The terrorist group is definitely going to need a cheap replacement. The average lifespan of a terrorist in a gunfight isn't very long, so that rifle is likely going to hit the ground, and someone is going to need it to work when they pick it up. Whether they're trying to take over a military base in frozen tundra or overthrowing a government in Sub-Saharan Africa, the AK-47 works really well in every environment, is always available (usually at a steep discount) and will still work even if it falls into water, mud, sand or some other muck. The worldwide availability and durability of the AK-47 also makes it an attractive weapon for terrorists, militias and other illegal paramilitary organizations.
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And if you need a weapon like the AK-47, you need to be able to use it fast, whether you're a professional soldier or a poorly trained conscript. The rifle was designed to be carried, maintained and fired by anyone in the area who happened to need its services. Special operations forces from all branches might have to pick up an enemy AK-47 at some point because of the nature of their work - sometimes help isn't coming. does not field AK-47s, but some members of its military are trained to use them. Not that the American military would buy its standard-issue rifle from its main geopolitical foe and potential World War III adversary anyway. didn't really know about its existence until the mid-1950s. When the AK-47 was first introduced, it was such a great weapon that the Red Army actually hid it from the world. (United States Army Heritage and Education Center) Note that the magazine has been incorrectly inserted. troops were known to pick up AKs from their fallen enemies and keep them handy. Even after the kinks were worked out, a dirty M16 was (and is) much less likely to operate than a dirty AK-47. There were so many problems that American troops were killed in combat simply because they couldn't shoot back. When the M16 rifle was first introduced in the Vietnam War, it had a number of issues. They shatter bones, tear through organs and liquefy other materials as the round tumbles through the body - often in ways that cannot be repaired. The weapon uses a 7.62mm, high-velocity round that can "destroy whole areas of a body," according to New York City trauma surgeons. Everyone will still refer to it as an AK-47 or simply "AK" - because it sounds cool. Today's AKs are actually AKMs (modernized) and variations on the AKM. Joshua Wooten)Ī real 1947 Kalashnikov is surprisingly difficult to fire for a standard infantry weapon, but it was still very easily produced and easily used. AK-47 model weapons are also dirt cheap in many places around the world - but the further away you are from the production centers, the more expensive it can be.Īn Iraqi security forces soldier practices a prone shooting position at Besmaya Range Complex, Iraq, Feb. In many countries, it's not only legal to own an AK model firearm, it's necessary and/or celebrated. The legality of the AK-47 depends on what country you're reading this in. The country made so much money from exporting the weapon that Kalashnikov received special treatment in the USSR and later Russia for the rest of his life. His creation was so simple and dependable that the Soviet Union began exporting the weapon en masse. If a round is chambered in an AK-47, chances are good that weapon is going to fire. It was designed for all-around ease of use: easy to repair, easy to unjam (if it ever does), easy to maintain. The AK-47 was designed to do the same.īut the true brilliance of Kalashnikov's invention was in its simplicity.
It didn't shoot a heavy round but could still lay down heavy fire. Called StG-44 for short, the Sturmgewehr was the first real mid-range infantry rifle. It was based on a number of other designs floating around at the time, mostly Germany's Sturmgewehr-44.
AK-47 designer and Red Army soldier Mikhail Kalashnikov in 1949.Īfter five years of engineering, the former agricultural engineer made his famous weapon.