The 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.
ARES documented an AKMS rifle among weapons seized by the National Police of Ukraine from an alleged Russian saboteur in Zaporizhzhia on 9 March 2022; the source treats this as a seizure record rather than evidence of broader unit issue.
Role detailsConflict Armament Research documented a Polish kbk AKMS manufactured in 1982 among Kalashnikov-pattern assault rifles that YPG units captured from Islamic State forces during the September 2014-January 2015 battle of Kobane.
Role detailsThe AKMS keeps the AKM operating system but changes the carry and accessory profile around a metal under-folding stock. That makes the page useful to read as a compact AKM-family variant rather than a separate rifle design.
| Feature | Documented detail | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Under-folding stock | GunRF identifies the AKMS 6P4 as the folding-stock AKM modification adopted in 1959 for airborne assault and special-operation users. | Explains the shorter folded profile while preserving AKM ballistics and 7.62x39mm ammunition. |
| Night-sight versions | GunRF lists AKMSR, AKMSL, AKMSN, AKMSN2, and AKMSN3 variants matched to NSP-series night sights. | Separates plain folding-stock rifles from receiver-rail variants intended for night optics. |
| Grenade-launcher fit | GunRF lists the GP-25 as mountable on AKMS rifles; the linked  | Shows how the compact rifle could be paired with a 40 mm underbarrel launcher without treating the launcher as a rifle variant. |
AKMS designations mostly separate the folding-stock layout, night-sight rails and optics, and licensed national production rather than a different 7.62x39mm operating system.
| Variant | Configuration | Designation notes |
|---|---|---|
 | Fixed-stock parent family member | GunRF describes the AKMS, indexed 6P4, as the folding-stock modification adopted alongside the fixed-stock AKM in 1959. Sources: GunRF AKM and AKMS assault rifles |
| AKMSR / AKMSL / AKMSN | Night-sight folding-stock variants | GunRF lists AKMS night versions with left-side receiver rails for NSP-series night sights, including AKMSR, AKMSL, AKMSN, AKMSN2, and AKMSN3 configurations. Sources: GunRF AKM and AKMS assault rifles |
| Polish kbk AKMS | Licensed Polish under-folding variant | CAR documented a Polish kbk AKMS manufactured in 1982 among weapons captured from Islamic State forces in Kobane. Sources: Islamic State Weapons in Kobane |
| Licensed and derivative folding-stock AKM-pattern rifles | Foreign production and close derivatives | Small Arms Survey identifies the AKMS alongside later Type 56-1, Misr, and short Tabuk under-folding AKM-family derivatives. |
The AKMS uses the same Soviet intermediate cartridge family as the fixed-stock AKM.
| Ammunition | Ammunition type | Firing evidence |
|---|---|---|
 | Intermediate cartridge | GunRF and Small Arms Survey identify the AKMS as chambered for the 7.62x39mm M1943 cartridge, matching the AKM-family ammunition baseline. Sources: GunRF AKM and AKMS assault rifles, Kalashnikov AKM (& close derivatives) |
| Compatible item | Item type | Compatibility evidence |
|---|---|---|
| 40 mm underbarrel grenade launcher | GunRF lists the GP-25 as mountable on AKMS rifles, giving the folding-stock rifle a compatible 40 mm grenade-launcher option. |
GunRF gives 8 April 1959 as the Soviet adoption date for the AKM and describes the AKMS 6P4 folding-stock modification as adopted simultaneously.
GunRF describes the GP-25 underbarrel grenade launcher as fielded in 1978 and mountable on AKMS rifles.
CAR documented a 1982 Polish kbk AKMS among Kalashnikov-pattern rifles captured from Islamic State forces during the battle of Kobane.
ARES documented an AKMS among weapons seized by the National Police of Ukraine from an alleged Russian saboteur in Zaporizhzhia.
