Lukashenko’s “first Belarusian assault rifle”: What’s wrong with it?

Aliaksandr Lukashenka was gifted the VSK-100B on 18 August — an assault rifle that the authorities call "the first fully Belarusian" one. But if you set aside the talk of a "new domestic development", it turns out that its design is quite outdated.

Euroradio examined the "new" development and explains its shortcomings.

This is not a (completely) new assault rifle

The VSK-100B is built on an AK-type system, using a 7.62×39 mm cartridge. The VSK-100 itself has been known since at least 2020, and its development in Belarus began in 2018–2019. Previously, individual parts for the rifle were purchased in Russia. Now it is claimed that a full production cycle has been mastered.

The VSK-100 is, in essence, a deep modernisation of the Soviet Kalashnikov platform. Its design traces back to the AKM (Kalashnikov assault rifle, modernised) and the RPK (Kalashnikov light machine gun): the gas-operated mechanism, rotating bolt and general operating principle remain familiar.

The main difference is modern "accessories": plastic parts instead of wooden ones, an adjustable stock, and Picatinny rails (a special bracket for small arms) for mounting optics and other equipment.

The rifle may look modern on the outside, but there is no revolution under the hood. Simply put, it is a very old concept given a new wrapper.

It is heavy

The VSK-100 weighs around 4.3 kg without a magazine. That is quite a lot for an assault rifle chambered in 7.62×39 mm. For comparison, the AK-103 in the same calibre weighs approximately 3.6 kg.

The rifle's considerable weight can partly be explained by its reinforced construction and heavy barrel. This can be an advantage — durability and stability during intensive fire — but for a soldier it means constantly carrying extra weight.

The calibre

The 7.62×39 mm cartridge itself is far from useless. It is well established, widely available and effective at ranges typical for an assault rifle. However, the cartridge was developed during the Second World War — it was specifically for this round that the original AK-47 was designed.

Compared to the low-recoil cartridges 5.45×39 and 5.56×45, it has a heavier bullet, greater recoil and a lower velocity. A heavier round also increases the weight of the ammunition load carried. During automatic fire this is especially noticeable — the weapon is harder to control.