AK-74U

Following the development of .223 Calibre intermediate rifle cartridge and the service of 5.56x45mm NATO in Vietnam War in 1961, the Union demanded the development of their own intermediate assault rifle cartridge. The outcome was the 5.45x39mm Soviet cartridge, finished in the early 1970s, many rifle designs were submitted to chamber this new calibre of ammunition. In the end the conventional rechambered AKM design submitted by Mikhail Kalashnikov was chosen by the Union, AK-74 became the new standard service rifle for both the Union itself and it's Warsaw Pact allies[1]. Under the pressure o...