Firearm a battle rifle such as the Karabiner 98k, but the chief differences defining an assault rifle are select-fire capability and the use of a rifle round of lesser power, known as an intermediate cartridge. Soviet engineer Mikhail Kalashnikov quickly adapted the German concept, using a less-powerful 7.62×39mm cartridge derived from the standard 7.62×54mmR Russian battle rifle round, to produce the AK-47, which has become the world's most widely used assault rifle. Soon after World War II, the Automatic Kalashnikov AK-47 assault rifle began to be fielded by the Soviet Union and its allies in the Eastern Bloc, as well as
AK-12 have an interchangeable barrels, that can easily be removed. It has a combat weight of , a full length of , a cyclic rate of fire of 700 rounds per minute (RPM), an accuracy range of and uses a standard 96-round drum magazine. It is also compatible using magazines from the AK-74 and RPK-74. The AK-308 is an assault rifle/battle rifle under development in 2018 upon request of non-Russian potential clients. It is based on the AK-103 and AK-12 and chambered for 7.62×51mm NATO/.308 Winchester. The basic Kalashnikov assault rifle design intended for intermediate cartridges has been stretched and strengthened