Interesting facts about the Kalashnikov assault rifle. The most interesting facts about Mikhail Kalashnikov. The machine is depicted on banknotes and coins

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The Kalashnikov assault rifle is one of the best small arms in the World. Despite the fact that it was created more than 60 years ago, it still has no equal in its field. This weapon was created by an ordinary man originally from the Altai province, and became famous throughout the world. Now, few people do not know about his creation, and today we have prepared for you 10 interesting facts about the Kalashnikov assault rifle.

10th place: Statistics There are reliable facts that people in the world die from the Kalashnikov assault rifle. more people than from bombs or various projectiles. Annually from firearms

250 thousand people die. However, according to the creator, this is not his fault, since he created the machine for protection, and the fact that people are dying from it is the fault of politicians who are unable to ensure security in their countries. And indeed it is.

9th place: Video games Many spend their free time at the computer, playing the most different kinds

“shooters”, and even here they couldn’t do without the AK-47 (the short name for the machine gun). It is used here in a variety of modifications.

8th place: Significance Here is another interesting fact about the Kalashnikov assault rifle; the Libération (France) publication puts the Kalashnikov assault rifle higher in the list than nuclear bombs or the invention of spacecraft or Playboy magazine in an article about things that changed the world, puts it on a par with the invention birth control pills

or the invention of VCRs. The comparison is certainly strange, but still he is in the lead on this list.

7th place: Children named Kalash

In our country, it’s hard to imagine that parents would want to name their child that, and he will have a hard time at school, but in Africa this is usually the case, they loved Mikhail Kalashnikov’s invention so much.

6th place: Special version of the Kalashnikov assault rifle

For the President of Iraq Saddam Hussein, the machine gun was made special, it was gilded, and it had a special design, but the President cannot carry the same weapon as an ordinary soldier. And also at Osama bin Laden’s performances, an AK-47 was often present on the set.

There are many monuments where this machine gun is depicted. So in Egypt they showed their attention and gratitude to these weapons. And in Iraq, buildings are being rebuilt in the shape of a horn from a Kalashnikov assault rifle. Many people mistakenly think that these are monuments to weapons, but in fact, basically they are monuments dedicated to victories, liberation, etc., and the Kalashnikov assault rifle as a symbol.

4th place: Guinness Book of Records

Yes, it is the Kalashnikov assault rifle that is included in it as the most common weapon in the world. More than 100 million people across the planet have become its owners, so you can imagine how many people near you are the owners of this indispensable means of protection. And also in 1947 (the date of invention of the machine gun) Mikhail Kalashnikov received the Order of the Red Star and the Stalin Prize (150 thousand rubles), so Great Leader I didn’t offend him either.

3rd place: Simplicity and cheapness

In a number of countries where the production of an assault rifle is impeccably organized, its price is equal to the cost of a chicken, so if your wife sent you to the store for chicken, and you brought a Kalashnikov assault rifle from there, your budget will not suffer, but no one will suffer for your health. doesn't answer. Although in India they ask for about $4,000. Because of its simplicity, children in schools during lessons military training, can easily assemble and disassemble the machine in less than a minute. What can we say about soldiers who constantly deal with weapons, they are simply irreplaceable for them. But the record time for assembling and disassembling an AK is 11 seconds!

2nd place: Common use

A reliable fact about the Kalashnikov assault rifle is that it is used by the armies of 160 countries, and it has served its army for more than 70 years and has never shown itself to be disadvantageous.

1st place: Image of AK on state symbols

The AK-47 silhouette is depicted on state symbols such as Mozambique, East Timor, Congo and Burkina Faso between 1984-1997. And in home country it is minted on commemorative coins Central Bank Russian Federation in honor of the fact that Udmurtia became part of Russia 450 years ago.

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The brainchild of Mikhail Kalashnikov, the AK-47 assault rifle, the best small arms of the last century, is more than 70 years old.

A simple Soviet guy, 27 years old, gave the world a miracle machine gun and forever wrote his name in history. There is not a person who has not heard about Kalashnikov and him. Descriptions of where he has been over the years and what he has seen would be enough for more than one book. Next are 20 interesting facts about the AK-47.

For his assault rifle, Mikhail Kalashnikov was awarded the Order of the Red Star and a prize of 150 thousand rubles. The amount was huge for those times (1947). It was equal to the cost of 10 brand new Pobeda cars (which then cost about 16 thousand rubles).

Put into service two years later (1949), the assault rifle became known as the “Kalashnikov assault rifle, model 1947, 7.62 mm caliber.” Usually its name is shortened to “Kalash”. It’s easier and somehow more familiar. According to the gunsmith himself, his brainchild has two distinctive qualities. This is “reliability and simplicity”. “I myself was a soldier and created my own machine gun for soldiers,” the words of Mikhail Timofeevich.

In the USSR, during NVP (initial military training) lessons, schoolchildren mastered the ability to assemble and disassemble a machine gun, mastering it in a matter of seconds.

The Kalashnikov assault rifle is inexpensive because it is extremely easy to manufacture. Thus, residents of some countries can choose between buying an AK-47 and chicken. They cost about the same.

The “black market” dictates its prices. So in Afghanistan, a fully serviceable machine gun costs from $10, while in India they ask for almost $4,000. In the United States, they are ready to part with a Kalashnikov for a sum of several hundred dollars.

The Guinness Book of Records did not ignore the AK-47 assault rifle. It appeared on its pages as the most common weapon on globe. Today, earthlings have 100 million of these machines in their hands. It is easy to calculate that there is an average of 1 machine gun per 60 people.

AK-47 is the standard weapon military units more than 100 countries. He has been serving his native fatherland for seventy years.

The familiar silhouette of the AK-47 is present on the coats of arms of several states. These include East Timor, Zimbabwe and Mozambique. In the 80-90s, he adorned the coat of arms of Burkina Faso, in Africa. Similar plans were hatched in the Congo at one time. The Hezbollah group from Libya placed this machine gun on its emblem as a symbol of struggle.

In Africa, children are named Kalash at birth, such is the authority of this formidable weapon.

Andrey Kirilenko is from Izhevsk. The famous AKs are also produced there. Andrey played for the Utah Jazz basketball club, wearing No. 47. His bright play and jersey number earned him the nickname “AK-47.” What I was proud of.

In Iraq there are buildings in the shape of an AK rifle horn. The Egyptians went further and erected a monument to their favorite machine gun.

Iraqi President Saddam Hussein had a specially designed AK-47 assault rifle, plated with gold.

In many videos of Osama bin Laden's speeches, a Kalashnikov was somehow present in the frame.

In 2008, the AK-47 appeared on commemorative coins of the Central Bank of the Russian Federation, minted to commemorate the 450th anniversary of Udmurtia becoming part of Russia.

Not wanting to be outdone, the New Zealand Mint has engraved the AK-47 design on its $2 local dollar coins.

The magazine "Libération" (France), when compiling a list of inventions of the 20th century, placed the Kalashnikov assault rifle ahead of such achievements of the human mind as spacecraft and a nuclear bomb.

Playboy magazine, in an article about things that changed the world, placed the AK on a par with birth control pills, the Apple Macintosh PC and Sony's first VCR.

The most popular weapon in so-called “shooting games” on the computer is various modifications the same AK-47.

There are sad statistics according to which more people died from bullets from a Kalashnikov assault rifle than from bombs, missiles and shells combined. Every year, about 250 thousand people become victims of the use of AK-47.

Kalashnikov assault rifles are in service regular armies more than fifty countries. Their creator - - went down in history not only as the designer of the most popular machine gun in the world, but also as the developer of a unified model of automatic small arms. The machine is reliable and quite easy to maintain, even with careless care, in the most difficult conditions. Besides, full course training to use a machine gun is only 10 hours. AiF.ru has collected several interesting information about the famous invention of the designer.

Mikhail Kalashnikov received the Stalin Prize for his assault rifle

Mikhail Kalashnikov never patented his inventions, and therefore did not become a rich man. For the invention of the assault rifle in 1947, Mikhail Kalashnikov received the Stalin Prize of the first degree and the Order of the Red Star. The bonus was 150 thousand rubles. With this money you could buy almost ten Pobeda cars (at that time this car cost 16 thousand rubles).

Mikhail Kalashnikov. Photo: RIA Novosti / Ruslan Krivobok

Warehouses of the Ministry of Defense are overflowing with Kalashnikov assault rifles

About 16 million various small arms have accumulated in the warehouses of the Russian Ministry of Defense, most which consist of Kalashnikov assault rifles. Moreover, almost 6.5 million of them have already exhausted their resource. Such stocks of small arms are holding back the flow of new orders, despite the fact that Russia has been implementing a program for the disposal of obsolete weapons for about 10 years. An option to solve the problem could be the proposal of the state corporation "Rostechnologies", which is going to provide the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation 1 new machine AK-12 in exchange for 3 old-generation assault rifles, which will be confiscated from military warehouses.

Automatic grenade launcher system "Silence" based on AKM. Photo: Commons.wikimedia.org / Vitaly V. Kuzmin

"Double standard" of the machine

The main advantage of the Russian machine gun is that it can fire both NATO 5.56 mm cartridges and Soviet-style 7.62 mm cartridges. It is the “double standard,” experts say, that has made the Kalashnikov so popular on the world market.

The machine can be bought on the black market for $10

According to Foreign Policy magazine, the price of an assault rifle on the “black market” ranges from $10 in Afghanistan to $3,800 in India. In the USA, a Kalashnikov assault rifle can be purchased for $70-350. Military experts claim that for the price of one Izhevsk AK-74 (export price is about $100), it is quite possible to purchase two or even three Asian-made assault rifles.

AK sight (or one of the foreign copies). Photo: Commons.wikimedia.org/00009

Machine clones exist all over the world

Illegal production of the Kalashnikov assault rifle is underway in many countries. It is officially produced in 12 countries, but it is impossible to count illegal producers. Most foreign fakes are of much worse quality and discredit the work of Russian gunsmiths. At almost any exhibition Russian representatives have to make claims to foreign manufacturers regarding the counterfeiting of Soviet weapons. In fact, the patent for the Kalashnikov assault rifle received in 1997 (world patent WO9905467 dated February 4, 1999) actually protects only individual design solutions embodied in the AK-74M series assault rifles, but not the early AK and AKM.

Assembling a machine gun was mandatory in NVP lessons

In Soviet times, every schoolchild knew how to assemble and disassemble an AK-47 assault rifle; this was taught in basic military training classes. To get an A, the machine had to be assembled and disassembled in 18-30 seconds. Today in schools, during life safety lessons, Russian schoolchildren are again taught to assemble and disassemble Kalashnikov assault rifles.

Incomplete disassembly of AK74. Photo: Commons.wikimedia.org / www.defenseimagery.mil

Saddam Hussein's golden machine gun

Saddam Hussein had several gold-plated Kalashnikovs. The dictator awarded them to his closest associates for special merits. When American troops entered Baghdad in April 2003, soldiers found about two dozen gold-plated firearms. A gold-plated AK with the inscription: “A gift from President Saddam Hussein” was found in the abandoned palace of Hussein’s eldest son Uday.

Stand at the Abdeen Palace Museum. Photo: Commons.wikimedia.org / Gérard Ducher

AK-47 is the favorite weapon of Somali pirates and a prize for the best knowledge of the Koran

In Somalia, the Kalashnikov assault rifle has become for many what a net is for a fisherman - the only tool of production. In this country, where the radical Islamist group Al-Shabab operates, children are even awarded these weapons for their good knowledge of the Koran.

The Kalashnikov assault rifle adorns the state symbols of some countries

Currently, the image of a machine gun is present on the coat of arms of a number of African countries - Zimbabwe, Mozambique, East Timor, Burkina Faso, Congo, as well as on the emblem of the Lebanese group Hezbollah.

Flag of Mozambique. Photo: Commons.wikimedia.org / Open Clip Art

The machine is depicted on banknotes and coins

The Mozambican banknote contains an image of a Kalashnikov assault rifle. And in New Zealand on the 60th anniversary legendary weapons The mint produced two New Zealand dollar coins with an AK-47 engraving.

Monument to a machine gun in Egypt

In Egypt, on the shores of the Sinai Peninsula, a monument to the Kalashnikov assault rifle, the main weapon that stopped Israeli aggression, was erected.

In Africa, children are called Kalash

In some African countries, children are given the name Kalash - in honor of the famous machine gun.

A US Marine with the MPi-KMS-72, the East German equivalent of the AKMS. Photo: Commons.wikimedia.org / Sus scrofa

Many people around the world associate Russia with nesting dolls, balalaikas, vodka and bears. In addition to the above, the Kalashnikov assault rifle brought enormous popularity to our country. This weapon, designed to destroy enemy forces, is an invention that changed the history of military affairs. It is used in service in more than fifty countries around the world.

An interesting fact is that at the time the American command forbade soldiers of the front line combat units from using a Kalashnikov assault rifle and deodorant. The use of the latter was fraught with the risk that the enemy could detect an ambush or approaching reconnaissance by smell. It was prohibited to use the machine gun for the following purposes: of this weapon very loud characteristic click of the fuse switch. The Vietnamese opened fire at the sound and massacred the Yankees in entire units.

The design of the Kalashnikov assault rifle is so simple that the operation of disassembling, assembling and caring for it can be carried out by every person, regardless of gender, age, erudition and affiliation. That is why this weapon is a favorite among the rebels. Even children and women operate it there.

It is the most common weapon, as evidenced by the Guinness Book of Records. Moreover, the importance of this weapon is so great for some countries that its image is depicted on their coats of arms and flags. Thus, the outlines of this machine gun can be seen on the state symbols of Mozambique. In addition, on the coats of arms of countries such as Burkina Faso, East Timor and Zimbabwe (up to a certain period), you can also see an image of this machine gun.

Hezbollah uses a clearly visible AK imprint in its emblem. Interestingly, Osama Bin Laden loved to appear on TV screens, and a Kalashnikov assault rifle served in the background. Photos of this weapon are presented in all civil and military training textbooks, and many small children can handle it perfectly ( we're talking about about third world countries).

The Kalashnikov assault rifle serves as a prototype for the creation musical instruments, crystal containers and electronic devices. The image of this weapon is also manifested in cultural spheres many countries. Thus, Afghan craftsmen, in particular weavers, love to transfer the image of a machine gun onto a woven plane. Carpets and capes are full of monochrome designs of the famous AK.

Many people, timing the release of anniversary metal banknotes to coincide with some event, place a reduced print of the machine on them. For example, the Central Bank of Russia issued a hundred-ruble coin with the image of Kalashnikov. His sixtieth anniversary was also not forgotten. In honor of this event, “round pieces” with a denomination of 2 dollars came into use in New Zealand, on which a machine gun was minted.

Currently developed great amount variations of this weapon. Moreover, each of them can be used in any weather conditions. Interestingly, the Kalashnikov assault rifle never freezes. Even at minus 50 degrees, the weapon’s lubricant does not thicken.

20 little known facts about the Kalashnikov assault rifle, so we read, remember and surprise our friends)

1. For the invention of the assault rifle in 1947, Mikhail Kalashnikov received the Stalin Prize of the first degree and the Order of the Red Star. The bonus was 150 thousand rubles. With this money you could buy almost ten Pobeda cars (at that time this car cost 16 thousand rubles)

2. The machine gun was put into service in 1949. His official name- “7.62 mm Kalashnikov assault rifle model 1947” (AK-47). It is also often called simply “Kalash”. According to the designer himself, the main qualities of his weapons are “simplicity and reliability.” “I created a machine gun when I was a sergeant, and I always remembered that a soldier did not graduate from academies,” said Kalashnikov himself.

3. In Soviet times, the ability to assemble and disassemble a Kalashnikov assault rifle was part of the minimum knowledge acquired in basic military training classes.

4. The Kalashnikov assault rifle is not very expensive due to its ease of production. In some countries it costs less than chicken.

5. According to Foreign Policy magazine, the cost of one machine gun on the black market ranges from $10 in Afghanistan to $4,000 in India. In the USA, a Kalashnikov assault rifle can be purchased for $70-350.

6. The Kalashnikov assault rifle is included in the Guinness Book of Records as the most common weapon in the world. Currently, there are about 100 million AKs in the world. This means that for every 60 adult inhabitants of our planet there is 1 machine gun.

7. The Kalashnikov assault rifle is in service with the armies and special forces of 106 countries. The Kalashnikov weapon has been in service with the “native” army for 60 years.

8. The Kalashnikov assault rifle is depicted on the coats of arms of some states. Currently, it is present in the coat of arms of the African country of Zimbabwe (since 1980), on the coat of arms and flag of Mozambique (since 1975), and the coat of arms of the Asian state of East Timor. From 1984 to 1997, the AK was depicted on the coat of arms of the African state of Burkina Faso. In addition, there was a project to include a machine gun in the coat of arms of the Congo. The AK is depicted on the emblem of the Lebanese group Hezbollah.

9. In some African countries, newborns are given the name Kalash - in honor of the Kalashnikov assault rifle.

10. Russian basketball player Andrei Kirilenko, a native of the city of Izhevsk, where the famous Kalashnikov assault rifles are produced, received the nickname AK-47 in the United States, playing in the NBA for the Utah Jazz wearing number 47.

11. In Egypt, on the shores of the Sinai Peninsula, a monument to the Kalashnikov assault rifle was erected. There is a mosque in Iraq whose minarets are built in the shape of AK magazines.

12. U former president Saddam Hussein's Iraq had a gold-plated AK of a modified design.

13. Many video messages from “terrorist number one” Osama bin Laden were made “against the background” of AK.

14. In 2008, the Central Bank of the Russian Federation issued coins with the image of a Kalashnikov assault rifle in honor of the 450th anniversary of Udmurtia joining Russia.

15. To celebrate the 60th anniversary of the weapon, New Zealand minted coins with an AK engraving in denominations of two New Zealand dollars.

16. At the end of the 20th century, the French magazine Libération recognized the Kalashnikov assault rifle as the invention of the century. Famous weapons managed to get around atomic bomb and space technologies.

17. In 2004, Playboy magazine named the Kalashnikov assault rifle one of the “50 Products That Changed the World,” ranking it behind the Apple Macintosh computer, birth control pills, and the Sony Betamax VCR.

18. A Kalashnikov assault rifle of one model or another is the most popular weapon V computer games- it is present in almost all 3D shooters.

19. It is believed that more people were killed with a Kalashnikov assault rifle than as a result of artillery fire, aerial bombing and rocket attacks. A quarter of a million people are killed by AK bullets every year.

20. Legendary Russian gunsmith Mikhail Kalashnikov says that all his life he has been inventing weapons for protection, not for killing: “I sleep peacefully because I have always created weapons for protection. It’s the politicians who cannot agree and use them for murder.”