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-100 (rifle family) AK-100 (rifle family) The AK-74M is the basis for the new Russian AK-100 family of Kalashnikov firearms: The AK-101, 102, and 104 are destined primarily for export, while the AK-105 is slated to replace the AKS-74U with the Russian Armed Forces. The 103 is used by elite Russian military and police groups in addition to being exported. Additionally, the AK-107 (5.45×39mm M74) and AK-108 (5.56×45mm NATO) rifles have a balanced recoil system to reduce felt recoil and muzzle rise. This balanced recoil system is derived from the AEK-971 rifle. In 2017 Kalashnikov unveiled modernised version of the AK-100 family of