Mikhail Kalashnikov
Encyclopedia
Lieutenant General
Mikhail Timofeyevich Kalashnikov (born 10 November 1919) is a Russian small arms
designer, most famous for designing the AK-47
assault rifle, the AKM
and the AK-74
.
, one of nineteen children to Timofey Aleksandrovich Kalashnikov (1883-1930) and Aleksandra Frolovna Kalashnikova (1884-1957). Timofey Kalashnikov was deported
when Mikhail was still a boy. In his youth, Kalashnikov wrote poetry, and his dream was to become a poet. He went on to write six books and has continued to write poetry all his life.
In 1938, Kalashnikov was conscripted into the Red Army
, and became a tank driver and mechanic, achieving the rank of senior sergeant tank commander serving on the T-34
s of the 24th Tank Regiment, 12th Tank Division stationed in Stryi
before the regiment retreated after the Battle of Brody
in June 1941. He was wounded in combat during the Battle of Bryansk in October 1941, and released for six months recuperation due to illness. While in the hospital, he overheard some fellow soldiers complaining about the Soviet rifles of the time.
He also had difficulties with the standard infantry weapons at the time, and so he decided to construct a new rifle for the Soviet military. During this time Kalashnikov began designing a submachine gun
.
Although his first submachine gun design was not accepted into service, his talent as a designer was noticed. From 1942 onwards Kalashnikov was assigned to the Central Scientific-developmental Firing Range for Rifle Firearms of the Chief Artillery Directorate of RKKA. Later in life he claimed that the priority of simplicity and dependability in his designs was influenced by principles he had gained from reading of Russian literature
and the Bible
.
In 1944, he designed a gas-operated carbine for the new 7.62x39 mm cartridge. This weapon, influenced by the M1 Garand
rifle, lost out to the new Simonov
carbine which would be eventually adopted as the SKS
; but it became a basis for his entry in an assault rifle competition in 1946.
His winning entry, the "Mikhtim" (so named by taking the first letters of his name and patronymic Mikhail Timofeyevich) became the prototype for the development of a family of prototype rifles.
This process culminated in 1947, when he designed the AK-47
(standing for Avtomat Kalashnikova model 1947). In 1956, the AK-47
assault rifle
became the standard issue rifle of the Soviet Army
and went on to become Kalashnikov's most famous invention.
, Udmurtia
. He holds an advanced degree of Doctor of Technical Sciences.
After World War II, as General Designer of small arms for the Soviet Army
, his design subordinates included the Germans Hugo Schmeisser
, designer of the StG-44, and Werner Grüner (of MG 42 fame) who was a pioneer in sheet metal
embossing technology in the 1950s.
Over the course of his career he evolved the basic design into a weapons family. The AKM
("Avtomat Kalashnikov Modernizirovanniy" - Automatic Kalashnikov Modernized) first appeared in 1963, which was lighter and cheaper to manufacture due to the use of a stamped steel receiver (in place of the AK47's milled steel receiver), and contained detail improvements such as a re-shaped stock and muzzle compensator. From the AKM he developed a squad automatic weapon
variant, known as the RPK
(Ruchnoi pulemyot Kalashnikova - Kalashnikov light machine gun), and also the PK
(Pulemyot Kalashnikova - Kalashnikov machine gun), which used the more powerful 7.62×54R of the Mosin-Nagant
rifle. The PK series is a general purpose machine gun, which is cartridge belt-fed, not magazine-fed, as it is intended to fill the heavy tripod-mounted sustained fire role as well as the light, bipod-mounted role. The common characteristics of his weapons are the simple, elegant engineering and their ruggedness and ease of maintenance in all operating conditions.
Despite estimates of some 100 million AK-47 assault rifles circulating, General Kalashnikov claims he has not profited and that he only receives a state pension.
He does however own 30% of a German company Marken Marketing International (MMI), based in Solingen
, that revamps trademarks and produces merchandise carrying the Kalashnikov name, such as vodka
, umbrella
s and knives
. One of the items is a knife named for the AK-74
.
The legacy of Kalashnikov's rifles as the most popular assault rifles has prompted him to state that
(orden Svyatogo Andreya Pervozvannogo).
On his 90th birthday on 10 November 2009, Kalashnikov was named a "Hero of the Russian Federation
" and presented with a medal by President Dmitry Medvedev
who lauded him for creating "the brand every Russian is proud of."
Lieutenant General
Lieutenant General is a military rank used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages where the title of Lieutenant General was held by the second in command on the battlefield, who was normally subordinate to a Captain General....
Mikhail Timofeyevich Kalashnikov (born 10 November 1919) is a Russian small arms
Small arms
Small arms is a term of art used by armed forces to denote infantry weapons an individual soldier may carry. The description is usually limited to revolvers, pistols, submachine guns, carbines, assault rifles, battle rifles, multiple barrel firearms, sniper rifles, squad automatic weapons, light...
designer, most famous for designing the AK-47
AK-47
The AK-47 is a selective-fire, gas-operated 7.62×39mm assault rifle, first developed in the Soviet Union by Mikhail Kalashnikov. It is officially known as Avtomat Kalashnikova . It is also known as a Kalashnikov, an "AK", or in Russian slang, Kalash.Design work on the AK-47 began in the last year...
assault rifle, the AKM
AKM
The AKM is a 7.62mm assault rifle designed by Mikhail Kalashnikov. It is an upgraded version of the AK-47 rifle and was developed in the 1950s....
and the AK-74
AK-74
The AK-74 is an assault rifle developed in the early 1970s in the Soviet Union as the replacement for the earlier AKM...
.
Early life
Kalashnikov was born on November 10, 1919, in Kurya, Altai Krai, RussiaRussia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
, one of nineteen children to Timofey Aleksandrovich Kalashnikov (1883-1930) and Aleksandra Frolovna Kalashnikova (1884-1957). Timofey Kalashnikov was deported
Dekulakization
Dekulakization was the Soviet campaign of political repressions, including arrests, deportations, and executions of millions of the better-off peasants and their families in 1929-1932. The richer peasants were labeled kulaks and considered class enemies...
when Mikhail was still a boy. In his youth, Kalashnikov wrote poetry, and his dream was to become a poet. He went on to write six books and has continued to write poetry all his life.
In 1938, Kalashnikov was conscripted into the Red Army
Red Army
The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army started out as the Soviet Union's revolutionary communist combat groups during the Russian Civil War of 1918-1922. It grew into the national army of the Soviet Union. By the 1930s the Red Army was among the largest armies in history.The "Red Army" name refers to...
, and became a tank driver and mechanic, achieving the rank of senior sergeant tank commander serving on the T-34
T-34
The T-34 was a Soviet medium tank produced from 1940 to 1958. Although its armour and armament were surpassed by later tanks of the era, it has been often credited as the most effective, efficient and influential design of World War II...
s of the 24th Tank Regiment, 12th Tank Division stationed in Stryi
Stryi
Stryi is a city located on the left bank of the river Stryi in the Lviv Oblast of western Ukraine . Serving as the administrative center of the Stryi Raion , the city itself is also designated as a separate raion within the oblast. Thus, the city has two administrations - the city and the raion...
before the regiment retreated after the Battle of Brody
Battle of Brody (1941)
The Battle of Brody was a tank battle fought between the Panzer Group 1's IIIrd, XLVIII Army Corps and five Soviet Mechanized Corps of the Soviet 5th Army and 6th Army in the triangle formed by the towns Dubno, Lutsk and Brody in Ukraine between 23...
in June 1941. He was wounded in combat during the Battle of Bryansk in October 1941, and released for six months recuperation due to illness. While in the hospital, he overheard some fellow soldiers complaining about the Soviet rifles of the time.
He also had difficulties with the standard infantry weapons at the time, and so he decided to construct a new rifle for the Soviet military. During this time Kalashnikov began designing a submachine gun
Submachine gun
A submachine gun is an automatic carbine, designed to fire pistol cartridges. It combines the automatic fire of a machine gun with the cartridge of a pistol. The submachine gun was invented during World War I , but the apex of its use was during World War II when millions of the weapon type were...
.
Although his first submachine gun design was not accepted into service, his talent as a designer was noticed. From 1942 onwards Kalashnikov was assigned to the Central Scientific-developmental Firing Range for Rifle Firearms of the Chief Artillery Directorate of RKKA. Later in life he claimed that the priority of simplicity and dependability in his designs was influenced by principles he had gained from reading of Russian literature
Russian literature
Russian literature refers to the literature of Russia or its émigrés, and to the Russian-language literature of several independent nations once a part of what was historically Russia or the Soviet Union...
and the Bible
Bible
The Bible refers to any one of the collections of the primary religious texts of Judaism and Christianity. There is no common version of the Bible, as the individual books , their contents and their order vary among denominations...
.
In 1944, he designed a gas-operated carbine for the new 7.62x39 mm cartridge. This weapon, influenced by the M1 Garand
M1 Garand
The M1 Garand , was the first semi-automatic rifle to be generally issued to the infantry of any nation. Called "the greatest battle implement ever devised" by General George S...
rifle, lost out to the new Simonov
Sergei Gavrilovich Simonov
Sergei Gavrilovich Simonov was a Soviet weapons designer; he is one of the fathers of the modern assault rifle....
carbine which would be eventually adopted as the SKS
SKS
The SKS is a Soviet semi-automatic rifle chambered for the 7.62x39mm round, designed in 1943 by Sergei Gavrilovich Simonov. SKS-45 is an acronym for Samozaryadnyj Karabin sistemy Simonova, 1945 Simonov system, 1945), or SKS 45. The Sks is a scaled down version of the PTRS-41 anti-tank rifle also...
; but it became a basis for his entry in an assault rifle competition in 1946.
His winning entry, the "Mikhtim" (so named by taking the first letters of his name and patronymic Mikhail Timofeyevich) became the prototype for the development of a family of prototype rifles.
This process culminated in 1947, when he designed the AK-47
AK-47
The AK-47 is a selective-fire, gas-operated 7.62×39mm assault rifle, first developed in the Soviet Union by Mikhail Kalashnikov. It is officially known as Avtomat Kalashnikova . It is also known as a Kalashnikov, an "AK", or in Russian slang, Kalash.Design work on the AK-47 began in the last year...
(standing for Avtomat Kalashnikova model 1947). In 1956, the AK-47
AK-47
The AK-47 is a selective-fire, gas-operated 7.62×39mm assault rifle, first developed in the Soviet Union by Mikhail Kalashnikov. It is officially known as Avtomat Kalashnikova . It is also known as a Kalashnikov, an "AK", or in Russian slang, Kalash.Design work on the AK-47 began in the last year...
assault rifle
Assault rifle
An assault rifle is a selective fire rifle that uses an intermediate cartridge and a detachable magazine. Assault rifles are the standard infantry weapons in most modern armies...
became the standard issue rifle of the Soviet Army
Soviet Army
The Soviet Army is the name given to the main part of the Armed Forces of the Soviet Union between 1946 and 1992. Previously, it had been known as the Red Army. Informally, Армия referred to all the MOD armed forces, except, in some cases, the Soviet Navy.This article covers the Soviet Ground...
and went on to become Kalashnikov's most famous invention.
Later career
Since 1949, Mikhail Kalashnikov has lived and worked in IzhevskIzhevsk
Izhevsk is the capital city of the Udmurt Republic, Russia, situated on the Izh River in the Western Urals. Population: From 1984 to 1987 Izhevsk carried the name Ustinov |Minister of Defense of the USSR]], Marshal of the Soviet Union, Dmitry Ustinov). The city is an important industrial center,...
, Udmurtia
Udmurtia
The Udmurt Republic , or Udmurtia is a federal subject of Russia . Its capital is the city of Izhevsk. Population: -History:...
. He holds an advanced degree of Doctor of Technical Sciences.
After World War II, as General Designer of small arms for the Soviet Army
Soviet Army
The Soviet Army is the name given to the main part of the Armed Forces of the Soviet Union between 1946 and 1992. Previously, it had been known as the Red Army. Informally, Армия referred to all the MOD armed forces, except, in some cases, the Soviet Navy.This article covers the Soviet Ground...
, his design subordinates included the Germans Hugo Schmeisser
Hugo Schmeisser
Hugo Schmeisser was a German developer of infantry weapons in the 20th century.Schmeisser was born in Jena, Saxe-Weimar. His father, Louis Schmeisser , was one of the best-known weapons designers in Europe...
, designer of the StG-44, and Werner Grüner (of MG 42 fame) who was a pioneer in sheet metal
Sheet metal
Sheet metal is simply metal formed into thin and flat pieces. It is one of the fundamental forms used in metalworking, and can be cut and bent into a variety of different shapes. Countless everyday objects are constructed of the material...
embossing technology in the 1950s.
Over the course of his career he evolved the basic design into a weapons family. The AKM
AKM
The AKM is a 7.62mm assault rifle designed by Mikhail Kalashnikov. It is an upgraded version of the AK-47 rifle and was developed in the 1950s....
("Avtomat Kalashnikov Modernizirovanniy" - Automatic Kalashnikov Modernized) first appeared in 1963, which was lighter and cheaper to manufacture due to the use of a stamped steel receiver (in place of the AK47's milled steel receiver), and contained detail improvements such as a re-shaped stock and muzzle compensator. From the AKM he developed a squad automatic weapon
Squad automatic weapon
A squad automatic weapon is a weapon used to give infantry squads or sections a portable source of automatic firepower. Weapons used in this role are selective-fire rifles, usually fitted with a bipod and heavier barrel to perform as Light machine guns...
variant, known as the RPK
RPK
The RPK is a 7.62x39mm light machine gun of Soviet design, developed by Mikhail Kalashnikov in the late 1950s, parallel with the AKM assault/battle rifle...
(Ruchnoi pulemyot Kalashnikova - Kalashnikov light machine gun), and also the PK
PK machine gun
The PK is a 7.62 mm general-purpose machine gun designed in the Soviet Union and currently in production in Russia. The PK machine gun was introduced in the 1960s and replaced the SGM and RPD machine guns in Soviet service...
(Pulemyot Kalashnikova - Kalashnikov machine gun), which used the more powerful 7.62×54R of the Mosin-Nagant
Mosin-Nagant
The Mosin–Nagant is a bolt-action, internal magazine-fed, military rifle invented under the government commission by Russian and Belgian inventors, and used by the armed forces of the Russian Empire, the Soviet Union and various other nations....
rifle. The PK series is a general purpose machine gun, which is cartridge belt-fed, not magazine-fed, as it is intended to fill the heavy tripod-mounted sustained fire role as well as the light, bipod-mounted role. The common characteristics of his weapons are the simple, elegant engineering and their ruggedness and ease of maintenance in all operating conditions.
Despite estimates of some 100 million AK-47 assault rifles circulating, General Kalashnikov claims he has not profited and that he only receives a state pension.
He does however own 30% of a German company Marken Marketing International (MMI), based in Solingen
Solingen
Solingen is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located on the northern edge of the region called Bergisches Land, south of the Ruhr area, and with a 2009 population of 161,366 is the second largest city in the Bergisches Land...
, that revamps trademarks and produces merchandise carrying the Kalashnikov name, such as vodka
Vodka
Vodka , is a distilled beverage. It is composed primarily of water and ethanol with traces of impurities and flavorings. Vodka is made by the distillation of fermented substances such as grains, potatoes, or sometimes fruits....
, umbrella
Umbrella
An umbrella or parasol is a canopy designed to protect against rain or sunlight. The term parasol usually refers to an item designed to protect from the sun; umbrella refers to a device more suited to protect from rain...
s and knives
Knife
A knife is a cutting tool with an exposed cutting edge or blade, hand-held or otherwise, with or without a handle. Knives were used at least two-and-a-half million years ago, as evidenced by the Oldowan tools...
. One of the items is a knife named for the AK-74
AK-74
The AK-74 is an assault rifle developed in the early 1970s in the Soviet Union as the replacement for the earlier AKM...
.
Legacy
Kalashnikov told Reuters Television, "I've always wanted to improve and expand on the good name of my weapon by doing good things."The legacy of Kalashnikov's rifles as the most popular assault rifles has prompted him to state that
"When I see Bin Laden with his AK-47, I got nervous. But what can I do, terrorists aren't fools: they too chose the most reliable guns."
"I'm proud of my inventionInventionAn invention is a novel composition, device, or process. An invention may be derived from a pre-existing model or idea, or it could be independently conceived, in which case it may be a radical breakthrough. In addition, there is cultural invention, which is an innovative set of useful social...
, but I'm sad that it is used by terrorists," he said on a visit to Germany, adding: "I would prefer to have invented a machine that people could use and that would help farmerFarmerA farmer is a person engaged in agriculture, who raises living organisms for food or raw materials, generally including livestock husbandry and growing crops, such as produce and grain...
s with their work — for example a lawnmower."(2002)
Awards
Mikhail Kalashnikov was twice named Hero of Socialist Labour. In 1998, he was awarded an Order of Saint Andrew the ProtocleteOrder of St. Andrew
The Order of St. Andrew the First-Called is the first and the highest order of chivalry of the Russian Empire.- Russian Empire :The Order was established in 1698 by Tsar Peter the Great, in honour of Saint Andrew, the first apostle of Jesus and patron saint of Russia...
(orden Svyatogo Andreya Pervozvannogo).
On his 90th birthday on 10 November 2009, Kalashnikov was named a "Hero of the Russian Federation
Hero of the Russian Federation
Hero of the Russian Federation is a Russian decoration and the highest honorary title that can be bestowed on a citizen by the Russian Federation. The President of the Russian Federation is the main conferring authority of the medal, which is bestowed on those committing actions or deeds that...
" and presented with a medal by President Dmitry Medvedev
Dmitry Medvedev
Dmitry Anatolyevich Medvedev is the third President of the Russian Federation.Born to a family of academics, Medvedev graduated from the Law Department of Leningrad State University in 1987. He defended his dissertation in 1990 and worked as a docent at his alma mater, now renamed to Saint...
who lauded him for creating "the brand every Russian is proud of."
Quotations
- "My work is my life, and my life is my work. I invented this assault rifle to defend my country. Today, I am proud that it has become for many synonymous with liberty."
- "It is the Germans who are responsible for the fact that I became a fabricator of arms. If not for them, I would have constructed agricultural machines. (...) If someone asks me how I can sleep at night knowing that my arms have killed millions of people, I respond that I have no problem sleeping, my conscience is clean. I constructed arms to defend my country."
- "Before attempting to create something new, it is vital to have a good appreciation of everything that already exists in this field."
- "I am still ready to shake hands with anyone who designs a better assault rifle than mine."
- "It is painful for me to see when criminal elements of all kinds fire from my weapon [...] I created this weapon primarily to safeguard our motherland"
- "Anything that is complex is not useful and anything that is useful is simple. This has been my whole life's motto."
- "I would prefer to have invented a machine that people could use and that would help farmers with their work - for example a lawnmower."
External links
- 'I sleep soundly' - Interview with and article on Mikhail Kalashnikov at the age of 83, from The GuardianThe GuardianThe Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
newspaper. - The Biography of the Main Gun Designer Mikhail Timofeevich Kalashnikov
- Mikhail Kalashnikov backs weapons control
- BBC NEWS Profile: Mikhail Kalashnikov
- Free illustrated virtual guided tour of the Museum of Mikhail Kalashnikov
- The life of Mikhail Kalashnikov
- On the AK-47's military and social effects on history
- Mikhail Kalashnikov with Elena Joly: The Gun that Changed the World
- Streets of Izhevsk. Kalashnikov avenue