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-102 AK-102 The AK-102 assault rifle is a shortened carbine version of the AK-101 rifle, which in turn was derived from the original AK-47 design and its AK-74 successor. The AK-102, AK-104, and AK-105 are very similar in design, the only difference being the caliber and corresponding magazine type. The AK-102 is an export version chambered to fire 5.56×45mm NATO ammunition. Compared to the AK-101 and AK-103, which are full-size rifles of similar design, the AK-102, 104, and 105 feature shortened barrels that make them a middle ground between a full rifle and the more compact AKS-74U. Whereas the AK-10x rifles