AK-47

AK-47 Assault Rifle, 7.62x39mm”

National Origin Soviet Union Factions National Liberation Front (NLF) People's Army of Vietnam (PAVN) Weapon Type Assault Rifle Roles Rifleman / Guerrilla Radioman Inventory Slot Primary (Slot 1) Variants 3 Caliber 7.62x39mm Soviet

“Ubiquitous Russian Assault Rifle design”

— in-game description

The AK-47 is a select-fire, gas-operated rotating-bolt assault rifle chambered in the intermediate 7.62 × 39 mm Soviet cartridge, fed via 30-round detachable box magazines. It is featured in Rising Storm 2: Vietnam as either the Chinese Type 56 copy or the AKM variant.

History

---

Originally developed just after World War 2 in the Soviet Union by a team of engineers headed by Mikhail Kalashnikov, the AK family of weapons has become the most widely proliferated weapon in the world, with dozens of derivatives and variants created, manufactured and distributed to militaries and paramilitaries around the world.

After adopting Kalashnikov's AK rifle design in 1949, with its simple design philosophy aimed at high reliability and ease of manufacture and maintenance, the Soviet Union began looking towards supplying other countries and factions sympathetic to the communist cause with hundreds and thousands of these mass-produced rifles. As such, and in contrast to more sophisticated and expensive assault rifle patterns from Western countries, the AK-47 has become proliferated around the world through sheer numbers as a symbol of communism and resistance. Due to their rugged functional reliability, durability and easy maintenance, the AK-47 is especially popular among guerrillas and other unconventional forces who may be subject to less training.

One major country that benefited greatly from these Soviet assault rifles was the People's Republic of China, which initially received tooling and schematics to produce copies of the AK-47 (officially designated the AK-49, it is more commonly known as the AK-47, and known as the type 3 Ak-47 by collectors.) later they changed the receiver to an AKM style but all other parts remained AK-47 pattern. Production began in 1956 out of the State Factory 66, hence the designation of Type 56 for the year it entered Chinese production. During the Vietnam War, a large number of Chinese Type 56s were shipped to the Democratic Republic of Vietnam (North Vietnam) to aid their armies - they were subsequently issued to the People's Army of Vietnam (it was not until later that it became standard issue for Vietcong guerrillas in the South). At the same time, the Soviet Union was also supplying original AKs (in the stamped-receiver AKM pattern) to the Vietnamese communist forces, but this was often done through China, which kept the majority and supplied their own Type 56s instead. As a result, it is far rarer to find an original Soviet AKM in the hands of the People's Army of Vietnam.

Weapon Variants

---

Type 56

- The default variant in-game is equipped with a folding spike “pig-sticker” bayonet, a solid stock and a ringed foresight.

Ammunition
Ammo Type	123gr M43 FMJ
Rounds Per Magazine	30+1 Rounds
Magazines	4 Magazines
Weight Per Magazine	0.9 kg / 1.98 lbs
Handling
Weight	4.03 kg
Features	Folding Bayonet
Firemodes	Fully Automatic Semi-Automatic
Rate of Fire	650 RPM
Recoil	Vertical: 260 Horizontal: 150
Spread (MOA)	4.5
Length	874 mm
Melee Reach	1460 mm
Damage
Instant-hit Damage	86
Damage Value	489
Energy Impulse	293
Penetration Depth	15
Ballistic Coefficient	0.138
Velocity	735 m/s

Type 56-I

- A variant of the Type 56, based on the Soviet AKS, with under-folding stock which when enabled shortens the weapon and gives it more maneuverability, but disables the use of aligned iron-sights.

Ammunition
Ammo Type	123gr M43 FMJ
Rounds Per Magazine	30+1 Rounds
Magazines	4 Magazines
Weight Per Magazine	0.9 kg / 1.98 lbs
Handling
Weight	3.7 kg
Features	Folding Stock
Firemodes	Fully Automatic Semi-Automatic
Rate of Fire	650 RPM
Recoil	Vertical: 260 Horizontal: 150 x1.5 with stock folded
Spread (MOA)	4.5
Length	874 mm
Melee Reach	840 mm
Damage
Instant-hit Damage	86
Damage Value	489
Energy Impulse	293
Penetration Depth	15
Ballistic Coefficient	0.138
Velocity	735 m/s

AKM

- 'Introduced in 1959, the AKM is the sucessor to the original AK. Featuring an improved stamped receiver and other improvements that optimized the rifle for mass production. It also has subtly lower recoil and rate of fire at the cost of being less accurate.

Ammunition
Ammo Type	123gr M43 FMJ
Rounds Per Magazine	30+1 Rounds
Magazines	4 Magazines
Weight Per Magazine	0.9 kg / 1.98 lbs
Handling
Weight	3.1 kg
Features	Attachable Bayonet
Firemodes	Fully Automatic Semi-Automatic
Rate of Fire	600 RPM
Recoil	Vertical: 240 Horizontal: 97-135
Spread (MOA)	5
Length	880 mm
Melee Reach	1460 mm
Damage
Instant-hit Damage	86
Damage Value	462
Energy Impulse	285
Penetration Depth	15
Ballistic Coefficient	0.138
Velocity	715 m/s