The AK-74 is an assault rifle designed by small arms designer Mikhail Kalashnikov in 1974 as a successor to the AKM. It is chambered for the 5.45×39mm cartridge, which replaced the 7.62×39mm cartridge of Kalashnikov's earlier automatic weapons for the Soviet Armed Forces.
AK-74 · Assault Rifle Foto: Wikimedia Commons · Wikipedia
Specifications ◎ Assault Rifle
Type Assault Rifle
Origin Soviet Union
Manufacturer Kalashnikov Concern
Cartridge 5.45×39mm
Action Gas-operated, long-stroke piston, closed rotating bolt
Muzzle velocity 880 - 900 m/s
Effective range 500 m
Rate of fire 650 rounds/min
Weight 3.07 kg
Length 943 mm
Feed system 30-round AK-74 and 45-round RPK-74 detachable box magazine, 60-round casket magazine and 96-round RPK-16 drum magazines
Conflicts *Soviet–Afghan War *Lebanese Civil War *Kurdish-Turkish conflict (1978–present) *Lord's Resistance Army insurgency *Sri Lankan Civil War *Afghan Civil War (1989–1992) *Persian Gulf War *Yugoslav Wars **Croatian War of Independence *Georgian Civil War *Transnistria War *Afghan Civil War (1992–1996) *Tajikistani Civil War *East Prigorodny Conflict *The Troubles *Burundian Civil War *First Chechen War *Batken Conflict *Second Chechen War *War in Afghanistan *Iraq War *Russo-Georgian War *Insurgency in the North Caucasus *First Libyan Civil War *Russo-Ukrainian War **War in Donbas **Russo-Ukrainian war (2022–present) *Syrian Civil War *War in Iraq *Yemeni Civil War **Saudi Arabian-led intervention in Yemen **Saudi Arabian–Yemeni border conflict *2016 Nagorno-Karabakh conflict *Islamic State insurgency in the North Caucasus *Second Nagorno-Karabakh War *2021 Kyrgyzstan–Tajikistan clashes *2022 Kyrgyzstan–Tajikistan clashes *2023 Azerbaijani offensive in Nagorno-Karabakh
Used by Russian & ex-Soviet spetsnaz
