AN-94
| AN-94 | |
|---|---|
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| general information | |
| Civil name: | Nikonov AN-94 Abakan |
| Military designation: | AN-94, 6P33 ( GRAY index ) |
| Country of operation: | Russia |
| Developer / Manufacturer: | Ischmasch |
| Manufacturer country: | Russia |
| Production time: | Since 1993 |
| Weapon Category: | Assault rifle |
| Furnishing | |
| Overall length: | 728-943 mm |
| Weight: (unloaded) | 3.85 kg |
| Barrel length : | 405 mm |
| Technical specifications | |
| Caliber : | 5.45 x 39 mm |
| Possible magazine fillings : | 30 cartridges |
| Cadence : | Two-shot mode: 1800 automatic mode: 800 shots / min |
| Visor : | Open sights |
| Charging principle: | Gas pressure charger |
| Lists on the subject | |
AN-94 ( Russian : Aвтомат Никонова / Transcription: Awtomat Nikonowa ) is a Russian assault rifle with a caliber of 5.45 × 39 mm .
history
The AN-94 is a gas operated with staggered pulse, which means that the first shots in high, low in the subsequent cadence be fired. In two-shot mode, the shooter feels only one recoil . This ensures a high level of accuracy . The AN-94 was officially introduced in 1994 by the Russian Army and the Interior Ministry as a possible replacement for the AK-74 . The rifle was developed by Gennadij Nikonow, a weapons designer for the Ischmasch state armaments works in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Originally known as the "ASM prototype", it was developed for an army weapons competition and approved there. This competition, known by the code name " Project Abakan " (named after the Russian city of Abakan ), aimed to find a more effective successor to the AK-74. The ASM was tested along with many other prototypes , won these tests and was consequently purchased.
The original plan was to replace most, if not all, of the AK-74 with the AN-94. However, this was not possible, mainly for financial reasons; Today the AN-94 is in service with some elite units of the Russian army, the police and troops of the Interior Ministry. The weapon is also exported.
construction
The AN-94 is equipped with a housing made of glass fiber reinforced plastic with integrated hand protection. The 30-round and 45-round standard magazines of the AK-74 can be used as magazines, as can the new 60-round box magazines. The rear sight is fundamentally different from all previous Russian systems. The piston is made of high-strength plastic and can be folded over to the right. The eight-shaped muzzle brake is self-cleaning and easy to remove. The bayonet mount is located on the front sighting device and, unlike the Kalashnikov rifles, enables an attached underflow grenade launcher to be fired with the bayonet attached .
Advantages and disadvantages
The main improvement of the AN-94 over the AK-74 is the introduction of the two-shot burst , in addition to the single and fully automatic fire . The two shots are at a high rate of fire dispensed, tube and closure slide rearward. The recoil of the two shots is only felt when the two projectiles have already left the barrel. This fact is based on the findings of Soviet studies that soldiers rarely fire precise single shots in combat. Stress and fire from the enemy would mean that a shooter would only get out of cover for a very short time to open fire, which results in large aiming errors that are many times the gun's own dispersion . When firing in sheaves with conventional weapons in this case, only the first projectile has a more or less realistic chance of hitting, while the subsequent shots are deflected even more by the recoil of the weapon. In this situation, the AN-94 ensures that with a short burst of fire, the second shot also has a sufficient probability of hit and thus increases the statistically expected effectiveness of the shooter. In comparison tests with the AK-74, this resulted in significantly better results, especially at greater distances and when shooting from unstable positions. The fully automatic fire mode consists of two phases: First the first two shots are fired at a high rate, then the others at a slower rate until the trigger is released or the magazine is empty. Another advantage compared to the old gas pressure charger system is the second gas piston: this significantly reduces recoil so that the weapon can be better held in the target during continuous fire. Otherwise there are no other advantages over the AK-74.
The main disadvantage of the AN-94 is its highly complex and expensive manufacturing method, which is why the AN-94 is only sold by Russian elite units. The training effort for learning to disassemble and assemble is therefore relatively high compared to other assault rifles, and cleaning is more complicated and time-consuming. It is therefore reserved for some elite associations to take advantage of the two-shot mode. Further disadvantages of the AN-94 are the bad ergonomics of the grip, the visor that is difficult to clean (especially under combat conditions) and the frequent sharp edges and corners that can get caught in the uniform or even lead to injuries. The folded butt hides the trigger and the fire mode selector switch, which is separate from the safety lever, can hardly be operated when it is wet.
literature
- Tom Warlow, Laurie Kelly: Firearms, Law and Forensic Ballistics. Xplana Learning Inc., 2005 Edition, ISBN 978-0-203-56822-4 , pp. 78-79.
- Ilya Shaydurov: Russian firearms types. Technology. Data. Motorbuch Verlag, 2010, ISBN 978-3-613-03187-6 .
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ AN-94. (No longer available online.) Formerly in the original ; accessed on March 31, 2019 (English). ( Page no longer available , search in web archives )