MOSCOW: Mention “Kalashnikov” and the Soviet-era firearm readily comes to mind.
In fact, there is even a cocktail named after the weapon – the acclaimed AK-47 – which is testament to the potency of the assault rifle.
It is not surprising that Mikhail Kalashnikov’s invention has survived for 213 years; while the company has become the foremost firearms and weapons manufacturer in Russia, with exports to over 27 countries.
Kalashnikov firearms, especially the AK-47 assault rifle, were a mainstay of eastern-bloc countries during World War I and II, and many other conflicts, including in the Middle-East.
One distinctive feature of the rifle is its ability to operate in extreme weather and the dusty deserts, with its non-jamming mechanism and easy maintenance.
According to Kalashnikov Group’s technical advisor, Vladimir Onokoy, more than 50 million AK-47s have been produced at its plant in Izhevsk City, since 1806.
“The state-of-the-art plant, that employs 7,000 staff, has a capacity to manufacture about 300,000 firearms of all configurations each year.
“That alone speaks of the product’s reliability, credibility and global demand.
“The Kalashnikov brand is popular in Saudi Arabia, Indonesia, Thailand and India,” Onokoy said during a special briefing in conjunction with the MAKS 2019 aviation and space exhibition at the Zhukovsky International Airport, here.
The Kalashnikov Group is headquartered at Usacheva Street in central Moscow, where it has a large display of its products.
Asked if Kalashnikov firearms are produced outside of Russia, Onokoy said that they will be opening plants in India soon.
However, he said that 26 other countries are believed to be manufacturing inferior-quality Kalashnikov firearms, which are then exported to Afghanistan, Pakistan, Albania, China, Hungary, Romania and Bulgaria.
“We do not recommend the purchase of such ‘duplicate’ variants which are prone to jamming and quicker wear-and-tear.
“Such countries do not carry out any research, development or innovation to ensure their reliability and durability.
“They are simply copycats,” said Onokoy, whose company is a member of the Rostec State Corporation, headed by its director-general, Sergey Chemezov.
Onokoy said that there are at least 30 Kalashnikov firearm variants – including handguns, automatic assault rifles, sniper and special forces types – in Russia and over 100 in the world.
He added that the Kalashnikov Group is the largest Russian developer and manufacturer of high-precision automatic assault and sniper weapons of various calibres, Vikhr-1 guided missiles, and a wide range of non-defence products.
“These include hunting guns and rifles, sporting guns, machines and tools, unmanned aerial vehicles, special multi-purpose motor boats, remotely-controlled modules, Izh electric motorcycles and clothing accessories,” said Onokoy.
In 2017, he said the company celebrated its 210-year anniversary since its incorporation; and 70 years since the first output of the Kalashnikov rifle.
The Kalashnikov Group is affiliated with the Kalashnikov Concern JSC, Izhevsk Mechanical Plant JSC, Rybinsk Shipyard JSC and Vympel Shipyard JSC – a developer and manufacturer of ZALA AERO unmanned aerial vehicles of airplane and helicopter types, a developer and the manufacturer of Biforce ceramic armour.
“In fact, the legendary Kalashnikov rifle had at one time, been used by the uniformed services of Russia and 106 countries,” Onokoy added.
Today, the company manufactures fifth-generation Kalashnikov rifles – AK-12 and AK-15.
For almost half a century, the Dragunov rifle has been considered the best weapon for army snipers.
The Special Forces have been satisfied with rifles like SVDS, SV-98, SV-99 and VSV-338.
It is also interesting to note that the Russian national shooting team uses Kalashnikov firearms in the Olympics and World Championships.
Among sport shooters who favour the brand are Alexander Tikhonov, Alexander Privalov, Vladimir Melanin, Viktor Mamatov, Valery Medvedtsev, Renata Safina, Svetlana Ishmuratova, Olga Pyleva and Anna Bogaliy-Titovets.