/johnny
General Mikhail Kalashnikov never saw nor will he ever see one kopeck’s worth of royalties from his design.
Heck, a few years ago there were full page ads in the American Rifleman for “Kalashnikov Vodka”.
Too bad, comrade.
Eugene Stoner (M-16) and Kalashnikov studied each others designs and incorporated concepts they liked into their respective weapon systems. Stoner more so than Kalashnikov. They became friends after meeting at European weapon shows. Kalashnikov would joke about all the money Stoner made with his weapon systems and how little he made, living in a modest home outside Moscow. In fact as time went on Stoner would sponsor Kalashnikov's attendance at weapon conventions in Europe. Stoner died of cancer in 1997.
Perhaps Kalashnikov, in his advanced years, will finally see significant monetary gain from his weapon system.