November 13, 1947 - The Soviet Union completes the development of an AK-47 assault rifle

According to an unofficial statistic, one out of every five personal weapons in the world is one AK-47.

November 13, 1947 - AK-47 assault rifle is completed

AK-47 assault rifle is the most commonly used personal weapon in the 20th century. Until the beginning of the 21st century, despite having 70 years of life, the AK-47 and its versions were weapons. most popular, selected as a standard weapon by more than 50 armies, it also serves many other armed and guerrilla forces in more than 100 countries around the world. Low cost, reliability, and very high efficiency in the harsh combat conditions of this gun make it the world's most popular personal weapon . Its most effective range is around 400m, specialized for short and medium range combat.

With their influences, the AK-47 was called a symbol in the military , a weapon that changed the face of war. Currently AK-47 is the standard personal weapon for the army of more than 60 countries around the world. Many other countries use AK-47s for police and border guards. AK-47 is also the choice of rebels and criminals around the world due to its high durability and low cost. It all began on November 13, 4747, when the Soviet Union completed the design of this legendary gun before it was put into general use in 1949.

AK-47, popular from real life to games.

The AK-47 assault rifle was judged to be an essential invention for the battlefield at the time when the development of infantry tactics changed a lot since the musket appeared that way. about 1 to 2 centuries. From the strategy of horizontal line-up to firing one shot and reloading to the tunnel strategy to take advantage of machine guns, barbed wire and blockhouse in World War I; to the second world war, infantry tactics followed groups of 5 to 6 people with the support of armors, air force and artillery.
More and more, the advantage of the weapon's firing speed is increasingly appreciated so besides the traditional bolt-action rifles such as Springfield M1903, Lee Enfield, Mauser Kar98k and Mosint Nagant, the Continuous rifle samples with small sized bullets such as M1 Garand, M1 Carbine, Gewehr 43 and SKS-40 also gradually asserted their position. But their rate of fire is still nothing compared to submachines like M1A1 Thompson, MP-40, Sten or PPSH-41; At that time, weapons experts came up with the idea of ​​combining the firing speed of submachine guns and the strength of rifles into a new weapon called the assault rifle with the pioneer StG-44 .

StG-44 German rifle.

The origin of the AK-47 is traced back to the end of World War II, the Germans developed the StG-44 (Sturmgewehr 44), based on research showing that the majority of gunfights took place at a distance. Near glass, within 300m. The strength of the rifle type (bolt-action form) at that time was too strong (effective range of 800m) but when the firepower density was too high for the majority of gunfights at close range. The conclusion of the German military was that it was necessary to invent a combination of rifles and submachine guns with basic features such as a large ammunition box, thick firepower and precision with an average range of The efficiency reaches 300m. To reduce the cost of manufacturing, the modified Mauser MP-40 submachine gun , no more 9x19mm ammunition, switched to using 7.92x33 mm ammunition which was a larger launcher. Although there are many disadvantages such as an effective range of about 300m (only slightly higher than submachine types), the gun does not have a single shot mode, without hand pads, but StG-44 is still rated as a price. "guys" opened a new era for soldiers' fighting techniques.

The father of the AK-47, Mikhail Kalashnikov , took advantage of the preeminent features of StG-44 and combined it with a real rifle bullet with a massive destructive power of 7.62x41mm (later changed to 7 , 62x39mm as it is today) to create a gun to compete in the design of a new personal weapon with the requirement to be reliable in the muddy, wet and cold environment of the Soviet Union. It was an active rifle based on horizontal gas extraction principle, which opened the barrel to load with a curved cartridge containing 30 capsules. His guns (AK-1 and AK-2 symbols) proved to be reliable and surpassed those of other competitors.

Ak-47 and "father" Mikhail Kalashnikov.

At the end of 1946, when the guns began to be tested, the soldiers first received the AK password reluctantly. They were used to dealing with opponents with a common rifle at the time like Mosint Nagant. However, Kalashnikov's assistant, Aleksandr Zaytsev, finally convinced them, resulting in the new gun leaving a lot of holes in the target shot and passing the test shot at the experimental firing range. From here, the Kalashinkov 1947 rifle proved its reliability, simplicity and began to be equipped with Soviet troops since 1949 as Kalashnikov Automatic Rifle , referred to as AK caliber 7.62 mm. Although Kalashnikov denied that the AK-47 was based on the German StG 44, it was thought that the AK-47 was influenced by the design of StG-44.

The main advantage of AK-47 is its simple design, compact size and easy mass production . The gun has a low production cost, is easy to clean and maintain; At the same time its durability and high reliability have become legendary. In fact, the accuracy of the AK-47 is not as reliable as the previous rifle model, although with a 30-caliber round, the soldier has the chance with the remaining 29 members if the first one fails . This was the influence of Soviet infantry theory at that time, when rifles were understood to be part of the concentration of close-range infantry firepower, not the long-range accuracy. The lifespan of AK-47 ranges from 20 to 40 years depending on the environment used in maintenance.

How does AK-47 work?

During the Cold War, the Soviet Union, the People's Republic of China and the United States provided and supported a variety of weapons and military technologies for allied organizations and countries. At that time, guns used in the US military such as M14 and M16 were very expensive, so the United States primarily supported the older generation of excess weapons for allies. Meanwhile, the low production cost of the AK gun made it possible for the Soviets to make this weapon in huge quantities and to provide to their allies in lieu of the old generation excess weapons. As a result, during the Cold War, AK guns were exported by the Soviet Union and the People's Republic of China in large numbers (even to zero) to their countries and allied organizations, such as the Liberation Army. the South in Vietnam and the Sandinista Liberation Front in Nicaragua. AK guns are available in the army of more than 60 countries and hundreds of other paramilitary organizations.

Even when the cold war ended, the AK-47 was still the world's most popular gun, being used by numerous military forces, armed forces of the world, to organized crime organizations. Dad uses it because of its high reliability in non-standard fighting conditions. Even when removed from the mud, just remove it, rinse the parts with water, reassemble it. The materials for making guns are relatively popular, mainly steel and wood. Under conditions of low technology development, many developing countries and some underdeveloped countries have also built this gun with a relatively low price.

Ak-47 is so easy to use that women can master the assembly and maintenance of guns.

According to economist Phillip Killicoat, Oxford University, UK, the average price of an AK-47 sold in 2005 is 534 USD. Meanwhile, in Africa alone, AK-47s are sold for about $ 200 cheaper (only 1/8 of the price of an M-16), smuggled AKs may be cheaper. half. Because the structure is not too complicated, easy to disassemble, just need some simple mechanical tools so the gunner can maintain and repair small easily. Sub-parts: cladding, hand-grip, trigger-grip handles are made of wood, so it is easy to make by yourself. As of mid-2012, the demand for AK-47 guns in the world market is still very large with more than 100 million guns manufactured worldwide. Even the American people rushed to buy AK-47 in the same amount as the Russian military and police forces owned and evaluated as " Quality and flexibility far beyond anything." other in the market ". According to an unofficial statistic, one out of every five personal weapons in the world is one AK-47.

The popularity of AK-47 is not only reflected in its sales volume and sales. The reputation of AK-47 in wars, military conflicts and violent activities has made its image imprinted on the human subconscious and become a symbol of fighting spirit. Even the symbols of some countries and some organizations also use the shape of the AK-47 as a figurative element besides other figurative elements. The image of the AK has appeared in the Mozambique flag and emblem, an acknowledgment that the leaders of these countries gained power somewhat thanks to the effective use of AK-47s. It also appeared on the national emblem Zimbabwe and East Timor, the emblem of Burkina Faso in the years 1984-1997, the banner of the Hezbollah organization, and the symbol of the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guards.