AK 47 PNG

What is AK-47?

The AK-47 or Kalashnikov is a Soviet-made 7.62 mm infantry rifle. The gun was designed by Mikhail Kalashnikov, started to be produced by Izhmash, and entered service with the Soviet Armed Forces in 1949. The AK-47 and its derivatives are by far the most produced and widely used infantry rifle due to its simple construction, easy maintenance and low cost. About 100 million units were produced, and almost most of them were used in warfare.

When was the AK-47 started to be produced?

Design work on the AK-47 began in 1945. The Mosin-Nagant, used by the Red Army, was designed by army engineer Mihail Kalashnikov, based on the German StG 44 rifle, to replace the SKS, AVS-36 and PPŞ-41. In 1946, the AK-47 was tested in official military tests, and in 1948 the fixed stock variant entered active service in special units of the Soviet Army. It officially entered service in 1949 as the main infantry rifle of the Soviet Armed Forces and later other Warsaw Pact countries.

What are the AK-47 features?

The AK-47 was used in many conflicts during the Cold War years and became a symbol for the communist bloc. Despite the fact that the AK-47 was produced in 1947 due to its rapid production, ease of use and maintenance, it is still used in large quantities by many countries, resistance, terrorist and guerrilla groups today. For example, in the Vietnam War, American soldiers left their AR-15 and M16s and used AK-47s and AKMs that they captured from the guerrillas.

The gun becomes ready to fire automatically with the gunpowder gas pressure and can fire semi-automatically or fully automatically.

The AK-47 is known for its durability. It is not affected by water, mud, sand, and it seizes very rarely. In addition, it is preferred especially by guerrilla groups because it can be supplied cheaply and in many ways. Due to its suitability for asymmetric warfare conditions, it is important for military units fighting against guerrillas to use the AK-47s they have captured instead of their own weapons, in terms of demonstrating the success of the weapon. It is also known as an infantry rifle, which is the simplest and easiest to use, disassemble, maintain, parts and working mechanism. There are also many overseas modifications outside the USSR.

As of 2004, it is estimated that there are more than 100 million AK-47s in the world, together with its variants and improved derivatives.