The AEK-971 is a Soviet/Russian fully automatic assault rifle made by the Kovrov Machinebuilding Plant, now called the Degtyarev Design Bureau - Degtyarev plant, and designed by Sergei I. Koksharov [1] in the 1980s. The primary model, AEK-971, uses the 5.45 x 39 mm round fed from standard 30-round or larger magazines used by the AK-74 and similar weapons.