Of all the weapons in the vast Soviet arsenal nothing was more profitable
than the Avtomat Kalashnikova model of 1947 more commonly known as the
AK-47 or Kalashnilov. It’s the world’s most popular assault rifle. A weapon
all fighters love. An elegantly simple 9-lb. amalgamation of forged steel
and plywood. It doesn’t break, jam, or overheat. It will shoot whether it’s
covered in mud or filled with sand. It’s so easy even a child can use it,
and they do. The Soviets put the gun on a coin. Mozambique put it on their
flag. Since the end of the Cold War the Kalashnikov has become the Russion
people’s greatest export. After that comes vodka, caviar and suicidal
novelists. One thing’s for sure, no one was lining up to buy their cars.