Mikhail Kalashnikov, designer of the most iconic weapon of the 20th century, has died at the age of 94, according to a report from the Associated Press.
He is known primarily for developing the AK-47, an assault rifle that was heavily exported by the Soviet Union. More than 100 million AK-47s have been built since 1947, according to estimates, and various versions of the gun are still widely used by militaries around the world.
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The gun has become one of the world's most ubiquitous weapons, even showing up on Mozambique's flag. Although other assault rifles have improved on Kalashnikov's design, the weapon's reliability (it reportedly rarely jams) and pervasiveness (the weapon is easy to find and thus easy to fix with replacement parts) have kept it on battlefields, including the ongoing conflict in Syria.
The design of the weapon combined various gun inventions of the era, most importantly gas-operated reloading that powered automatic firing. After the trigger is pulled, energy from the first bullet is channeled back into the weapon to eject the bullet casing then load and fire a new bullet. This allows for a weapon to fire continuously after pulling the trigger only once, with the cycle of energy firing bullets until the trigger is released or the weapon runs out of ammunition. Here is a gif of the mechanism.
Although the AK-47 was developed too late for World War II, it entered production and was widely distributed by the Soviet Union in time for numerous conflicts that pitted the weapon against its American counterpart — the M16. Kalashnikov was not shy in touting the superiority of his weapon, particularly in light of the M16's reputation for malfunctioning in adverse conditions.
The gun rose to prominence during the Vietnam War and was produced in various countries, spawning many similar gun models. The AKM, a modernized version of the original AK-47, is still in production today.
Kalashnikov was from a family of peasants and left home at a young age before joining the Soviet Union's Red Army. Rising to the position of tank commander, Kalashnikov first began designing the AK-47 after he was injured in World War II. For his work he received some of the Soviet Union's highest honors, although because the country was socialist at the time he did not receive a patent or royalties from the gun.
A spokesman from Udmurtia, a republic in Russia, confirmed the news of Kalashnikov's death, but did not state its cause, the AP reported.
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Image: Getty/Oleg Nishkin