AK-47 Inventor Mikhail Kalashnikov Dies At 94

[Andy Chalk]

AK-47 Inventor Mikhail Kalashnikov Dies At 94

Mikhail Kalashnikov, the inventor of the legendary AK-47 assault rifle, has died.

You may not recognize Mikhail Kalashnikov's name, but you almost certainly know his work: The AK-47, an assault rifle he designed in 1947 (hence the name) which went on to become one of the most famous, influential and instantly recognizable firearms in the world. Renowned for its simplicity, ruggedness and reliability, Kalashnikov's rifle has seen use throughout the world by regular military forces, paramilitaries, terrorists and low-level street criminals. Kalashnikov designed many other weapons during his career, including the RPK light machine-gun and the PK GPMG, but it was the AK-47 that made his name famous around the world.

Kalashnikov was born in Russia in 1919 and was conscripted into the Red Army in 1938, where he served as a tank mechanic and then a tank commander. In 1942, after being wounded in the Battle of Bryansk, he was assigned to the design division of the Chief Artillery Directorate of the Red Army, where his career began in earnest. He earned a Doctor of Technical Sciences degree in 1971.

It's estimated that more than 100 million AK-47s have been made, but because many - the majority, according to official manufacturer Kalashnikov Concern - have been produced without proper licensing, it's impossible to say how many actually exist. In 2007, Russian President Vladimir Putin described the rifle as "a symbol of the creative genius of our people."

Kalashnikov had reportedly suffered from heart troubles over the past few years and had been hospitalized in intensive care since mid-November. He was 94.

Source: RT.com [http://rt.com/news/kalashnikov-dies-inventor-ak-47-887/]


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[Adam Jensen_v1legacy]

I remember watching a documentary about him. It was interesting. He wasn't oblivious to the fact that he created a weapon that was responsible for the deaths of many people. A weapon that even a child could use with ease. He said that he'd prefer to have invented a lawn mower or something like that, but he was not ashamed of his achievement.

 

[omega 616]

Well shit, well done to that man!

These days it might be used mostly by criminals but making the worlds most famous gun gets your name into the history books and very few people get that honor!

I always just assumed that he died way before I was even born. Learn something new ...

 

[StraightToHeck]

I think this might need some proofreading, seeing as ho he'd have been older than 91 if he was born in 1919

 

[Adam Jensen_v1legacy]

I think this might need some proofreading, seeing as ho he'd have been older than 91 if he was born in 1919

He was 94, actually. They should fix that.

 

[jaiv28]

I think this might need some proofreading, seeing as ho he'd have been older than 91 if he was born in 1919

Lol, in Mother Russia you age only when they tell you to age. In 'Merica he'd be 94 if he was born in 1919.

 

[dyre]

I've always wondered if he was responsible for all the AK-47 offshoots (like the RPK) and the more modern AKs. If so, I'm surprised the guy who made one of the world's first assault rifles contented himself to just updating the same thing over and over again.

I remember watching a documentary about him. It was interesting. He wasn't oblivious to the fact that he created a weapon that was responsible for the deaths of many people. A weapon that even a child could use with ease. He said that he'd prefer to have invented a lawn mower or something like that, but he was not ashamed of his achievement.

A child could use most small arms with ease. These things aren't made to be needlessly complicated. It's mostly just inserting a magazine, chambering the first round (pull back and release the bolt), turning off the safety, and there you go, fire away. The reason his assault rifle is popular is because it's easy/cheap to manufacture and super reliable. Also, because the USSR shipped a lot of them to different global conflicts. What should he have done, made a shittier rifle?

 

[Xan Krieger]

We could do a 21 million gun salute using AK-47s for this man, as games have shown his weapons will outlive us all (see RAGE, Fallout 3). o7 RIP sir, now you're arming angels.

 

[Oly J]

inb4 posts calling him a mass murderer or saying we shouldn't even acknowledge his death etc. (a more civilised community this may be, but it's still the internet after all)

94 is no bad age to go, and inventor of the worlds most famous version of anything is worthy of praise, more so when you think of the doors the AK-47 must have opened in future designs

 

[Zipa]

I've always wondered if he was responsible for all the AK-47 offshoots (like the RPK) and the more modern AKs. If so, I'm surprised the guy who made one of the world's first assault rifles contented himself to just updating the same thing over and over again.

I remember watching a documentary about him. It was interesting. He wasn't oblivious to the fact that he created a weapon that was responsible for the deaths of many people. A weapon that even a child could use with ease. He said that he'd prefer to have invented a lawn mower or something like that, but he was not ashamed of his achievement.

A child could use most small arms with ease. These things aren't made to be needlessly complicated. It's mostly just inserting a magazine, chambering the first round (pull back and release the bolt), turning off the safety, and there you go, fire away. The reason his assault rifle is popular is because it's easy/cheap to manufacture and super reliable. Also, because the USSR shipped a lot of them to different global conflicts. What should he have done, made a shittier rifle?

He was the designer of the RPK (though basically it is an AK47 ) and almost all of the refinements done to the gun over the years like the AKM and the AK74. The gas piston system he developed is still present in the guns he didn't design like the AK12. It is just that good.

 

[Abomination]

he did provide the world with cheap, sturdy and effective assault rifles that usually outlive their users.

I'm not sure if that's a good thing or a bad thing. Good thing it's reliable, bad thing that it doesn't give its wielder a force multiplier great enough to increase their chances of survival.

Great invention from a practical standpoint. I'll leave the morality behind it to the philosophers.

 

[Epic_Bubble]

The fact that many gun weapons in fantasy games bear striking similarities to the Ak-47 its quite the testimony. Still Op weapon in modern warfare 2 :/

 

[llamastorm.games]

It's tragic that such a genius was born into a time when the greatest need for his skills was apparently in making weapons.
He himself said that his dream was to invent an engine that could run forever, he went on to blame the Nazis saying without them he would have made agricultural machines.

Imagine what he could have done had he been allowed to put his mind to something else...

 

[LongAndShort]

RIP Mikhail Kalishnikov.

Far from an immoral man even if his technical and cultural legacy can at best be described as amoral, few others can say they have invented an icon with such an impact on the world.

 

[Frost27]

inb4 posts calling him a mass murderer or saying we shouldn't even acknowledge his death etc. (a more civilised community this may be, but it's still the internet after all)

94 is no bad age to go, and inventor of the worlds most famous version of anything is worthy of praise, more so when you think of the doors the AK-47 must have opened in future designs

It would be difficult to call him a mass murderer given that he designed the rifle to defeat the Nazis while they were in the process of invading his country. They just didn't adopt the design until after the war. Since then, sure, the gun has been seen in the hands of terrorists. It has also been a cheap alternative for those seeking to defend their nations and homes world wide as well. I would say that even in the worst case, he is karmically even.

 

[The Great JT]

He's now having drinks with Richard Jordan Gatling.

 

[Azex]

'don't hate the player, hate the game' was kinda invented for situations like this.

 

[CorvusFerreum]

Good night sweet prince. Many will remember your legacy. [http://www.unicef.org/emerg/files/iasc_booklet.pdf]

On a less cinical note:

Rest in peace.
The Kalashnikov was at it's time and remains to stay one of the most iconic and most durable weapons. It is a great piece of engineering and part of world history. It's always sad to see a great mind extinguishing.

 

[ActionDan]

All they have to do is wait a year, cycle a round into his chamber and he'll be right as rain.