the fire mode: PR - safety, OD - single GR - fixed burst of 3 shots, AB - automatic fire. Although, in my opinion, it would be much more convenient if the translator was located on the left side.
Firing in fixed bursts occurs by pressing and holding the trigger; if you press and release sharply, 1 or 2 shots are fired, and then the next press will fire 2 or 1 shot. The automation system is made according to a balanced scheme: the moving mechanism is divided into two parts, approximately equal in weight, each of which is driven by a common gas engine. There is practically no recoil when shooting. This is achieved by the fact that the bolt frame and the balancer move in opposite directions at the moment of firing. If on an AK the gas piston moves backward when fired, then on an AEK it moves forward.
We shot at a 40 by 50 target set at a distance of 70 m. Having fired the entire magazine in a continuous burst, all the bullets hit the target. The butt folds to the right and is held by the force of the spring; with the butt folded, it is easy to insert a cartridge into the chamber. It is much easier to convert the stock from traveling to combat than that of the AKS-74 or AK-74M, but folding it back is much more difficult. The bullet's flight speed is 880 m/s, and the AK-74M's is 900 m/s. The sound of the shot is noticeably louder, I don’t know if this is good or bad. It was said that the GP-25 could be easily attached, but we were never able to do it.
After we almost continuously fired 1080 rounds of ammunition from it, the machine gun stopped firing - it did not send a cartridge into the chamber. Having disassembled it, we discovered that the rod, which acts as a piston, is attached to the balancer using a thread and is fixed with a pin, which, as a result of shooting, became loose and fell out. After it was removed there were no delays in firing. As our foreman said: “A machine gun is not for a conscript soldier.” After the tests, we wrote a report and all the identified (not so many) shortcomings. Based on the test results, the AEK-971 assault rifle chambered for 5.45×39 was adopted by the Ministry of Justice of the Russian Federation. Later I saw photos of AEK-971 on the Internet, our wishes were to transfer the translator to left side they took it into account, and in general, in my opinion, they made it with the possibility of installation on both sides.”
Technical characteristics of AEK-971
Caliber: 5.45×39
Weapon length: 960/720 mm
Barrel length: 420 mm
Weight without cartridges: 3.3 kg.
Rate of fire: 900 rounds/min
Magazine capacity: 30 rounds
Technical characteristics of AEK-972
Caliber: 5.56×45
Weapon length: 960/720 mm
Barrel length: 420 mm
Weight without cartridges: 3.3 kg.
Rate of fire: 900 rounds/min
Magazine capacity: 30 rounds
Technical characteristics of AEK-973
Caliber: 7.62×39
Weapon length: 960/720 mm
Barrel length: 420 mm
Weight without cartridges: 3.35 kg.
Rate of fire: 900 rounds/min
Magazine capacity: 30 rounds
Assault rifles
AEK 971 assault rifle with folded buttstock
The AEK-971 assault rifle, created at the Kovrov Mechanical Plant under the leadership of S.I. Koksharov, uses a “balanced automation” scheme.
Most systems with a “classic” automatic gas engine are distinguished by a complex pulse diagram of operation, which is especially sensitive in individual weapons. When firing, the shooter experiences a successive series of multidirectional impulses: the recoil of the shot, the reaction of the gas chamber into which the powder gases enter, the impact of the moving parts of the automation in the extreme rear and forward positions. Such “shocks” increase the dispersion of bullets in the queue. “Balanced automation” is one of the methods for eliminating this disadvantage. The idea is to create two counter-moving equal masses, kinematically connected to each other.
In the AEK-971 assault rifle, the moving parts of the automation are divided into two parts - the bolt frame and the balancer. To synchronize the movement, they are connected through racks and gears, the axis of which is rigidly mounted on a stationary receiver. As a result, the movement impulses of the frame and the balancer compensate each other, and the shooter perceives only the impulse of the shot; the displacement of the machine gun under the influence of recoil is much less. Being more complex than “ordinary” automatics with a gas engine, the “balanced automatic” circuit is still simpler than the “displaced pulse” circuit. In addition, the AEK-971 is approximately 0.5 kg lighter than the AN 94 assault rifle of the same caliber.
The trigger mechanism of the machine gun is equipped with a flag-type non-automatic safety switch, and when the safety is engaged, not only the trigger is blocked, but also the hole for the passage of the reloading handle is blocked. A muzzle brake-flash suppressor is attached to the barrel.
The cartridges are fed from a standard box magazine with a capacity of 30 rounds.
As AEK-971 developed, it changed, but overall retained its classic features. To lighten the weapon and reduce its size, a lightweight frame-type buttstock made of reinforced plastic is used that folds to the right; a plastic pistol grip is made together with the trigger guard. The machine gun is equipped with a plastic fore-end and receiver guard, and a standard mount for a bayonet-knife. Mechanical sight - sector. There is a side rail for attaching a collimator, optical or night sight.
To date, the AEK-971 assault rifle has successfully passed the battle test in Chechnya, in units Marine Corps and internal troops of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, and is ready for launch into mass production.
The machine gun was released and entered service with units of the Ministry of Justice of the Russian Federation.
The modernized AEK-971 received the ability to fire in fixed bursts of 3 shots.
Firing in short bursts from unstable positions is preferable, but at a high rate of fire it is difficult for the shooter to control the length of the burst, so an automatic cutoff of the burst length is required.
AEK-972 assault rifle with folded stock
Chambered for the 5.56x45 cartridge, the AEK-972 assault rifle has been modified with the same design and with the same magazine capacity. The machine also has a rail on the left side of the receiver for attaching a collimator, optical or night sight.
A variant of the AEK-971 has been created for the 7.62 mm automatic cartridge. In the process of refinement, together with specialists from TsNIITOCHMASH, the machine gun was given a firing mode in fixed bursts of three shots. The safety switch is installed on the left side above the pistol grip and is accessible to the thumb of the shooting hand. The new 7.62 mm modification was designated AEK-973. In terms of accuracy of fire, the 5.45 mm AEK-971 and 7.62 mm AEK-973 are two or more times superior to the 5.45 mm AK 74 and 7.62 mm AKM, respectively.
The 7.62-mm AEK-973S modification is distinguished by a modified trigger mechanism with the translator-safety flag located on the right, and a retractable (to reduce the transverse dimensions) lightweight buttstock. When the butt is retracted, the shoulder rest closes with the pistol grip, forming a streamlined design and not making shooting difficult.
AEK-973 assault rifle with extended butt
Tactical and technical characteristics of the AEK 971 / AEK 972 / AEK 973 assault rifles
Caliber, mm: 5.45 / 5.56 / 7.62Cartridge: 5.45x39 / 5.56x45 / 7.62x39
Weapon weight without magazine, kg: 3.3 / 3.3 / 3.25
Initial bullet speed, m/s: 880 / 850 / 700
Rate of fire, rounds/min: 900 / 900 / 900
Sighting range, m: 1000 / 1000 / 1000
Magazine capacity, cartridges: 30 / 30 / 30
The main small arms for military personnel Russian army For many decades, the AK-74 assault rifle was in use, which, however, began to become obsolete and required replacement. In this regard, the leadership of the Russian Ministry of Defense several years ago announced a competition for the development of a new machine gun, which should ultimately become part of the “Ratnik” equipment. According to the results of the first stage of the competition, two assault rifles were recognized as the best: AK-12 from the Kalashnikov concern and AEK-971 from the Degtyarev Plant. We propose to compare the two most advanced Russian assault rifles of our time.
The AK-12 and AEK-971 assault rifles are similar in many ways: they have a traditional layout, use ammunition of the same caliber, and have balanced automatic systems. It is no secret that the main requirement of the Russian Ministry of Defense for the new machine gun was accuracy of fire. The designers of the Degtyarev Plant have been working on balanced automation for three decades, but for Kalashnikov specialists such work was new. However, Izhevsk gunsmiths coped well with the assigned tasks, implementing a set of measures to soften the operation of the mechanisms. Thus, the accuracy of fire of the AK-12 has become twice as good as the AK-74. As for the AEK-971, it received a compensation system when fired: a special balancer stabilizes the weapon when the trigger of the machine gun is pulled. Test results showed that the accuracy of fire from the AEK-971 was slightly better.
New assault rifles for Russian military personnel must be ergonomic and adapted to the installation of additional equipment. Ergonomics was a big problem with Soviet small arms, but such problems have now been solved. AK-12 and AEK-971 will be equipped with a Picatinny rail for mounting sights, target designators, flashlights, bipods and other equipment. At the same time, both machines turned out to be quite light: if the AK-74 weighs about 4 kilograms, then the AK-12 weighs only 3.2 kilograms, and the AEK-971 - 3.5 kilograms. Interestingly, you can reload the AK-12 with one hand, which will save time in battle.
The leadership of the Russian Ministry of Defense also set the task for defense enterprises to create machine guns for two calibers of cartridges. Kovrov specialists completed the task on one platform, while their Izhevsk colleagues used an AK-103 assault rifle to meet the conditions of the tender.
Based on the results of numerous tests, the AK-12 still won the competition. A number of experts note that in a number of parameters the AEK-971 turned out to be better than its competitor, but the Degtyarev Plant is not able to cope with a large order from the Ministry of Defense. Too much money will have to be spent on modernizing the enterprise. At the same time, the AEK-971 is more expensive than the AK-12.
Experts are confident that both assault rifles will be adopted. The AEK-971 will be produced in small quantities for employees of law enforcement agencies and special forces, and the AK-12 will become the main weapon for regular units and formations of the Armed Forces.
Both samples showed excellent results during testing in laboratories and test sites. It cannot be said that one of these machines is better than its competitor. So soon Russian troops will receive modern and reliable assault rifles with excellent characteristics.
Mikhail Alexandrov