 In Hungarian service, the AK-63 replaced the AMD-65, which is nearly identical but features a modified heat shield and a vertical forward hand grip under the barrel.Although the AMD-65 had been the Hungarian service rifle since 1965, it was more expensive to build, and the forward grips had a reputation for being easily damaged in the field.In the late-1970s, the Hungarian Defense Ministry requested that FÉG manufacture a cheaper rifle based on the more traditional Soviet AKM design.