Small arms at all times have been and remain the main destructive force. Not only the outcome of a particular battle, but also of the entire military campaign largely depends on how well the soldiers of motorized rifle units are armed. The Russian army became the heir not only of the ideas and symbols of the Soviet army, but also of its small arms, and for many years now, Kalashnikov assault rifles have been loyally and loyally used, with which no other small arms can compete. But is this so, and is there really no worthy competitor for Kalashnikov assault rifles?
In 1980, the first stage of preparation for the competition of small arms under the code name "Abakan" began in the USSR. The idea of the competition was to consider new models of small arms that could not only replace the AK, but also become the best weapon in the world.
One of the participants in the "Abakan" competition was Gennady Nikolayevich Nikonov, who, as it will become known later, will be the winner of the competition with his AN-94 assault rifle. The designer was born in the city of gunsmiths - Izhevsk in 1950. Nikonov received his first knowledge of small arms within the walls of the Izhevsk Machine-Building Technical School at the Small Arms Faculty. But the designer himself admits that his entire future fate was influenced not by the fact that he graduated from the technical school, but by the fact that his first head at the Izhevsk Machine-Building Plant was E. F. Dragunov. It was this experienced designer who was able to help the young Nikonov not only find the talent of a designer, but also transferred vast knowledge, which became the basis in the formation of the future author of the best machine gun in Russia.
The submachine gun presented for the competition, created by G. N. Nikonov in the design bureau of the Izhevsk Machine-Building Plant was named "5, 45-mm Nikonov AN-94 assault rifle" and it was this assault rifle that became the best according to the results of all tests and inspections. What is the reason for the fairly confident victory in the competition, which was attended by recognized designers in the arms world?
The first thing that catches your eye upon first acquaintance with the AN-94 is the external resemblance to the well-known AK-47, but this applies only to the external design of the same machine is completely unique. The main difference from all previous designs of automatic weapons was the use of a movable barrel in the AN-94, which moved in special grooves in the carriage casing. The energy of the forward motion set in motion the automatics of the structure and made it possible to conduct continuous fire in three different modes. If single mode and burst shooting were not much different from similar samples, then shooting in two-round mode is the main difference and uniqueness.
As you know, in order to achieve maximum lethality, bullets after fired shots in automatic mode must lie down together in one specific point, but when firing from the same AK-47, there was no such effect. In the Nikonov assault rifle, thanks to the introduction of the firing mode with two cartridges, the problem with the accuracy of the hit is practically solved. During the tests, it became obvious that the designers succeeded in what had previously remained an unresolved problem, the bullets sent from the machine gun hit one point of the target, and this significantly increases the destructive power when firing at a high rate.
In 1994, the AN-94 was officially adopted to arm the motorized rifle units of the Russian army. According to the assumption of the military leadership, the new machine gun should completely replace the AKM and AK-74 that were previously in service. Despite the fact that the Nikonov assault rifle was chosen as the main rifle unit, but due to the design features, namely its complexity, its use did not become widespread. To date, the AN-94 is used only in the units of the elite units of the Russian Army, as well as the special forces of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. The main obstacle to the full transition to the use of the Nikonov assault rifle in all military units was not only the difficulty in mastering the assault rifle by conscripts, but the lack of money for rearmament.
The fact that the Nikonov assault rifle is today one of the best examples of small arms is the fact that the fighters of the former famous Taman division (currently disbanded, instead of it the 5th motorized rifle brigade has been created) are armed with the AN-94. The assault rifle passed not only field tests, but also in real combat conditions, it showed itself from the best side, thanks to its trouble-free operation and accurate shooting with a high degree of accuracy.
Unfortunately, the author of the best machine gun to date, Gennady Nikolayevich Nikonov, died in 2003, but work on his ideas to improve the existing model of the machine gun and the creation of new types of small arms continues at the design bureau of the Izhevsk Machine-Building Plant. Unless the would-be reformers bankrupt him, the pride of Russian armourers is on the verge of ruin.
