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Project Abakan was a Soviet/Russian advanced assault rifle program in rival to the US Advanced Combat Rifle that took place between 1980 and 1994.
The 1960s ushered a new generation of assault rifles with the introduction of smaller calibers. U.S. military analysis of combat during the Second World War showed that a greater volume of fire at shorter ranges was more significant than long range accuracy. They decided that a smaller caliber would be more effective in most conditions, because the soldier could carry more ammunition. In 1963, United States adopted the M16 Rifle and the smaller 5.56×45mm cartridge to replace the M14 Rifle and larger 7.62×51mm. In 1980, NATO adopted the 5.56mm as the standard issue rifle cartridge. [1]
In 1974, the Soviet Army also replaced the AKM with the AK-74 assault rifle chambered for the new smaller 5.45×39mm caliber. In spite of the smaller caliber and many other improvements the AK-74 failed to overcome the major shortcoming of its predecessor, which was the low accuracy of short bursts of fire.
Soviet analysts determined that modern battlefield tactics require short bursts of fire from shooting positions including standing, kneeling and prone (lying down). The requirement for more accurate bursts of fire was one of the most important aspects of the Required Operational Capability (ROC) specification for any replacement of the AK-74. Therefore, in 1981 the Commission of the Council of Ministers of the USSR in the military-industrial issued Required Operational Capability (ROC) number 280 27.08.81. Because of the expensive and time-consuming nature of manufacturing and adopting a new assault rifle this ROC specified that any new assault rifle had to be 1.5 to 2.0 times more "combat effective" than the AK-74.
The complexity of modern firearms design and manufacturing dictated that design bureaus with dedicated manufacturing facilities were enlisted to design and manufacture prototypes. The prototypes were produced after three years by TsKIB SOO (subsidiary of KBP Instrument Design Bureau), Kovrovskiy mechanical and Izhmash (Izhevsk Mechanical Works) plants under the general guidance of TsNIITochMash (Central Research Institute for Precision Machine Building).
By August 1984, eight prototypes from eight designers were ready to be tested. Preliminary trials on the technical design stage in August and November 1984 were subjected to assault rifles: [2]
| Bureau | Model | Designer |
|---|---|---|
| TsKIB SOO | ||
| TKB-0111 | G.A. Korobov | |
| TKB-0136-3M | N.M. Afanasyev | |
| TKB-0146 | I.Y. Stechkin | |
| SKB KMZ | ||
| AEK-971 | B.A. Garev | |
| AEK-978 | P.A Pikinsky | |
| PO Izhmash | ||
| AL-9 | V.M. Kalashnikov | |
| AS | G.N. Nikonov | |
| IzhNITI | APT [3] [4] | I.A. Postnikov |
The Commission, appointed by the decision Ministry of Defence and GRAU, reviewed the test results and confirmed the possibility of finding a candidate that meets the initial ROC specifications. Two designs were eliminated after this first stage of testing: the automatic APT, because of its unreliability, and the TKB-0111 (the least promising). [2] The remaining designs went through 18 months of further development to improve manufacturing details and accuracy.
From May to June 1986, following the 18-month development period, one of the remaining six designs, the AL-9 was replaced by the AKB-1 and new prototype was added, the AO-63 assault rifle (designed by S.G. Simonov and P.A. Tkachev). [5]
Tests included firing a high volumes of rounds under extreme conditions including dust, extreme temperatures and altitudes. No prototype met all requirements. Only the AS and AO-63 met the requirement of accurate grouping.
Designers were given three months to update their designs before the tests were repeated in late October 1986. Two designs were modified fundamentally for this round of testing; the ASM construction by Nikonov (shift in momentum returns in the stationary store) and the battery instead of AKB-1 design Kalashnikov (balanced automatics).
Further developments of the prototypes were limited to muzzle devices. Halfway through the tests it became clear that it was not viable to continue further work the TKB-0111, AEK-971 and AKB.
The AS/ASM and TKB-0146 showed excellent accuracy. Testers and members of the commission all noted the great comfort with which both of these weapons could be fired. The recoil was also light enough that the weapons could be fired without having to shoulder them. Both were capable of firing a two-shot burst at such a high rate of fire that it sounded like a single shot. Observers could also see the trajectory of the two bullets. Eventually, the AS/ASM was selected and designated the AN-94 (Assault-rifle, Nikonov, 1994).
The AK-47, officially known as the Avtomat Kalashnikova, is a gas-operated assault rifle that is chambered for the 7.62×39mm cartridge. Developed in the Soviet Union by Russian small-arms designer Mikhail Kalashnikov, it is the originating firearm of the Kalashnikov family of rifles. After more than seven decades, the AK-47 model and its variants remain the most popular and widely used rifles in the world.
The AK-74 is an assault rifle designed by small arms designer Mikhail Kalashnikov in 1974. While primarily asociated with the Soviet Union, it has seen use in multiple nations throughout the 20th century and onwards. 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.
The StG 44 is a German assault rifle developed during World War II by Hugo Schmeisser. It is also known by its early designations as the MP 43 and MP 44. The StG 44 was an improvement of an earlier design, the Maschinenkarabiner 42(H).
The RPK is a Soviet 7.62×39mm light machine gun, developed by Mikhail Kalashnikov in the early 1960s, in parallel with the AKM assault rifle. It was created to standardize the small arms inventory of the Soviet Army, where it replaced the 7.62×39mm RPD light machine gun. The RPK continues to be used by the armed forces of countries of the former Soviet Union and certain African and Asian nations. The RPK is also manufactured in Bulgaria, Romania and Serbia.
The karabinek wzór 1988 Tantal is a 5.45×39mm assault rifle designed and produced in Poland in the late 1980s.
The TKB-408Korobov was a bullpup assault rifle prototype by Soviet designer German A. Korobov presented in 1946. The TKB-408 was submitted to a set of official trials conducted in 1946 to select an assault rifle for the Red Army. The Soviet Army commission found it unsatisfactory, with the trials eventually selecting Mikhail Kalashnikov's AK-47.
The AEK-971 is a selective fire 5.45×39mm assault rifle that was developed at the Kovrov Mechanical Plant (KMZ) by chief designer Sergey Koksharov in the late 1970s and 1980s. AEK-973 is 7.62×39mm version.
The two most common rifles in the world are the Soviet AK-47 and the American M16. These Cold War-era rifles have been used in conflicts both large and small since the 1960s. They are used by military, police, security forces, revolutionaries, terrorists, criminals and civilians alike and will most likely continue to be used for decades to come. As a result, they have been the subject of countless comparisons and endless debate.
The AK-107 is a Russian 5.45×39mm assault rifle developed from the AK-100-series. It features a "balanced" operating system, similar to that used in the AEK-971. In this case, the designation AK does not indicate Avtomat Kalashnikova but Alexandrov/Kalashnikov. The revised designation indicates the incorporation of a new gas system, designed by Youriy Alexandrov, for Kalashnikov-pattern rifles.
The ASM-DT is a Russian folding-stock underwater firearm. It emerged in the 1990s.
The Pușcă Automată model 1986 is the standard assault rifle used by the Romanian Military Forces and manufactured in Cugir, Romania by the ROMARM firm, located in Bucharest. The export name for this variant is the AIMS-74.
An assault rifle is a selective fire rifle that uses an intermediate cartridge and a detachable magazine. Assault rifles were first put into mass production and accepted into widespread service during World War II. The first assault rifle to see major usage was the German StG 44, a development of the earlier Mkb 42. While immediately after World War II, NATO countries were equipped with battle rifles, the development of the M16 rifle during the Vietnam War prompted the adoption of assault rifles by the rest of NATO. By the end of the 20th century, assault rifles had become the standard weapon in most of the world's armies, replacing full-powered rifles and sub-machine guns in most roles. Some of the most successful assault rifles include the AK-47, M16, IMI Galil and Heckler & Koch G36.
The AN-94 is a Russian assault rifle. The initials stand for Avtomat Nikonova model of 1994, after its chief designer Gennadiy Nikonov, who previously worked on the Nikonov machine gun.
The AO-46 was a gas-operated 5.45×39mm caliber, compact carbine/assault rifle prototype. It features a folding stock and the trigger is located just in front of the magazine, which doubles as a pistol grip. In order to minimize the length of the gun, gas for automatic operation was collected not out of the barrel, but directly from the flash suppressor in the muzzle. Despite having the latter feature, the combination of a relative powerful cartridge and short barrel produced a flash comparable to that of a sawed-off shotgun.
The TKB-0146 is a bullpup assault rifle prototype designed by Igor Yakovlevich Stechkin at the TsKIB SOO. The gun participated in the Russian Army's Project Abakan assault rifle trials.
The AK-12 is a Russian assault rifle chambered in 5.45×39mm designed and manufactured by the Kalashnikov Concern, making it the fifth generation of Kalashnikov rifles.
The Sudayev AS-44 was an early Soviet automatic rifle that was designed in 1944 by Alexey Sudayev. It was produced in limited numbers and tested during 1945, but its development ended in 1946 due to the death of its designer.
Grossfuss Sturmgewehr was a prototype assault rifle designed during World War II by Kurt Horn at the Grossfuss company better known for their contribution to the German arsenal made with the MG 42.
The AO-63 is a Soviet two-barrel AK derived assault rifle chambered for the 5.45×39mm round. It was designed by Sergei Simonov and Peter Tkachev, and manufactured by TsNIITochMash. It uses a side-by-side barrel configuration, and it can reach a maximum rate of fire of 6000 rounds/min when fired in two-round burst mode with a 0.01 second delay to increase ballistic performance, making it technically the fastest-firing assault rifle known.
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