page_title: AKM
section_title: Users
hierarchical_section_title: AKM / Users
caption_attribution_description: English: US Marine Lance Corporal Cheema firing the East German MpiKMS-72 variant of the en:AKM (updated version of en:AK-47) assault rifle.
context_page_description: The AKM is a 7.62×39mm assault rifle designed by Mikhail Kalashnikov. It is a common modernised variant of the AK-47 rifle developed in the 1940s.
  Introduced into service with the Soviet Army in 1959, the AKM is the prevalent variant of the entire AK series of firearms and it has found widespread use with most member states of the former Warsaw Pact and its African and Asian allies as well as being widely exported and produced in many other countries. The production of these rifles was carried out at both the Tula Arms Plant and Izhmash. It was officially replaced in Soviet frontline service by the AK-74 in the late 1970s, but remains in use worldwide.
  In addition to being popular with the American gun market, U.S. gun owners and recreational shooters build semi-automatic versions of the AKM from AK parts kits.
context_section_description:  Afghanistan
   Albania
   Algeria
   Angola
   Armenia
   Azerbaijan
   Bangladesh
   Belarus
   Benin
   Bosnia-Herzegovina
   Botswana
   Bulgaria: Produced locally.
   Cambodia
   Cape Verde
   Central African Republic
   Chad
   Chile: Used by Salvador Allende during the 1973 Chilean coup d'état.
   China: Type 56 variant.
   Comoros
   Congo-Brazzaville
   Congo-Kinshasa
   Cuba: Produced locally under license. Also used Type 68s in the 1980s.
   Djibouti
   Egypt: The Misr is an Egyptian copy of the AKM, manufactured by Factory 54 of the Maadi Company for Engineering Industries in Cairo for the Egyptian Army and for export sales.
   El Salvador: ex-guerilla rifles used by the National Civil Police.
   Equatorial Guinea
   Eritrea
   Ethiopia
   Finland: Holds stocks of imported AKM clones for wartime reserve service (the Chinese Type 56 known as the RK 56 TP and the East German MPi-KM as the RK 72) along with locally designed AK derivatives (the Rk 62 and the Rk 95 TP).
   France: 100 Polish made AKM rifles obtained for CENTIAL-51e RI training center
   Gabon
   Georgia
   Ghana: Used by Ministry of Interior units.
   Guatemala
   Guinea
   Guinea-Bissau
   Guyana
   Hungary: There is a Hungarian derivative of the AKM called 'AK-63' manufactured by FÉG. The AK-63 comes with a fixed wooden or plastic stock, but there is a version with an under-folding metal stock called AK-63D.
   India: Various models of AKM and AKM style rifle in use. A local variant developed and manufactured by the Rifle Factory Ishapore. Recently most of them are being modified and upgraded with Israeli Fab defense accessories
   Iran: From Chinese manufactures.
   Iraq: From Soviet, German and Romanian manufactures.
   Iraqi Kurdistan
   Israel: Captured from Arab armies over the course of the Arab–Israeli conflict.
   Ivory Coast
   Kazakhstan
   Kenya: Kenyan police responding to the 2013 Westgate shopping mall shooting, seen armed with AKM and variant rifles.
   Kyrgyzstan
   Laos
   Lesotho
   Liberia
   Libya
   Madagascar
   Mali: Armed and Security Forces of Mali.
   Moldova
   Mongolia
   Morocco
   Mozambique
   Nicaragua
   Niger
   Nigeria
   North Korea: Type 68 variant. The variant does not have a rate reducer.
   Panamá:Used by National Border Service (SENAFRONT) and National Aeronaval Service (SENAN).
   Pakistan: Type 56 variant.
   Peru Paratroopers and military police only.
   Philippines: Philippine Army. Several units being used by the First Scout Ranger Regiment.
   Palestine
   Poland: Produced locally. Used by reservists and military recruits. 
   Qatar
   Republic of Macedonia
   Romania: Produced locally as the PM md. 63.
   Russia: Still in limited military and police use. Officially replaced in most Russian military units by the AK-74. Some usage mainly in urban environments due to the ability to penetrate heavy cover.
   Rwanda: including at least 450 Egyptian-supplied Misrs.
   São Tomé and Príncipe
   Serbia Several variants based on the AKM built by Zastava Arms factory, most notably the M70 and M70B.
   Seychelles
   Sierra Leone
   Slovenia
   Somalia
   Somaliland
   South Sudan: 40,500 Russian-made bought from Ukraine in 2010, used by security forces.
   Sudan
   Suriname
   Sweden A small number of AKM's are used by the Swedish Armed Forces for familiarization training, but they are not issued to combat units.
   Syria
   Tajikistan
   Tanzania
   Togo
   Turkey
   Turkmenistan
   Uganda
  Lord Resistance Army
   Ukraine still in limited use, officially replaced in most Ukrainian military units by the AK-74. AKMS used by Ukrainian Security Service.
   United Arab Emirates
   Uzbekistan
   Venezuela Purchased in 2005.
   Vietnam Russian AKM, Chinese Type 56 and North Korean Type 68 variants. Standard infantry rifle of the Vietnamese Army.
   Yemen
   Zambia
   Zimbabwe
caption: U.S. Marine firing an East German MPi-KMS-72.
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