Mikhail Timofeyevich Kalashnikov
10 November 1919 — 23 December 2013
Mikhail Kalashnikov was born on November 10, 1919, in the
village of Kuria in the Altai Region to a large peasant family. In 1930,
his father's family was stripped of its possessions and exiled to the
Tomsk region. Already during his school years, Mikhail Kalashnikov
became interested in the mechanisms of different devices and began
actively studying physics and geometry.
In the fall of 1938, Kalashnikov was drafted into the Red Army, completed a course for junior commanders, and received training as tank driver. Already during this period, he began demonstrating his abilities, developing inertial counter shots from a tank gun, an indicator for the service life of the tank, and an adaptation for the TT pistol, which enabled soldiers to fire through the gaps in the tank turret with greater efficiency. During the Great Patriotic War, in August 1941, Mikhail Kalashnikov received the rank of sergeant but was then seriously wounded in the battles of Bryansk in October.
During a six-month leave for health reasons, he developed his first model for a submachine gun. The prototype of this weapon was manufactured in the railway workshops station of Matai (Kazakhstan), where Kalashnikov worked for some time before the war. Within three months, Kalashnikov managed to produce the first prototype of this submachine gun. The first to evaluate the weapon was Major-General Anatoly Blagonravov, head of the Dzerzhinsky Artillery Academy. While pointing out some shortcomings of the design, he noted the undoubted talent of the novice gunsmith and recommended Kalashnikov begin technical studies.
In July 1942, Mikhail Kalashnikov arrived at the scientific-research testing ground for small arms and mortars of the Moscow Military District, where his submachine gun underwent full-scale testing, but due to the high cost of production and certain shortcomings in the design, it was not produced.
In 1945, Kalashnikov participated in a competition to develop a machine gun with a cartridge designed in 1943. According to the results of competitive tests in 1947, the AK-47 was recommended for adoption by the Soviet Army. In 1948, the young designer was sent to Izhevsk to develop and manufacture a military version of his weapon. In early 1949, Concern Kalashnikov began mass production of the new machine gun, which was to become the "weapon of the century.” The full, official name of the weapon was the 7.62-mm Kalashnikov Rifle, 1947 Version (AK). The young designer was awarded the Order of the Red Star and a First-Degree Stalin Prize “for the development of a model weapon."
Over the years, the AK-47 has been modernized into version such as the 7.62-mm caliber AKM rifle and an upgraded AKMS rifle with automatic folding stock. After the transition to 5.45 mm caliber, a large series of Kalashnikov assault rifles was produced: the AK-74, AKS-74U, and AK-74M. Other Kalashnikov developments include the RPK and RPKS 7.62 mm machine guns with a folding stock, and the RPK-74 and RPKS-74 5.45 mm machine guns with a folding stock. In the early 1960s, a single machine gun rifle cartridge of 7.62 × 54 mm was introduced into service. In the early 1970s, Mikhail Kalashnikov created the self-loading Saiga hunting rifle, constructed on the foundation of the earlier rifle. In total, the Kalashnikov design bureau created more than a hundred different military weapons.
The Kalashnikov assault rifle and its variants are now the most prevalent small arms in the world. Over the course of 60 years, more than 70 million Kalashnikov rifles of various modifications have been produced. According to many experts, the AK is a benchmark for reliability and ease of maintenance. It is the only modern weapon whose image is on the state seals and flags of several countries, a symbol of their peoples’ struggles for independence.
Winner of numerous high honors and awards, Mikhail Kalashnikov for more than 60 years continued to work at the Izhevsk plant, which is now honored to bear his name. Very ill in his last years, Kalashnikov continued to go to work, participating in the creation of the Concern and the development of new types of weapons. In November 2013, his condition rapidly deteriorated, and a month later, on December 23, 2013, he died. Mikhail Kalashnikov devoted his entire life to service to the Fatherland, fidelity to his vocation as an arms designer, and strengthening the power and glory of Russian weapons. The bright memory of Mikhail Kalashnikov will remain in our hearts forever.
In the fall of 1938, Kalashnikov was drafted into the Red Army, completed a course for junior commanders, and received training as tank driver. Already during this period, he began demonstrating his abilities, developing inertial counter shots from a tank gun, an indicator for the service life of the tank, and an adaptation for the TT pistol, which enabled soldiers to fire through the gaps in the tank turret with greater efficiency. During the Great Patriotic War, in August 1941, Mikhail Kalashnikov received the rank of sergeant but was then seriously wounded in the battles of Bryansk in October.
During a six-month leave for health reasons, he developed his first model for a submachine gun. The prototype of this weapon was manufactured in the railway workshops station of Matai (Kazakhstan), where Kalashnikov worked for some time before the war. Within three months, Kalashnikov managed to produce the first prototype of this submachine gun. The first to evaluate the weapon was Major-General Anatoly Blagonravov, head of the Dzerzhinsky Artillery Academy. While pointing out some shortcomings of the design, he noted the undoubted talent of the novice gunsmith and recommended Kalashnikov begin technical studies.
In July 1942, Mikhail Kalashnikov arrived at the scientific-research testing ground for small arms and mortars of the Moscow Military District, where his submachine gun underwent full-scale testing, but due to the high cost of production and certain shortcomings in the design, it was not produced.
In 1945, Kalashnikov participated in a competition to develop a machine gun with a cartridge designed in 1943. According to the results of competitive tests in 1947, the AK-47 was recommended for adoption by the Soviet Army. In 1948, the young designer was sent to Izhevsk to develop and manufacture a military version of his weapon. In early 1949, Concern Kalashnikov began mass production of the new machine gun, which was to become the "weapon of the century.” The full, official name of the weapon was the 7.62-mm Kalashnikov Rifle, 1947 Version (AK). The young designer was awarded the Order of the Red Star and a First-Degree Stalin Prize “for the development of a model weapon."
Over the years, the AK-47 has been modernized into version such as the 7.62-mm caliber AKM rifle and an upgraded AKMS rifle with automatic folding stock. After the transition to 5.45 mm caliber, a large series of Kalashnikov assault rifles was produced: the AK-74, AKS-74U, and AK-74M. Other Kalashnikov developments include the RPK and RPKS 7.62 mm machine guns with a folding stock, and the RPK-74 and RPKS-74 5.45 mm machine guns with a folding stock. In the early 1960s, a single machine gun rifle cartridge of 7.62 × 54 mm was introduced into service. In the early 1970s, Mikhail Kalashnikov created the self-loading Saiga hunting rifle, constructed on the foundation of the earlier rifle. In total, the Kalashnikov design bureau created more than a hundred different military weapons.
The Kalashnikov assault rifle and its variants are now the most prevalent small arms in the world. Over the course of 60 years, more than 70 million Kalashnikov rifles of various modifications have been produced. According to many experts, the AK is a benchmark for reliability and ease of maintenance. It is the only modern weapon whose image is on the state seals and flags of several countries, a symbol of their peoples’ struggles for independence.
Winner of numerous high honors and awards, Mikhail Kalashnikov for more than 60 years continued to work at the Izhevsk plant, which is now honored to bear his name. Very ill in his last years, Kalashnikov continued to go to work, participating in the creation of the Concern and the development of new types of weapons. In November 2013, his condition rapidly deteriorated, and a month later, on December 23, 2013, he died. Mikhail Kalashnikov devoted his entire life to service to the Fatherland, fidelity to his vocation as an arms designer, and strengthening the power and glory of Russian weapons. The bright memory of Mikhail Kalashnikov will remain in our hearts forever.
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