Kalashnikov rifle

Kalashnikov rifles (Автоматы Калашникова), also known as the AK platform, AK rifles or simply the AK, are a family of assault rifles based on Mikhail Kalashnikov's original design. They are officially known in Russian as avtomat Kalashnikova (автомат Калашникова), and informally as "kalash" in Russian. They were originally manufactured in the Soviet Union, first by Izhmash and later by Kalashnikov Concern. Rifles similar to the Kalashnikov and its Soviet variants were later produced in many countries friendly to the Soviet Bloc, with rifles based on its design such as the Galil ACE and the INSAS also being produced. The Kalashnikov is one of the most widely used firearms in the world, with an estimated 72 million rifles in global circulation.

List of AK rifles
The original Kalashnikov rifles and their derivatives, as produced in the Soviet Union and later the Russian Federation.

Rifles derived directly from the original AK
The rifle's simple design makes it easy to produce, and the Soviet Union readily leased plans of the firearm to friendly countries, where it could be produced locally at a low cost. As a result, the Kalashnikov rifles and their variants have been manufactured in many countries, with and without licenses. Manufacturing countries in alphabetical order include:

Similar rifles
The following rifles were either based on the Kalashnikov design, or have a different design but are superficially similar in appearance:


 * FARA 83 (Argentina)
 * BD-08 (Bangladesh)
 * AR-M1 (Bulgaria)
 * Type 56, Type 81 (China)
 * Vz. 58 (Czechoslovakia)
 * RK 62 (also called Valmet M76, Rk 62 76 or M62/76), Valmet M78 (light machine gun), RK 95 TP (Finland)
 * AK-63, AMD-65 (Hungary)
 * INSAS rifle (India)
 * IMI Galil, IWI ACE (Israel)
 * Bernardelli VB-STD/VB-SR (Italy)
 * FB Beryl, FB Tantal (Poland)
 * Pistol Mitralieră model 1963/1965 (Romania)
 * Zastava M70 (Serbia, Yugoslavia)
 * Zastava M21 (Serbia)
 * Vektor R4, Truvelo Raptor (South Africa)
 * MPi-KM (East Germany)
 * MPi-KMS-72 (East Germany)

In the United States
The Kalashnikov weapon design has become increasingly more popular in the American firearms industry. There are specific competitive shooting matches that require the use of its weapon variants like the Red Oktober match held just outside of St. George, Utah. It is a match designed for the use of ComBloc style weapons, but the Kalashnikov design is extremely heavy within the participants' arsenals.