AK-100 (assault rifles and carbines)

The AK-100 family is a series of Kalashnikov rifles, based upon the AK-74M, intended for export sales. The family of rifles offers the AK-74M system, in multiple cartridges and lengths.

AK-100 series

5.56×45mm AK-101 assault rifle.

The original AK-100 series rifles were officially offered for export since March 1993 and are categorized by all having black polymer handguards, folding polymer stocks, and use of AK-74M internal systems. Parts are highly interchangeable.

Chambering Assault Rifle Carbine
5.56×45mm NATO AK-101 AK-102
7.62×39mm AK-103 AK-104
5.45×39mm AK-74M AK-105
9×39mm AK-9

Even with those differences all of the rifles are made to similar specifications.

Rifles in the 100 series have been exported to and/or adopted by a variety of countries, notably: Armenia, Cyprus, Indonesia, Iran, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Serbia, Syria, Uruguay, and Venezuela.

The AK-105 has also seen some domestic use, filling a niche role as a middle ground between the AK-74M and AKS-74U.

Later Kalashnikov started offering the AK-107 / AK-108 (in order 5.45×39, 5.56×45) models. Externally they are very similar to the AK-100 series (with some minor differences) and are offered in the same calibers. Internally they use a radically different gas system and incorporate the Balanced Automatics Recoil System (BARS).

AK-100M/200 series

The AK-100M/AK-200 rifle family was initially conceived around 2009 as an improved variant of the basic AK-100 series. The development of the AK-100M/AK-200 family was stopped around 2011 but resumed around 2016. In 2017, Kalashnikov unveiled the modernized versions of the AK-100 family of rifles. Main key takeaways compared to the AK-100 variants is the additional picatinny rails, accurized barrel, improved flash hider device, pinned barrel components instead of pressed in. Additionally, the handguard possesses 4 rails instead of two, with a rail on the top of the dustcover, which is hinged. Overall, it is considerably designed to use modern optics compared to its predecessor.

5.45×39mm AK-200 assault rifle
5.45×39mm AK-205 carbine

As of 2018, the AK-200 series rifles are offered for export sales and for domestic law enforcement users in Russia. The AK-200 series are based on the AK-100 series and the AK-12. They can be chambered in 5.45×39mm, 5.56×45mm NATO and 7.62×39mm, and use a barrel and gas system assembly and iron sights line similar to that of the AK-74M/AK-100 rifle family. Improvements added from the AK-12 include Picatinny rails, a new pistol grip, a new adjustable buttstock and a new flash hider. They feed from 30-round magazines, and are compatible with drum magazines from the RPK and RPK-74.

The models of the AK-200 series are:

Chambering Assault Rifle Carbine
5.45×39mm AK-200 AK-205
5.56×45mm NATO AK-201 AK-202
7.62×39mm AK-203 AK-204

On 3 March 2019, Russia and India inaugurated Indo-Russia Rifles in Uttar Pradesh, India to produce AK-203 assault rifles. However, no contract had been signed then or rifles produced because of pricing disagreements. India signed a contract in August 2021 to directly import 70,000 AK-203 rifles from Russia. Russia and India on December 6, 2021, finally signed a contract on the delivery of over 600,000 7.62mm AK-203 assault rifles that will be produced on India's soil to the republic's Defense Ministry.

Users

Non-state actors

Conflicts

2000s

2010s

2020s

See also

References

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