query: designer ak-101
supports: The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO  '), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental military alliance based on the North Atlantic Treaty which was signed on 4 April 1949. The organization constitutes a system of collective defence whereby its member states agree to mutual defence in response to an attack by any external party. Three NATO members are permanent members of the United Nations Security Council with the power to veto and are officially nuclear-weapon states: the United States, France and the United Kingdom. NATO's headquarters are located in Haren, Brussels, Belgium, where the Supreme Allied Commander also resides. Belgium is one of the 28 member states across North America and Europe, the newest of which, Albania and Croatia, joined in April 2009. An additional 22 countries participate in NATO's Partnership for Peace program, with 15 other countries involved in institutionalized dialogue programmes. The combined military spending of all NATO members constitutes over 70% of the global total. Members' defence spending is supposed to amount to 2% of GDP. An assault rifle is a selective-fire rifle that uses an intermediate cartridge and a detachable magazine. Assault rifles were first used during World War II. Though Western nations were slow to accept the assault rifle concept after World War II, by the end of the 20th century they had become the standard weapon in most of the world's armies, replacing semi-automatic rifles, battle rifles and sub-machine guns in most roles. Examples include the StG 44, AK-47 and the M16 rifle. The AKM ("Avtomat Kalashnikova Modernizirovanniy" or "Kalashnikov modernized automatic rifle") is a 7.62mm assault rifle designed by Mikhail Kalashnikov. It is a common modernized variant of the AK-47 rifle developed in the 1940s. A battle rifle is a military service rifle that fires a full-power rifle cartridge, such as 7.62×51mm NATO, 7.62×54mmR, 7.92x57mm Mauser, .303 British, or .30-06 Springfield. Compared to assault rifles and their intermediate cartridges, the higher-caliber rounds provide greater power and range, though they have greater weight and produce stronger recoil, making them less than ideal for fully automatic fire. The AK-47, or AK as it is officially known (also known as the Kalashnikov) is a selective-fire (semi-automatic and automatic), gas-operated 7.62×39 mm assault rifle, developed in the Soviet Union by Mikhail Kalashnikov. It is officially known in the Soviet documentation as "Avtomat Kalashnikova". The 5.56×45mm NATO (official NATO nomenclature 5.56 NATO) is an intermediate cartridge developed in the United States and originally chambered in the M16 rifle. Under STANAG 4172, it is a standard cartridge for NATO forces as well as many non-NATO countries. It is derived from, but is not identical to, the .223 Remington cartridge. The AK-103 assault rifle is a derivative of the AK-74M chambered for the 7.62×39mm M43 round, similar to the older AKM. The AK-103 can be fitted with a variety of sights, including night vision and telescopic sights, plus a knife-bayonet or a grenade launcher. It uses plastic components where possible instead of wood or metal. An intermediate cartridge is a rifle/carbine cartridge that is less powerful than typical full-power battle rifle cartridges, such as the .303 British, 7.62×54mmR, 7.92×57mm Mauser or .30-06 Springfield, but still has significantly longer effective range than pistol cartridges. As their recoil is significantly reduced compared to high power rifle cartridges, fully automatic rifles firing intermediate cartridges are relatively easy to control. However, even though less powerful than a traditional rifle cartridge, the ballistics are still sufficient for an effective range of , which are the maximum typical engagement ranges in modern combat. This allowed for the development of the assault rifle, a selective fire weapon that is more compact and lighter than rifles that fire full power cartridges. The first intermediate cartridge to see widespread service was the German 7.92×33mm Kurz used in the StG 44. Other notable examples include the Soviet 7.62×39mm used in the AK-47 and AKM series, and the American 5.56×45mm NATO cartridge first used in the M16. France, officially the French Republic, is a country with territory in western Europe and several overseas regions and territories. The European, or metropolitan, area of France extends from the Mediterranean Sea to the English Channel and the North Sea, and from the Rhine to the Atlantic Ocean. Overseas France include French Guiana on the South American continent and several island territories in the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian oceans. France spans and had a total population of almost 67 million people as of January 2017. It is a unitary semi-presidential republic with the capital in Paris, the country's largest city and main cultural and commercial centre. Other major urban centres include Marseille, Lyon, Lille, Nice, Toulouse and Bordeaux. The AK - 101 is an assault rifle of the Kalashnikov series . The AK - 101 is designed for the world export market , using 5.56 × 45mm NATO cartridges , which is the standard of most NATO armies . The AK - 101 is marketed at those looking for a weapon that combines the logistical compatibility and familiarity of the 5.56 × 45mm NATO round with the reliability of a Kalashnikov . It is designed with modern and composite materials , including plastics that reduce weight and improve accuracy . Many of the improvements found in the AK - 101 are also present in the AK - 103 and the rest of the AK - 10x series of rifles . The AK - 101 is a selective fire weapon that can be fired in either semi-automatic or fully automatic mode . The disassembly procedure for the AK - 101 is identical to that of the AK - 74 . The AK - 101 has an attachment rail installed on the side of the receiver for mounting scopes and other optical sights , which will accept most types of Russian and European AK optics . The rifle accepts most synthetic and metal AK - 74 - style magazines with 30 - round capacity . The AK - 101 has a 415 mm ( 16.3 in ) barrel with an AK - 74 style muzzle brake attached to the barrel to control muzzle climb . The AK - 102 , AK - 104 and AK - 105 are the designations given to the more compact carbine variants of the AK - 10x rifle series , firing the 5.56 × 45mm NATO , 7.62 × 39mm M43 and 5.45 × 39mm M74 rifle rounds respectively . These carbines differ from the normal rifles of the series in that they have much shorter barrels , only 314 mm ( 12.4 in ) in length . These AK - 10x carbines , much like their rifle counterparts , were made primarily for export . A common misconception is that the AK - 101 has entered service as the main assault rifle of the Russian Federation , but this is not true ; the AK - 74M is still the main assault rifle with the AK - 105 being introduced alongside , both chambered for 5.45 × 39mm . The AKM firing 7.62 mm Soviet rounds is in limited service with selected units in the Russian army , and the AK - 103 is in service with some Russian civil police agencies and spec ops units . The advanced AN - 94 is entering limited service in the elite forces of the Russian military , some Russian police forces , and the Ministry of Internal Affairs . The AK - 101 is chambered in 5.56mm NATO and features a black glass - filled polyamide side folding stock . The side folding stock looks similar to a normal fixed stock , but folds and locks securely to the left side of the receiver . It has a cutout to compensate for the side rail .
candidates: major mauser mikhail kalashnikov
answer: mikhail kalashnikov