AK-47 assault rifle
Fusil de asalto AK-47
- Date
- 1947 · confidence high
- Place
- Izhevsk, USSR
- Credited to
- Mikhail Kalashnikov
- People
- 👤 Mijaíl Kaláshnikov1919–2013
- Field
- Conflict
What it is
An automatic rifle firing an intermediate cartridge, simple, cheap and reliable in any condition. With more than 100 million made, it is the most widespread weapon in history and a symbol of the wars of decolonisation.
What it led to
- Guerrilla wars and the proliferation of light weapons in Africa and Asia
- The militarisation of civil conflicts and organised crime
- The assault rifle as the standard weapon of every army
Built on
- Maxim machine gun1884
- Intermediate-cartridge assault rifle (MP 43 / StG 44)1943-1944
- German StG 44
- 7.62x39 intermediate cartridge
Made possible
- Small-calibre high-velocity rifle (AR-15 / M16)1957-1964
- modern assault rifles
- standardised intermediate cartridges