M.T.Kalashnikov criticizes US over Russian arms sales to Venezuela

[izaakb]

In this article, General Kalashnikov says Russian arms are the best -- is this true? Comparing the AK to the AR, maybe, but comparing the Russian AK to the Hungarians versions? Noooo

Feb 12 2005 3:31PM
Kalashnikov criticizes U.S. for Venezuela arms export statement
ABU DHABI. Feb 12 (Interfax) - The U.S. State Department statements that exports of Russian assault rifles to Venezuela could destabilize the situation in that country and the region on the whole are groundless, said Russian prominent weapons designer Mikhail Kalashnikov, who is a consultant to the general director of the Rosoboronexport government weapons export agency.

"We have been blamed and will be blamed for many things. We need to treat these accusations critically, as they are, as a rule, prompted by the Americans' desire to bar us from entering new markets," Kalashnikov said.

There are no restrictions on exports of Russian assault rifles, including to Venezuela, Kalashnikov said. "I believe we need to continue to promote our Russian weapons on foreign markets, because they must safeguard peace and friendship between nations," he said.

Kalashnikov said he designed his legendary assault rifles as a defense weapon. "We sell weapons not for offensive but for defense purposes, and this is done in strict compliance with international standards and regulations. As far as I know, there are no restrictions on weapons supplies to Venezuela, and if that country decided to purchase our assault rifles, we can only be glad about this," he said.

If Russia stops exporting its assault rifles, other countries like Hungary, Bulgaria, and others, which produce them in large quantities, will do this for Russia, Kalashnikov said. He noted that other countries producing such assault rifles claim that they are not worse than those produced in Russia. "In reality it is not so. There are no assault rifles better than Russian ones. The weapons that are produced abroad look like ours but they are in fact different. We have repeatedly tested them and concluded that our weapons are better. A copy is always worse than an original," he said.

Kalashnikov claimed that in a real combat situation, everybody, including even Americans, tries to get a Kalashnikov if they have such a chance. "The Americans boasted of their weapons and claimed that they are better than Russian ones. But when they got into trouble in Vietnam, they started to throw away their capricious guns and took our AK-47s. The same we see now in Iraq. They use our weapons openly," he said.

[jon elia]

he has a point....how many times has your ak jammed up? how many times does any other gun you have jam?

[goldenbb]

So Kalashnikov is still a communist after all these years? I guess all the sweet licensing deals he got for things like vodka don't count. You know, for a guy who designed the gun that killed thousands of Americans, he ought to be just a little bit more careful about the things he says.

There's nothing wring with Hungarian or Bulgarian designs, they are all the same.

I don't know where the AK got its reputation as being a simple rifle. It is not--the only "loose tolerance" is in the chamber. That's it. The rest is just like any other mass-produced weapon. The original milled AKs are just as complex as a FAL. The myth of Pakistanis assembling these rifles in caves is just that--a myth.

The US just wants to control Venezuela because they have oil.

[bubagun]

If you look closely at the John M.Garand designed M1 rifle,which actualy inspired MKs' design you will see the link.MK took a great design...took it through a series of truly inspired adaptions and ..Voila! The AK47. The roots of the AK 47 are from right here in America.MK coupled those inovations in a gas powered rifle and combined it with a "New" round and look what happened.

[16r40]

his diatribe sounds like what a spokesman for colt would say about their firearms

[Treborer]

He wants to sell guns. Unlike the modern Colt Corp. he designed his, didn't steal it by outmanuevering Armalite-Fairchild.
When I look inside one I see an absolute minimum of parts, there is nothing to compare it to.
In a forest the ranges are close, the accuracy adequate.
It works good and lasts a long time.
Use what works for the situation. Many U.S. troops preferred it to the M16, if they were assigned to duty where they wouldn't draw friendly fire.
Russian leaders seem to be going back to a hard line, so the state dept, uses whatever pressure it can for it's own purpose.
I always figured most of "State" to be closet socialists anyway.
Each day about a hundred Americans are killed by automobiles, I still drive one.
The rifle is just a machine.
The AK is a good machine.

[Story]

Venezuela bolsters military reserves
Feb 16, 2006, 13:37 GMT

CARACAS, Venezuela (UPI) -- Venezuela`s military reserve units have been increased to 2 million soldiers, Globovision TV reported.

The county has been aggressively recruiting citizens to join the reserves since last year.

President Hugo Chavez has stressed the need for Venezuela to bolster its home defenses against foreign invaders.

The leftist Venezuelan leader has accused Washington of trying to undermine his authority and take over the country`s lucrative oil industry.

Chavez announced last year that Venezuela was purchasing 100,000 Russian assault rifles and other armaments.

[CAMPYBOB]

but comparing the Russian AK to the Hungarians versions?

the russian version is superior in every way. btw, the kalashnikov production line at feg is defunct and the hungarians never advanced beyond the akm/akms variant. thew hungarians never developed the left side-folding polymer stock, nor the ak74 brake, nor the anti-bolt bounce timing retarder. all they did was copy the rusians. on tooling sold to them by the russians.

ok. so they gave their pistol grip that funny little bump. big deal.

So Kalashnikov is still a communist after all these years?

he's quite the capitalist, going so far as to fight for royalties from the sale of his designs.

The myth of Pakistanis assembling these rifles in caves is just that--a myth.

i guess those pictures of the dirt-floor shacks in the back alleys of peshwar with newly beat-out-with-a-hammer rifle copies are just a mirage? never under-estimate a paki with a lathe and a forge.

I don't know where the AK got its reputation as being a simple rifle. It is not

uh...yes. yes, it is. it's as simple as it gets.

it's "clearances"...not "tolerances". the kalashnikov is designed with more clearance between its' moving parts than any other rifle i'm aware of. even the fal faultered in the sand...and thus the british addition of sand cuts to the bolt and deletion of the bolt hold open function.

also, the chamber of a kalashnikov is no larger than any other self-loading rifle. if it were, brass/steel cases would kaboom from stretching. ever stick a chamber gage set into a kalashnikov? or any other rifle for that matter?

the kalashnikov operates under the same chamber design constraints as every other centerfire, self-loading rifle design on the planet. to small and the bolt will not lock into battery. too large and the rifle explodes. the difference for all rifle is about .008"...give or take.

If you look closely at the John M.Garand designed M1 rifle,which actualy inspired MKs' design

the fire control group of the kalashnikov more closely resembles the m1 carbine; not the m1 garand. if you want to see the first assault rifle, turn the clock back to 1916 in russia and look at the fedorov avtomat.

folks often claim the stg/fg'mpk series of german assault rifles were the progenitors of the kalashnikov. spending 15 minutes disassembling a stg will disprove that notion, also.

When I look inside one I see an absolute minimum of parts, there is nothing to compare it to.

exactly. correct.

It works good and lasts a long time.

exactly. correct.

[KernelKrink]

Originally Posted by CAMPYBOB

the fire control group of the kalashnikov more closely resembles the m1 carbine; not the m1 garand.

Gotta disagree with you here Bob. I dunno who inspired MK, but the Garand definitely has a similar concept in the trigger design. Trigger hook catches the front of the hammer ears and a rear mounted disconnector hook catches the hammer during firing. The M1 Carbine uses a forward facing sear/disconnector that catches a hammer notch at the *bottom* of the hammer. The trigger touches the hammer not at all. Looking at the pic below, I see not a trace of AK similarity.

[MMilitiaR]

screw that commie...

[Story]

Published: Sunday, April 16, 2006
Bylined to: Russian Interfax

Interfax-Moscow says Venezuela to produce Russian AK-103s under license

Russian news agency Interfax: The Russian state arms trading agency Rosoboronexport has denied reports by a number of US media alleging that Russia will sell outdated Kalashnikov assault rifles to Venezuela instead of modern ones, as it promised to do earlier.

"We would like to express our surprise and even outrage at an April 10 article published in the Washington Times. The allegations it makes are untrue and absolutely absurd," Rosoboronexport spokesman Valery Kartavtsev said at a press conference, Saturday.

According to a contract signed in May 2005, Russia will sell 100,000 AK-103 rifles to the Venezuelan army and security forces, Kartavtsev said. "Not a single rifle of this model has yet crossed the Russian border."

Venezuelan experts recently visited the Izhmash engineering plant to inspect the first shipment of the Kalashnikovs, he said.

The contract also envisions the licensed production of AK-103s in Venezuela ... "Venezuela will become the first country in the western hemisphere to receive a license to produce them," Izhmash general director Vladimir Grodetsky said.

Currently there is no licensed production of Kalashnikov assault rifles in any other country.

[chromekilla]

Man wish we could get some of them russian guns in country.

[N4KVE]

Arsenal USA in Las Vegas is building AK's under license of Arsenal Bulgaria. The real deal, built under license in the USA. GARY N4KVE

[Tailgunner]

I believe the russians are still mad at us for awarding the contract for new Iraqi rifles to Arsenal of Bulgaria.

[panzertruppe]

Built for defensive purposes, whatever,
He definitely knows how to play the media/hearts and minds load of S*#t there. Once a commie, always a commmie. Read your history. Even in Commie Russia, the elitists were always competing as though they were capitalists. Capitalism in a commie culture. And, communist manifesto has ALWAYS been to conquer and control by revolution inspired by them from within or direct attack.

Now, to the engineering side, lightly. MK made a good gun, no matter how it was done. A General of mine once said in a staff meeting, "Nothing is original any more.. Some one just tweeks it(documents, TMs, FMs, etc) for their purposes and changes the name," VOILA! AK47!!!!!!!!!!!!! True in engineering world too. There are some original (engineering)concepts indeed, but this is not the case here..... Fine combination of others, some original, and all principals of physics.

MK is lucky he never got caught in the "purge machine" Stalin had going... Intelligent, entrepreneurial man of his type, a General after WWII, etc etc. I wouldn't be surprised if he originally drew the weapon up from a shack in Siberia and was cut loose by some mistake to build it(and we have never been told the truth).... Or he stle it from the orignal designer, killed him or he died in the gulag, and that's the rest of the story.... The winners write the history and for 50 years, the leaders of the CCCP were writing their own version of history and a lot of it still here today, our hist incl.

This is politics. I agree w/ MK. If we can do it, why not them. Of course this is not what he says..... And, as we all know, at a significantly reduced price than an iffy AR15... The only way we'll curb anything we don't like is by paying them culprit off or killing them all. The problematic and not symptomatic issue is politics here. More power to you MK. But as a "general" rule, an American armed will kick your ass and anyone elses any day with any weapon, even a front stuffer.

Panzertruppe

[allesennogwat]

President Hugo Chávez is trying to build closer ties with Iran and holding talks with Tehran to conduct joint military drills and obtain uranium from Iran, President George W. Bush administration officials told the Washington Times on Monday.

"Hamas is also holding talks with Caracas about sending agents to Venezuela to raise funds for the newly elected Palestine government of the militant group," the newspaper claimed.

The Washington Times quoted US Government officials as saying that both the Pentagon and the Department of State fear Venezuela may seek uranium from Iran to develop a likely nuclear program in the South American country.

Chávez has supported Tehran nuke ambitions. Venezuela-Russia relations have deteriorated recently, said Rowan Scarborough in the Washington Times. The reporter claimed that an agreement whereby Moscow is to supply 100,000 AK-47 rifles to the Venezuelan Armed Forces has faced serious setbacks.

Russia has delivered refurbished models to President Chávez, thus leading Caracas to "stop the deal."

The Pentagon and the Department of State have no few reasons for concern about Chávez' efforts to build closer ties with Iran.

Last Sunday, Chávez threatened to expel US ambassador William Brownfield, after pro-government demonstrators attacked the diplomat.

Meanwhile, Venezuelan ambassador in Washington Bernardo Alvarez has denied claims that his country supports rebel groups in Latin America. He explained the Russian AK-47s were intended for the Venezuelan Armed Forces.

The Washington Times quoted a senior US official -who spoke under condition of anonymity- as saying: "The whole Venezuelan government absolutely lacks audit."

[Bret]

Originally Posted by MMilitiaR

screw that commie...

I agree. He's FOS! The only international standard he's complying to is cash.