Specifications  Caliber............................................................9mm  Cartridge.....................................9x19 "luger", 7N21  Weapon weight w/o cartridges.............2.05 kg  Weapon length:  w/folded stock..........................................350 mm  w/unfolded stock......................................600 mm  Barrel length..............................................180 mm  Muzzle velocity............................5.00 (7N21) m/sec  Rate of fire.....................................800-900 rds/min  Effective rate of fire..............................100 rds/min  Sighting range.....................................up to 200 m  Magazine capacity.........................................30 rds
AEK 918 submachine gun with folded stocks

    Designers of the Kovrov Mechanical Plan! have developed the AEK-918 submachine gun with the balanced automatics recoil system (BARS), chambered for the 9x19 cartridge.
     The submachine gun is blowback-operated. The balanced automatics recoils system with opposed moving parts of an approximately equal mass, offsets the shock, produced by moving parts in extreme positions, thus, increasing the stability of the weapon, firing bursts, and improving the accuracy of automatic fire. The cocking lever is mounted on top of the receiver, but it does not interfere with the battle sights.
     The hammer-type trigger assembly ensures single-shot and automatic fire. The rate of fire enables the shooter to fire the required bursts. The manual safety/fire selector lever is mounted behind the pistol grip.
     Ammunition feed is from a detachable 30-round box magazine, inserted into a magazine housing in the pistol grip. The submachine gun is fitted with a magazine release button. It fires both the national 7W21 cartridge and other 9x19 mm foreign- and Russian-made rounds. The AEK-918 is fitted with a flip-type notch rear sight.
     The pistol grip, the fore-grip, and the logger guard constitute a one-piece plastic part. The light stock with a plastic should rest folds to the right.

AEK 918 submachine gun with unfolded stocks