AK-74

"The AK-74 is a gas-operated and rotating bolt assault rifle that succeeded the AKM family of rifles for the Soviet Armed Forces in the 1970s. It is a popular, reliable arm for many former Soviet nations and militia groups. The 5.45×39mm cartridge it fires is smaller, slimmer and fired at a higher velocity compared to the older 7.62×39mm cartridge. The unique muzzle brake combined with the lighter cartridge makes for an extremely controllable weapon even on fully automatic fire."

- In-game description

The  is an assault rifle featured in Squad.

General Information
The AK-74 is a gas-operated and rotated belt assault rifle. It is designed by renown Russian designer Mikhail Kalashnikov in 1974 to replace the outdated AKM of the Soviet Army. The AK-74 was adopted as the standard assault rifle of the Soviet Army in 1974, replacing the AKM. The AK-74, like the AK-47 and AKM, is used by many nations in the world, from Asia to Eastern Europe to Africa. Seven variants of the AK-74 were created: AKS-74, AKS-74U, AK-74N, AKS-74N, AKS-74UN, AKS-74UB, and the AK-74M. The AK-74M would be later adopted into the Russian Ground Forces in 1991 after the Soviet Army dissolved.

The AK-74 is known for using the newer, smaller, and deadly 5.45x39mm cartridges instead of the 7.62x39mm cartridges of previous Kalashnikov rifles. The AK-74's firing mechanism is that of a standard AKM as well as its iron sights but however, the firearm incorporates a new barrel with chrome-lined bore and 4 right-hand grooves at a 200 mm (1:7.87 in) rifling twist rate, a new laminated wooden buttstock, handguard, gas cylinder, and a spring washer. The AK-74 is compatible with an underbarrel grenade launcher such as the GP-25, but only certain modifications to the rifle that is designated with an "N" (such as AK-74N, AKS-74N, and AKS-74UN) has a side-rail for installation of a collimator and optic sights.

Gameplay

 * The AK-74 magazine holds 30 rounds.
 * Can be fired on automatic and semi-automatic.
 * The AK-74 is used by the Irregular Militia. It is issued to the Grenadier, Rifleman and the Light Anti-Tank classes.

Trivia

 * The abbreviation AK from AK-74 stands for Avtomat Kalashnikova (Автомат Калашникова) which means in English from Russian, "Kalashnikov automatic rifle". 74 stands for the year the AK-74 was designed, which was 1974.
 * There are currently more than five million AK-74s in the world. This is the less produced of the Soviet-era Kalashnikov rifle series. The number of AKMs is two times of the AK-74 while the number of AK-47s is fifteen times of the AK-74.
 * After the Soviet Army dissolved in 1991, millions of AKM and AK-74 rifles in the Russian Federation were stored for homeland defense by the Russian Ground Forces while the new main service rifle is the AK-74M.