As stated in the military encyclopedia, the Kovrov machine gun AEK-971 is the development of ZiD in Kovrov under the leadership of S.I. Koksharov (based on the Konstantinov automatic system). Let's look at what this weapon is and what its perspective is in the modern armies of the world.
How it all began
In mid-1982, Soviet designers-gunsmiths began the active development of promising models of automatic rifles as part of development work on the topic "Creating an assault rifle that would be one and a half times higher than the efficiency of the AK-74." The code for this program was: "Abakan." The engineers were faced with the task of increasing the accuracy of firing of new weapons by 5-10 times during continuous fire, in order to improve accuracy even among young inexperienced soldiers. The developed weapon was supposed to inherit all the combat qualities of previous rifle systems. First of all, this related to reliability, the ability to be installed in all domestic military-technical facilities, as well as the possibility of attaching standard components to it: an under-barrel grenade launcher, bayonet-knife, optical devices and so on. All the leading designers and gunsmiths of the USSR took part in this competition. In 1984, twelve automatic weapons projects were submitted to the commission for consideration . Three samples were eliminated at the first stages of the competition, thus, only nine developments reached the testing stage. Among them was the Koksharov-Garev AEK-971 submachine gun (5.45 mm), which has balanced automation and a design made according to the shock-free scheme.
What is innovation?
Balanced automation is the main distinguishing feature of the design of this machine. This scheme was created by analogy with AK-107 and AK-108 assault rifles based on a gas engine. In this system, an additional gas piston is connected to the counter-mass, its movement is synchronous with the main one, moving the bolt frame, but the opposite (that is, it moves towards the main one). This compensates for the pulses that occur when the gate mechanisms move and when they are hit in the front and rear positions. As a result of applying this scheme, the machine does not twitch when firing. And thanks to it, the AEK-971 has a firing accuracy of two times higher than that of the AKMi AK-74.
Muzzle brake compensator
A distinctive feature of the first model AEK-971 is an unusual muzzle brake compensator. Its design is based on a fundamentally new concept of firing from stable and unstable positions of the shooter. When firing in automatic bursts from standing positions, from the knee, on the go, you can reduce the holes in the compensator by means of a special lever, which is located on the left side of the box. And when shooting from a stable position from the stop, respectively, you can increase them. The idea of changing the diameter of the holes for the exit of powder gases into the muzzle brake compensator, together with balanced automation, made it possible to achieve an even greater level of stabilization of the system during automatic fire.
Description of the machine
The new AEK-971 submachine gun is powered by cartridges from a standard AK-74 magazine with a capacity of 30 pieces. Locking the barrel channel is done by turning the shutter. Folding stock reclines to the left side of the receiver. An interesting design solution was proposed for the flag translator-fuse. It is displayed on both sides of the receiver. However, the flag located on the left side does not have a fuse function, which somewhat reduces its capabilities. The trigger mechanism of the machine AEK-971 allows automatic, single fire, as well as fixed bursts (two shots). This greatly increased the effectiveness of this weapon at a rate of fire of 1,500 rounds per minute.
Machine upgrade
Subsequently, the design of the machine was greatly simplified. So, the muzzle brake compensator was replaced with a standard one from the AK-74, which led to a significant decrease in the rate of fire. The stock was made permanent, and the box had to be redone completely. The upgraded machine gun showed the results of continuous fire, which is 20 percent higher than the standard AK-74. However, the AEK-971 lost the accuracy of the second shot during automatic fire to its competitor, the Nikonov assault rifle, although it surpassed it in this parameter when firing in long bursts. So, according to the results of the competition for weapons, the Nikonov assault rifle was adopted, which received the designation AN-91.
The new history of the machine
The story of AEK-971 did not end there. In the late 90s, the Ministry of Defense remembered the development of weapons with a balanced automatic system, on which Kovrov designers worked. The machine has once again undergone modernization, already in accordance with the new requirements. As a result, a universal bracket was made on the left side of the receiver, on which you can mount all types of night and optical sights. They were able to install it by replacing the old butt with a new metal folding to the right. We also implemented a firing regime in fixed bursts of three shots. After that, the machine was launched into mass production. These assault rifles were produced in small batches. They were in service with special forces of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and other law enforcement agencies. In 2006, the Kovrov Machine-Building Plant completely stopped the production of military products. Therefore, all production was transferred to the plant to them. Degtyareva (ZiD).
Accessories
The new Degtyarev AEK-971 submachine gun consists of the following parts and mechanisms:
- a barrel with a receiver and a receiver cover;
- shutter and shutter frame;
- carriage and balancer;
- return mechanism;
- safety guard;
- USM, made as a separate unit;
- steering balancer;
- fire translator;
- receiver pad and forend;
- muzzle brake compensator;
- shop and bayonet-knife.
World Assault Rifles
The name "assault rifle" comes from the English "assault rifle". It is customary to say “automatic” in Russian, but the essence is the same. Today, this type of small arms is individual for infantry units. Modern assault rifles have a caliber from 5.45 mm to 7.62 mm. The capacity of their stores is 30 rounds or more. Automatic rifles are capable of firing in automatic mode, single shots and short bursts. The effective range is 600 m. The effective practical rate of fire of modern automatic weapons reaches 400 rounds per minute (in bursts). Almost all weapons of this class have the ability to mount auxiliary equipment: bayonet-knives, night, optical or collimator sights, under-barrel grenade launchers and other things. Today, assault rifles are produced in almost 30 countries of the world, from leading ones (Russia, the USA, Germany, France, England) and ending with the so-called third world countries (Iran, Taiwan, Korea, etc.).
Conclusion
Based on the machine AEK-971 two modifications were developed. The first of these is AEK-972. It completely repeats the basis, the difference is only the caliber - 5.56 x 45 mm (NATO cartridge), but there are no other design differences. The second modification is AEK-973. This model is designed for the Soviet cartridge 7.62 x 39 mm. The AK-47 magazine is used with this machine; otherwise it is identical to the base one.