Kalashnikov inventor dies aged 94
Mikhail Kalashnikov, the inventor of the eponymous gun, has died in Russia
By Roland Oliphant
4:20PM GMT 23 Dec 2013



The Kremlin paid tribute last night to Mikhail Kalashnikov, the inventor of the eponymous assault rifle that swept the 20th century’s war zones, after he died aged 94.

A gifted mechanic who served with the Red Army on the Eastern Front during the Second World War, Mr Kalashnikov began his career as an arms designer while convalescing after being wounded in the 1941 battle of Bryansk

A former soldier, inspired by the drawbacks of Russian weaponry in the Second World War he decided to invent a new assault rifle.

This process culminated in 1947 with the design of the AK-47.

Over the course of his career he evolved the basic design into a weapons family.

The news was announced by the government of Udmurtia, the republic East of Moscow where the Kalashnikov arms factory is based.

“In the 95th year of his life, after a long and serious illness, the outstanding small arms designer Mikhail Timofeevich Kalashnikov has died,” the regional governor’s press service said in a statement.

Vladimir Putin expressed “deep condolences to the family and friends of Mikhail Kalashnikov following his death,” the Kremlin said in a brief statement on Monday evening.

The 1947 model Kalashnikov Automatic, universally known by its initials: AK-47 sold at least 70 million Kalashnikovs in various variants.

The weapon is still standard issue for more than 100 countries’ armies
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http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnew...es-aged-94.html