Mikhail Kalashnikov
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Mikhail Timofeevich Kalashnikov (Михаи́л Тимофе́евич Кала́шников, born November 10, 1919) is a famous Russian gun designer. He started his engineering career working at a train depot, where he was able to learn much about mechanics. He was later drafted into the Red Army, where he produced a number of innovations for the tank, including a mechanism that would count the number of shots fired. Within several years, he was promoted to the position of chief engineer and given far more resources to work with.
Kalashnikov ascended to the prominent weapon technical designer of the USSR; in its design engineering department Hugo Schmeisser and Dr. Gruner (MG 42) worked, a pioneer in the area of the sheet metal embossing technology into the 50's in addition, numerous German forced laborers kidnapped into the USSR, under it the technical designer.
Later in his career he developed a squad automatic weapon variant of the AK-47, known as the RPK (Ruchnoi Pulemyot Kalashnikova - Kalashnikov's Light Machinegun), and also the PK (Pulemyot Kalashnikova - Kalashnikov's Machinegun), which used a much larger cartridge (the same full-powered rifle cartridge as employed in the Mosin-Nagant rifle). The cartridge was belt-fed rather than magazine-fed. In other respects, it was nearly the same design. These designs were not as popular as the original AK-47, which is still widely used.
Mikhail Kalashnikov was awarded twice the title of Hero of Socialist Labour. In 1998 he was awarded an order of Saint Andrew the Protoclet (орден Святого Андрея Первозванного). His military rank is lieutenant-general. He is a Doctor of Technical Sciences.
His son later became a weapons designer, and lost in the recent "Abakan" design competition which saw the adoption of the AN-94 Nikonov rifle by the Russian army.
In 2004, General Kalashnikov began promoting his own brand of vodka. He told Reuters Television, "I've always wanted to improve and expand on the good name of my weapon by doing good things." The new brand is 41% alcohol and sold worldwide with his seal of approval.
External links
- Biography (http://www.freeinfosociety.com/site.php?postnum=73)
- Biography (http://waffenmuseumsuhl.de.business-01.custom-web.de/index.php?id=52&L=1)
- 'I sleep soundly' (http://www.guardian.co.uk/g2/story/0,3604,1059879,00.html) - Interview with and article on Mikhail Kalashnikov at the age of 83, from The Guardian newspaper.
- CNN/Reuters story (http://www.cnn.com/2004/WORLD/europe/09/20/kalashnikov.vodka.reut/) about Kalashnikov Vodka
- Automat Kalaschnikow (http://www.us.imdb.com/title/tt0254151/) film documented the man and his machinede:Michail Timofejewitsch Kalaschnikow
es:Mijail Kalashnikov nl:Michail Kalasjnikov ja:ミハイル・カラシニコフ pl:Michaił Kałasznikow ru:Калашников, Михаил Тимофеевич sl:Mihail Timofejevič Kalašnikov zh:米哈伊尔·季莫费耶维奇·卡拉斯尼柯夫