AK-74 AK-74 The AK-74 (Russian: or "Kalashnikov automatic rifle model 1974") is an assault rifle developed in the early 1970s by Russian designer Mikhail Kalashnikov as the replacement for the earlier AKM (itself a refined version of the AK-47). It uses a smaller 5.45×39mm cartridge, replacing the 7.62×39mm chambering of earlier Kalashnikov-pattern weapons. The rifle first saw service with Soviet forces engaged in the 1979 Afghanistan conflict. The head of the Afghan bureau of the Pakistani Inter-Services Intelligence claimed that the CIA paid $5,000 for the first AK-74 captured by the Mujahideen during the Soviet–Afghan War. Presently, the rifle continues to
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