AEK-971

The AEK-971 is a Russian-made prototype assault rifle designed by Sergey I. Koksharov in the 1970s at the Kovrov Machinebuilding Plant in Kovrov, Russia. The rifle was designed for the Russian Army's "Abakan" test trial in the 1980s to replace the AK-74 with a more accurate and modernized assault rifle. Despite failing the Army's trial, it went on to be produced for Russian police forces and for export.

The AEK-971 fires the 5.45x39mm M74 round, which is standard for most Russian assault rifles (after 1974), and uses the 30-round magazine from the AK-74. It can fit a GP-30 40mm grenade launcher, which can boost it's destructive capability.

Battlefield: Bad Company
In Battlefield: Bad Companys singleplayer, the AEK971' is found in the hands of Russian and Serdaristani soldiers. It is probably the most common weapon in the game - especially in the first few missions - making ammunition easy to come by, though it cannot be found during Ghost Town. It is a decent replacement for the default M416 as its sights are more open, but its stats are exactly the same. It also comes equipped with a GP-30 with 40mm grenades.

In multiplayer, the AEK971 is issued as the default assault rifle to the Russian Assault Kit. Its US Army counterpart is the M416 and its MEC counterpart is the AUG. Like all assault rifles in the game, it has 50 rounds in each magazine and the player will have 150 rounds in reserve. It will have the GP-30 as its grenade launcher with 8 grenades. It has very average stats, balanced between moderate power, moderate fire rate and mediocre accuracy, as well as open sights. It can kill in about 8-10 shots.

Battlefield: Bad Company 2
In Battlefield: Bad Company 2s singleplayer, the AEK-971 Vintovka' is no longer the standard weapon for Russian infantry, unlike in the previous game, having been replaced in that role by the AN-94. Instead, it is primarily found in the hands of the Latin American Militia. It can be found either with iron sights or a Red Dot Sight. The version with the Red Dot Sight can be found as a collectible in Upriver, underneath the destroyed bridge.

In multiplayer, the AEK-971 Vintovka is the first assault rifle issued to the Assault kit. It is nearly the same as the M16A2 in terms of stats. It has 30 rounds per magazine. It has medium firepower and decently low spread. The recoil is very low for its rate of fire, but is enough to throw off the player's aim beyond medium range. But, short controlled bursts can make the gun deadly at long range. The iron sights are very open, but the recoil pattern makes the gun move back and forth in first person, and resettles very slowly, meaning continuous fire leaves the player with nothing to rely on for aiming besides their eyes.

AEK-971
In Battlefield Play4Free, the AEK-971 is available as a buyable weapon for the Assault Kit. It is one of the most common weapons seen in games due to the decent damage and accuracy. It usually takes 4-5 bullets to kill someone, and it's fairly accurate at close to medium. At long it's best to do burst shots instead of holding down the trigger

Veteran's AEK-971
The Veteran's AEK-971 does more damage per shot and has five more rounds in each magazine over the standard AEK-971. This boosts it's close-quarters potential as the player will have five more bullets to spray over regular assault rifles, with each doing more damage. The downside to this is the weapons cost.

It can cost a player 1500 Credits per day or up to 560 for unlimited use, a small fortune for a better weapon. The weapon's appearance itself is very rugged and shows heavy use, as well as having a tan taped magazine.

Elite's AEK-971
The Elite's AEK-971 does even more damage per bullet, currently tied with the SCAR-L for damage, as well as giving the player a fourth magazine. This weapon unfortunately cost even more to use, totaling 3000 Credits per day or up to 790 for unlimited use, but it can be well worth the cost for player who need a powerful weapon. The weapon has a very clean appearance, like all of the elite weapons, and sports a tan paint scheme on the stock, pistol grip, and handguard.

Battlefield 3
In Battlefield 3, the AEK-971 is a rifle issued to the Assault kit. A counterpart to the M416, it has somewhat changed in appearance compared to its counterpart is BF:BC2 and Battlefield Play4Free, it now has a folding wire stock and a different handguard. It has a high rate of fire with open sights and moderate recoil. It is the fourth Assault kit unlock. The reload animation of the AEK-971 is nearly, if not exactly, identical to the AN-94 in the same game, with the player hitting the magazine release with the new magazine.

It has Full auto, 3 rounds burst, and semi auto firing mode. This weapon has a very high rate of fire for an assault rifle that it is very deadly at close range. However, the resulting recoil can easily knock off the player's aim at longer ranges that using the burst fire or semi auto mode is almost mandatory at longer range. The high rate of fire also empties the magazine very quickly so expect reloading a lot more often when using this weapon than any of the other assault rifles.

Unlocks

 * PS0-1 (4x) - 10 Kills
 * Heavy Barrel - 20 Kills
 * Foregrip - 30 Kills
 * Tactical Light - 40 Kills
 * Kobra (RDS) - 50 Kills
 * Bipod - 60 Kills
 * Suppressor - 70 Kills
 * PKA-S (Holo) - 80 Kills
 * Laser Sight - 90 Kills
 * IRNV (IR 1x) - 100 Kills
 * PKS-07 (7X) - 125 Kills
 * PK-A (x3.4) - 150 Kills
 * Flash suppressor - 175 Kills
 * ACOG (4x) - 200 Kills
 * Reflex (RDS) - 235 Kills
 * Holographic (Holo) - 270 Kills
 * Rifle Scope (6x) - 300 Kills
 * M145 (3.4x) - 350 Kills



Trivia

 * Although the AN-94 and the AEK-971 use the same grenade launcher models (GP-30), the launchers have different sights.
 * A gold plated AEK-971 can be seen in President Serdar's palace.
 * If a player equips the Red Dot Sight or 4X Rifle Scope on the AEK-971 as well as the 40mm Shotgun and switches to the shotgun attachment, the attached optic will disappear. It will reappear when the player switches back, however.
 * The AEK-971 has the most open sights out of any assault rifle in both Battlefield: Bad Company as well as Battlefield: Bad Company 2.
 * The Play4Free version of the AEK-971 shows the AEK-971's rear ironsight as much further away from the wielder's face than in Bad Company 2, similar to the difference between the ironsights of the M416 and G3 in the latter game.
 * The AEK-971 recieved in the Battlefield 3 mission Kaffarov oddly has both the laser and tactical flashlight equipped at the same time.

Videos
Video:AEK-971 Vintovka|Gameplay with the AEK-971 Vintovka at Arica Harbor on Rush mode Video:AEK971 BFP4F|Gameplay with the AEK971 on Oman