Infantry Weapons

AKM

Also known as
  • Avtomat Kalashnikova Modernizirovanniy
  • Avtomat Kalashnikova Modernized
  • AKM 6P1
  • 6P1

The AKM is the stamped-receiver modernization of the Soviet Kalashnikov assault rifle, chambered for 7.62x39mm and built around a long-stroke gas piston and rotating bolt. Adopted in 1959, it reduced production burden compared with earlier milled-receiver AK rifles and became a widely licensed baseline for later 7.62mm Kalashnikov-pattern weapons. CAR and ARES field documentation continues to place AKM and AKM-pattern rifles in modern conflict stocks, from Islamic State recoveries in Iraq and Syria to Taliban captures in Afghanistan.

AKM, 7.62x39mm assault rifle, Infantry Weapons
Image source: AKM (rifle).jpg

Role in Conflicts

2009 Boko Haram Insurgency
Role in conflict
Insurgent small-arms use

Conflict Armament Research documented eight 7.62x39 mm AKM assault rifles seized from JAS- and ISWAP-affiliated militants in Niger and the Lake Chad area, linking the rifles to insurgent small-arms stocks in the 2009 Boko Haram Insurgency.

Profile / Specs

Profile

Origin
Soviet Union
Type
7.62x39mm assault rifle
Service note
Introduced in 1959; still encountered in current conflicts through legacy stocks and licensed production
Designer
Mikhail Kalashnikov
Designed
1950s
Produced
1959-1977 in Soviet production; later licensed and derivative production continued elsewhere

Specifications

Cartridge
7.62x39mm M43
Action
Gas-operated, rotating bolt, select-fire
Overall length
880 mm
Barrel length
415 mm
Empty weight
About 3.3 kg
Magazine
30-round detachable box magazine
Cyclic rate
About 600 rounds per minute
Design And Production Notes

The AKM kept the Kalashnikov long-stroke piston layout but moved the production baseline toward a stamped receiver, lighter magazines, updated furniture, and a slant muzzle compensator. Those changes are useful for identifying why many later national 7.62mm Kalashnikov rifles are described as AKM-pattern rather than simply AK-47 copies.

FeatureAKM changeCatalog significance
ReceiverStamped parts joined by welds and rivets replaced the heavier milled approach used on earlier AK production.Supports the AKM's role as the lighter production modernization of the Soviet rifle family.
Controls and actionThe rifle retained the gas piston, rotating bolt, fire selector, and select-fire layout of the Kalashnikov system.Explains why ammunition, magazine, and training continuity matter across AK and AKM-pattern rifles.
Night and accessory fitNight-sight variants added receiver rails, while the GP-25 was later fielded as a compatible underbarrel launcher.Separates base AKM identity from accessory-equipped AKMN, AKML, and grenade-launcher configurations.
Variants

AKM designations mostly separate stock configuration, night-sight mounting, and licensed national production rather than a change in basic 7.62x39mm operating system.

VariantConfigurationDesignation notes
AKMS, Folding-stock 7.62x39mm assault rifle, Infantry WeaponsAKMSUnder-folding-stock variant

GunRF describes the AKMS, indexed 6P4, as the folding-stock AKM modification adopted alongside the AKM in 1959 for airborne and special-operation users.

Sources: GunRF AKM and AKMS assault rifles

AKMN / AKMLNight-sight variants

GunRF identifies AKMN and AKML versions with a left-side receiver rail for active or passive night sights, including NSP-series optics.

Sources: GunRF AKM and AKMS assault rifles

Licensed national AKM-pattern riflesForeign production and derivatives

GunRF and CAR describe broad foreign production and documented AKM-pattern examples, including Romanian AKM rifles and other national Kalashnikov derivatives recovered in conflict zones.

Sources: GunRF AKM and AKMS assault rifles, Weapons of the Islamic State

Ammunition Fired

The AKM's standard small-arms role is tied to the Soviet intermediate cartridge family used across AK-pattern rifles.

AmmunitionAmmunition typeFiring evidence
7.62x39mm cartridge, Intermediate rifle cartridge, Munitions7.62x39mm cartridgeIntermediate rifle cartridge

GunRF lists the AKM cartridge as 7.62x39mm M1943 and describes the same round as the standard ammunition family for Kalashnikov weapons firing this caliber.

Sources: GunRF AKM and AKMS assault rifles

Underbarrel Grenade Launcher Compatibility
Compatible itemItem typeCompatibility evidence
GP-25 Kostyor, 40 mm under-barrel grenade launcher, Infantry WeaponsGP-25 Kostyor40 mm underbarrel grenade launcher

GunRF lists the GP-25 as mountable on AKM and AKMS assault rifles, adding a 40 mm grenade launcher option to the rifle.

Sources: GunRF GP-25 rifle-attached grenade launcher

Timeline

AKM Key Events

  1. AKM adopted by the Soviet Union

    GunRF gives 8 April 1959 as the Soviet Council of Ministers adoption date for the 7.62mm AKM, indexed 6P1.

  2. GP-25 compatibility enters Soviet service

    GunRF describes the GP-25 grenade launcher as fielded in 1978 and mountable on AKM and AKMS rifles.

  3. Islamic State recoveries documented in Iraq and Syria

    CAR began documenting Islamic State weapons in Iraq and Syria in 2014; the report includes AKM and AKM-pattern rifles in recovered stocks.

  4. Taliban captures include AKM-type rifles

    ARES documented AKM-type rifles among arms captured by the Taliban during its May-August 2021 conquest of Afghanistan.

Media

AKM Videos

AKM Images

AKM, 7.62x39mm assault rifle, Infantry Weapons - view 1
Source: AK-47 type II noBG.png
AKM, 7.62x39mm assault rifle, Infantry Weapons - view 2
Source: AKM (rifle).jpg
Related Weapon Systems
AKMS, Folding-stock 7.62x39mm assault rifle, Infantry WeaponsInfantry WeaponsAKMSFolding-stock 7.62x39mm assault rifleThe AKMS is the under-folding-stock member of the Soviet AKM assault-rifle family, retaining the stamped receiver, long-stroke gas system, select-fire controls, and 7.62x39mm chambering while shortening the rifle for airborne troops, vehicle crews, and compact carry. Conflict Armament Research and ARES documentation places AKMS-family rifles in Islamic State stocks around Kobane and in a 2022 Ukrainian police seizure from an alleged Russian saboteur, showing how older Kalashnikov-pattern rifles remain visible in modern war.
AK-47/AKM rifle family, Selective-fire assault rifle family, Infantry WeaponsInfantry WeaponsAK-47/AKM rifle familySelective-fire assault rifle familyAK-47/AKM-family rifles are Kalashnikov-pattern small arms derived from the Soviet AK-47 and 1959 AKM modernization, usually chambered in 7.62 x 39 mm. In the post-2015 catalog they appear with FARC dissidents in Colombia, gangs in Haiti, PKK fighters, GNA scouts in Libya, insurgents in Mali, Islamic State forces in Iraq and Syria, militants in Sinai, RSF units in Sudan, Hamas fighters in Gaza, Taliban fighters in Afghanistan, Boko Haram-linked militants in the Lake Chad basin, and Houthi-linked supply chains in Yemen.
Type 56 assault rifle, 7.62x39mm Kalashnikov-pattern assault rifle, Infantry WeaponsInfantry WeaponsType 56 assault rifle7.62x39mm Kalashnikov-pattern assault rifleThe Type 56 is China's 7.62x39mm Kalashnikov-pattern assault rifle family, adopted in 1956, built in very large numbers, and exported widely through state, surplus, and illicit channels. Its early rifles followed the Soviet AK-47 with milled receivers, later production used AKM-style stamped receivers under the same designation, and many examples are recognizable by a permanently attached folding spike bayonet. In the 2009 Boko Haram Insurgency, Small Arms Survey and Stimson reporting link Chinese Type 56 rifles to weapons seized from Boko Haram members and to materiel captured during the 2016 Bosso camp attack in Niger.

Sources

Soviet AKM riflePublisher: Imperial War Museums | Note: Supports AKM background, adoption context, Izhmash creator attribution, and physical dimensions for a Soviet AKM example. | Accessed: 2026-06-20AP Hamas weapons analysisPublisher: AP News | Note: Supports 2023 Israel-Hamas War direct conflict use; AP analysis reports Hamas fighters using AK-47 assault rifles from China and Russia. | Accessed: 2026-06-20Kalashnikov AKM modernized assault riflePublisher: Modern Firearms | Note: Supports AKM technical specifications including cartridge, length, barrel length, weight, magazine capacity, and cyclic rate. | Accessed: 2026-06-20GunRF AKM and AKMS assault riflesPublisher: GunRF | Note: Supports AKM adoption date, 6P1 designation, stamped-receiver production background, AKMS and night-sight variants, 7.62x39mm cartridge relationship, and selected technical specifications. | Accessed: 2026-06-30Ukraine launches large-scale production of assault riflesPublisher: Oboronka / Mezha Media | Note: Supports 2014 Russia-Ukraine War context for Ukrainian forces training with AKM assault rifles in 2024 and continued reliance on Kalashnikov-pattern rifles. | Accessed: 2026-06-20Weapons of the War in UkrainePublisher: Conflict Armament Research | Note: Supports direct 2014 Russia-Ukraine War documentation of AKM assault rifles recovered from DPR/LPR formations in eastern Ukraine. | Accessed: 2026-06-20Weapons of the Islamic StatePublisher: Conflict Armament Research | Note: Supports 2014 War Against the Islamic State direct conflict use under Operation Inherent Resolve: Supports 2014 Operation Inherent Resolve and 2011 Syrian Civil War context for AKM and AKM-pattern assault rifles documented among Islamic State weapons in Iraq and Syria. | Accessed: 2026-06-30Islamic State Weapons in Iraq and SyriaPublisher: Conflict Armament Research | Note: Supports 2011 Syrian Civil War direct use: documents three AKM 7.62x39 mm assault rifles captured from Islamic State forces by YPG forces at Avdoke, Syria in July 2014. | Accessed: 2026-07-05Arms Captured by the Taliban During Their Conquest of AfghanistanPublisher: Armament Research Services | Note: Supports 2001 War in Afghanistan direct conflict context for AKM-type rifles captured by the Taliban during the May-August 2021 campaign. | Accessed: 2026-06-30Maritime Interdictions of Weapon Supplies to Somalia and YemenPublisher: Conflict Armament Research | Note: Supports 2014 Yemen Civil War supply-chain context for the FS Provence seizure of 2,000 AKM-pattern assault rifles assessed as likely destined for Yemen. | Accessed: 2026-06-20Weapon Supplies Fueling Terrorism in the Lake Chad CrisisPublisher: Conflict Armament Research | Note: Supports 2009 Boko Haram Insurgency direct use: AKM assault rifles were used by JAS/Boko Haram and ISWAP-affiliated militants, with CAR documenting rifles seized from those groups in the Lake Chad area. | Accessed: 2026-06-21GunRF GP-25 rifle-attached grenade launcherPublisher: GunRF | Note: Supports the GP-25 relationship by listing AKM and AKMS rifles among host weapons for the 40 mm underbarrel grenade launcher. | Accessed: 2026-06-30AKM (rifle).jpgPublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Supports image provenance and reuse terms for the primary AKM image, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 and GFDL. | Accessed: 2026-06-20AK-47 type II noBG.pngPublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Supports image provenance and reuse terms for an AK-47 Type II illustration, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. | Accessed: 2026-06-20AKM rifle Bulgarian Special Forces.jpgPublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Supports image provenance and reuse terms for a Bulgarian Special Forces AKM photo, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. | Accessed: 2026-06-20