Kalashnikov assault rifle AKS-74u: characteristics

In 1970, on the basis of the standard AK-74 assault rifle, weapons designers created a new modernized version - the well-known AKS-74U. The reason that led to start developing a more advanced model of the Kalashnikov assault rifle was the need for army personnel in small-sized but effective weapons that could hit a target at a distance of at least 200 meters. The first result of design work was the 74-U Kalashnikov assault rifle.

Start of improvement work

At the end of 1970, the military leadership of the Soviet Union expressed a desire to equip the army with small-sized weapons. Since the new samples were intended for mass use, weapons designers were tasked with re-equipment at the lowest cost. In order to save state funds and simplify the process, the developers decided not to create a completely new model, but to modernize the existing AK-74.

What did the change affect?

AKS-74U is a standard 74th Kalashnikov assault rifle with a half-shortened barrel, a modified receiver cover design, the presence of simplified sights and a muzzle - a special afterburner of powder gases, which serves as an expansion chamber and a flame arrester. In the design of the upgraded compact machine there is no moderator of the rate of fire.

Design Result

The AKS-74U assault rifle has reduced combat characteristics compared to its counterpart. The model does not have the necessary armor penetration. For this reason, it was not widely used in the armed forces, as originally planned. Nevertheless, the AKS-74U is in demand in police and special forces, mainly conducting their combat missions in urban settings, where unpredictable rebounds are undesirable.

For whom is a highly specialized modification intended?

Folding AKS-74U was designed primarily for arming paratroopers and aircraft crew, design guns and military vehicles. The compact size of the shortened machine was approved by law enforcement officers and security agencies.

The design experience in remaking a long Kalashnikov assault rifle into such a small-sized model as the AKS-74U is used to create new models of camouflaged weapons intended for special services. This automatic machine compares favorably with its compactness from its counterpart. AKS-74U can be placed in a special diplomat and fixed so that his handle will be fixed on the weapon. By pressing a certain button, the diplomat opens, and the hidden weapon, prepared for firing, is in the hands. The small size of the AKS-74U is considered its strength. It can equally be used by both special forces of the KGB or the FSB to carry out secret missions, and by criminals.

The performance characteristics

The weapon has the following performance characteristics (TTX):

AKS-74U has a length of 735 mm.
Size with folded butt is 490 mm.
Barrel length - 210 mm.
Highest firing efficiency - at a distance of up to 400m.
Range of a direct shot - 360 m.
Burst speed of the bursts - 100/1 min.
Single firing speed - 40/1 min.
Rate of fire - 735 rounds per minute.
The AKS-74U cartridge has a caliber of 5.45x39 mm.
Machine gun is designed for 30 rounds.
The weight of the AKS-74U without ammunition is 2.71 kg.

What does a modernized Kalashnikov assault rifle consist of?

The design of the AKS-74U has the following elements:

receiver with a barrel;
sighting device;
folding butt;
pistol grip;
receiver cover;
trigger mechanism;
flame arrester;
bolt frame containing a gas piston;
gate;
a gas pipe in which there is a receiver pad;
return mechanism;
forend;
automatic shop;
belt.

What is provided for the machine?

Each fighter equipped with one AKS-74U unit receives additional elements:

case;
ramrod;
oiler;
a screwdriver;
four stores (one is inserted into the machine, three additional are contained in a special bag);
sighting device.

Sighting device

This device includes:

1. Entirely. The design allows you to use it for firing in two positions:

“P” - at distances not exceeding 350 meters;
“5” - the distance for shooting is 350-500 meters.

2. Self-luminous nozzle. Designed to operate weapons at night. Due to the wide slot, the folding rear sight is mounted on the swivel, the wide front sight is mounted on the front sight of the machine. The self-luminous nozzle when using weapons in the daytime is not removed, but is fixed in the lower position, allowing the shooter to use standard sights without problems.

How does automation work?

The weapon works using the energy of powder gases, which are removed from the barrel channel. During the shot, gases, pushing the bullet through a special hole in the barrel wall, accumulate in the gas chamber. There they interact with the front wall of the gas piston, resulting in its displacement. In addition, the shutter and the slide frame are shifted to the rear position. The shutter is designed to open the barrel channel, remove the cartridge case from the chamber and eject it outward. Due to the bolt frame, the return spring is compressed and the trigger is set to the self-timer cock. The return mechanism AKS-74U moves the frame and shutter from the rear to the front position. After sending a new cartridge into the chamber, the channel barrel closes. The trigger moves to the cocking position.

Ammunition for the AKS-74U. Bullet Characteristics

For a shortened Kalashnikov assault rifle, bullets are provided:

Ordinary, caliber 5.45 mm. This type of bullets affects the enemy’s manpower, which is located in open areas or behind weak fences. The ammunition consists of a steel core, a shell (tombac coating) and a lead shirt between them.
Tracer bullets. These ammunition perform three functions:

hit the enemy’s manpower;
indicate the purpose (mainly at night);
adjust the shooting.

Tracer bullets consist of a head (contains a steel core) and a bottom part (contains a pressed tracer composition).

The AKS-74U cartridge contains a steel core, which has the following breakdown qualities:

at a distance of 500 meters, the AKS-74U bullet penetrates a steel sheet 0.3 cm thick;
with 210 m breaks a sheet, the thickness of which is 0.5 cm;
from 500 m it is capable of breaking through a steel helmet (100% penetration);
from 320 meters - damages bulletproof vest (the probability of penetration is 50%);
from 400 meters the AKS-74U bullet penetrates 200 mm thick pine beams;
from 100 meters - a bullet with a steel core gets stuck in masonry at a depth of 8 cm;
when hit from 400 m into compacted loamy soil (parapet), a bullet gets stuck at a depth of 20 cm.

Options for the upgraded AK-74

AKS-74UN2 (night). This model contains, unlike the AKS-74U, a special bar designed for the installation of night sights. The weapon, equipped with a universal night modernized rifle scope (NSPUM), is used for firing in the dark.
AKS-74UB (silent). In the design of this machine, instead of the regular muzzle nozzle, a special thread is used, which allows attaching a silencer to the barrel. In addition to PBS, the AKS-74UB is equipped with a silent BS-1M grenade launcher. The carried out modernization transforms this model of the Kalashnikov assault rifle into a silent rifle-grenade launcher system.

Izhevsk and Tula developments

In Izhevsk, designers V. M. Kalashnikov and A. E. Dragunov AKS-74U was redone under a gun - a machine gun “Bizon - 2”. The created weapons use 9 mm cartridges from a Makarov pistol.
In the city of Tula, the AKS-74U was redone for firing with 9 mm ammunition and was given the name “Tees”.
The symbiosis of the BS-1 under-barrel grenade launcher of 30 mm caliber and the silent version of the AKS-74U is the “Canary” shooting grenade launcher system.