The Izhevsk A-3, which would later become known as the AK-74, is a Soviet prototype assault rifle chambered in 5.45x39mm. Thanks to its smaller (though no less formidable) cartridge, the addition of a muzzle brake/flash hider hybrid, and ample use of Bakelite polymers, the A-3 achieves significant weight reduction, greater accuracy and less felt recoil than its predecessors of the Kalashnikov family. It is currently in limited use, for field testing, by select Spetsnaz troops.
