longer in service. Bofors Ak 5C At the beginning of the 21st century the Swedish military wanted a more modern assault rifle for integration in a future Swedish soldier program. The rifle had to have a Rail Integration System, better ergonomics and improved reliability. Instead of purchasing a new assault rifle, Sweden opted to modify the existing Ak5B rifle family already in use reducing program risks and costs. Before the Ak 5C went into mass production, it was thoroughly evaluated. This was done by having certain units use an experimental model designated Ak5CF where "F" stands for the Swedish word försök (in this context, experiment or trial). During the trial over one million rounds were fired and the rifles exhibited a Mean Rounds Between Stoppage value of 3,500. The test users found the test weapon too heavy and long so the barrel length was reduced to 350 mm to reduce overall weight and move the center of gravity closer to the user. These tests were completed in June 2005 and four months later, the FMV signed a contract with Saab Bofors Dynamics covering the modification of nearly 40,000 Ak5 assault rifles, which took the company approximately four years to implement. Serial deliveries were scheduled to begin in June 2006 and the Ak5C was first issued to priority units serving in Afghanistan (ISAF), Chad (EUFOR Chad/CAR), and Kosovo (KFOR). The Ak 5C is the modernized version of the original Ak5, following the trend of modular weapons. One of the most significant improvements is the MIL-STD-1913 rail system to which a variety of different optics, lights and sights can be mounted, such as telescopic sights and image intensifiers. The double gas position, iron sights and bolt catch of the original Ak5 rifle family were discarded. New features of the Ak 5C compared to the original Ak 5: Increased reliability Mean Rounds Between Stoppage > 2,000 Barrel shortened to Weight reduced to MIL-STD-1913 Picatinny rail system at the top and bottom of the hand guard Adjustable buttstock Foldable emergency iron sights (for ranges up to 300 m) Automatic bolt catch Ambidextrous selector levers Translucent 30-round plastic box magazines New slimmer pistol grip at a different angle (similar to the one on Ksp 90) Modified hand guard with cut outs for pressure switches and cables on the right and left side Forward vertical grip at 6 o'clock position (detachable) New prong-type flash suppressor Tactical