AK-47: The Weapon that Changed the Face of War (34 page)
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Authors: Larry Kahaner
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The AN-94 and a thirty-round magazine weighed nine and a half pounds, about two pounds more than an AK-74, and the furniture was produced from fiberglass-reinforced polyamide, similar to the newer AK models and most modern rifles. The rifle had improved sights and safety switch ergonomics, but the most dramatic difference was in how it worked.
The gas-operated system employed a design that the Russians called “blow-back shift pulse” that fired in two-shot bursts, instead of the usual three, with no recoil from the first to second shot. In addition, the first two shots fired at the astounding rate of 1,800 rounds per minute (about three times that of the AK’s 600 round-per-minute rate) when in the two-shot burst mode. When the gun was placed in automatic operation, the first two rounds fired at 1,800 rounds per minute before decreasing to 600 for the remaining bullets.
Nikonov’s groundbreaking design was genius, because he freed himself from traditional arms design conventions and the limiting configuration of the AK. While the AK’s design was simple, the AN-94 was complex because it solved the problem of recoil with the help of extra components such as a pulley and cable configured in a way never seen before. Nikonov also realized that while a balanced system was easily accomplished for smaller rounds, if his rifle was to become the standard design for a family of Russian military guns it also had to accommodate larger rounds, such as those used in heavy stationary machine guns. The pulley and cable system allowed the mechanism to be scaled up for larger rounds while retaining its recoilless nature.
In traditional automatic weapons, including the AK, the bolt carrier must travel its full length so it can both eject the cartridge from the previously fired round and “strip” or remove the next cartridge from the magazine and put it into place before it can be fired. This trip takes time, and recoil occurs because the second bullet is always fired after the first bullet has left the chamber and is on its way out the barrel. Each firing cycle produces the same progression: a fired bullet, recoil, the next fired bullet. There was no way to prevent recoil with that step-by-step cycle, so Nikonov decided to break this linear progression—at least for the first two bullets.
In the AN-94, the pulley and cable came into operation when the bolt assembly began its rearward motion. The pulley and cable quickly reversed the bolt’s rearward motion, pulling it forward from the rear and partially loading the next round into the chamber by means of a special feeding tray. As the bolt traveled forward again, this “half loaded” round was already chambered and ready for firing. The result was that two shots felt like one, and there was no recoil until after the second round was fired.
With no recoil for two full shots, a soldier could hit the same exact spot twice, a feat previously impossible for all but expert marksmen It was essentially a two-round-burst rifle that fired faster and more accurately than any other assault rifle with one pull of the trigger.
In semiautomatic mode, the rifle operated as any other, but with very low recoil. On full automatic, the results were similar, but with the selector switch pushed into two-shot mode the shooter could become one of the most feared adversaries faced by enemy infantry, even those wearing the most sophisticated body armor. With armor-piercing rounds, a salvo of well-placed two-shot bursts could even penetrate tank armor.
The rifle was more reliable than the AK, with tests showing the mean number of rounds between failures at forty thousand, compared to thirty thousand for the AK. The rifle had flaws, however. It was not as easy to maintain, and some users said that the sights caught dirt in battle environments. Testers also complained that it could not be fired when the stock was folded over because it covered the trigger. This was an important feature to soldiers in urban situations, because they kept their rifle stocks folded to save space in cramped quarters but they wanted to be ready for action when they emerged. Others grumbled that the pistol grip was not as comfortable as it should be.
All of these shortcomings were more than made up for by the two-shot burst feature. What could not be overlooked, though, was the price: about five times more expensive to produce than the AK. Although the Russian army adopted the AN-94 as its official infantry rifle in 1997, budget constraints prevented it from being fully deployed. Unless economic conditions improve it will remain in limited production and distribution. So far, only Russia’s SPETSNAZ special forces and elite units police have been issued the AN-94, mainly to fight terrorists.
Even though his weapon was far superior to the AK, Nikonov’s firearm will never unseat the Kalashnikov as the world’s most deadly and popular rifle, especially among those fighting against establishment armies. It could be decades or more before the AKs now in circulation become decommissioned; and new ones are still being produced, especially by China, Bulgaria, and Romania. These weapons of mass destruction will be with us for a long time.
AND THEY HAVE BECOME EASIER and cheaper to obtain than ever. Almost anyone can buy one with little effort. During the late summer of 2005, the movie
Lord of War
was released, starring Nicolas Cage as Yuri Orlov, a Ukrainian immigrant to New York who starts his gun brokering business by dealing a few AKs and ends up a millionaire. Director Andrew Niccol was astonished when he shopped for three thousand replica AKs. Niccol, who also directed
Gattaca
and
The Truman Show
, found that he could buy real AKs cheaper than the fakes. All it took was a phone call. When filming ended, Niccol sold the firearms. Without trying, he had become an arms dealer of the world’s most trusted weapon.
Lord of War
was released, starring Nicolas Cage as Yuri Orlov, a Ukrainian immigrant to New York who starts his gun brokering business by dealing a few AKs and ends up a millionaire. Director Andrew Niccol was astonished when he shopped for three thousand replica AKs. Niccol, who also directed
Gattaca
and
The Truman Show
, found that he could buy real AKs cheaper than the fakes. All it took was a phone call. When filming ended, Niccol sold the firearms. Without trying, he had become an arms dealer of the world’s most trusted weapon.
The AK’s longevity may be why Nikonov’s death in May 2003, at age fifty-three, barely made news, even in Russia. Despite his designing arguably the world’s most advanced assault rifle, the official state obituary simply noted, “It is a tremendous loss to the Izhevsk arms-making school.”
As for Kalashnikov himself, despite his age and growing feebleness, he continues to be the touted celebrity at military and even nonmilitary gun shows. His mission is to drum up interest in Izhmash’s weapons, including the AK-100 series, his son Viktor’s Bizon submachine gun, and even the AN-94, which is often referred to by the name Abakan—but never as the Nikonov.
In 2002, while he was opening a weapons museum in Suhl, eastern Germany, Kalashnikov’s demeanor changed. In marked contrast to his usually defiant defense that politicians and not arms designers caused wars, he displayed uncharacteristic sorrow and responsibility by announcing, “I’m proud of my invention, but I’m sad that it is used by terrorists. I would prefer to have invented a machine that people could use and that would help farmers with their work—for example, a lawnmower.”
Unfortunately, Kalashnikov’s lawnmower, an odd-looking, three-wheeled contraption that looks like a weed whacker with a locomotive cow catcher in front, was never manufactured. He built it before lawnmowers were plentiful in the Soviet Union, but he still uses it to cut the grass at his dacha. A model sits on display at the Kalashnikov museum next to his other inventions including a gadget that holds shish kabobs for grilling.
With its different-sized wheels and blue gaffer’s tape holding its components together, Kalashnikov admits that the clunky lawnmower looks ancient, but he says it functions perfectly.
It gets the job done.
NOTES
v
In some places, an AK-47 assault rifle
Kofi A. Annan, “Small Arms, Big Problems,”
International Herald Tribune
, July 10, 2001.
In some places, an AK-47 assault rifle
Kofi A. Annan, “Small Arms, Big Problems,”
International Herald Tribune
, July 10, 2001.
v
That rifle hanging on the wall
George Orwell, “Don’t Let Colonel Blimp Ruin the Home Guard,”
Evening Standard
, January, 8, 1941.
That rifle hanging on the wall
George Orwell, “Don’t Let Colonel Blimp Ruin the Home Guard,”
Evening Standard
, January, 8, 1941.
v
I’m proud of my invention
Kate Connolly, “Kalashnikov: ‘I Wish I’d Made a Lawnmower,’ ”
Guardian
(UK), July 30, 2002.
I’m proud of my invention
Kate Connolly, “Kalashnikov: ‘I Wish I’d Made a Lawnmower,’ ”
Guardian
(UK), July 30, 2002.
2
As the Apaches hovered in position
Mary Beth Sheridan, “Ground Fire Repels Copter Assault; Two Crewmen Seized by Iraqis as Apache Goes Down,”
Washington Post
, March 25, 2003.
As the Apaches hovered in position
Mary Beth Sheridan, “Ground Fire Repels Copter Assault; Two Crewmen Seized by Iraqis as Apache Goes Down,”
Washington Post
, March 25, 2003.
3
Why the U.S. military
Ibid.
Why the U.S. military
Ibid.
3
This “way we go to war”
Interview with Major General William J. Livsey Jr. at Fort Benning, 1978.
This “way we go to war”
Interview with Major General William J. Livsey Jr. at Fort Benning, 1978.
4
Consider the U.S. Rangers in Mogadishu
Jonathan Fryer, “Jingoism Jibe over Black Hawk Down,”
BBCNews.com
, January 21, 2002.
Consider the U.S. Rangers in Mogadishu
Jonathan Fryer, “Jingoism Jibe over Black Hawk Down,”
BBCNews.com
, January 21, 2002.
12
Mikhail Timofeevich Kalashnikov was born
Much of the personal information about Kalashnikov’s early life comes from his autobiography,
From a Stranger’s Doorstep to the Kremlin Gates
(Moscow: Military Parade, 1997), translated from the Russian. Where possible, all incidents were confirmed with those involved and with other objective historical accounts.
Mikhail Timofeevich Kalashnikov was born
Much of the personal information about Kalashnikov’s early life comes from his autobiography,
From a Stranger’s Doorstep to the Kremlin Gates
(Moscow: Military Parade, 1997), translated from the Russian. Where possible, all incidents were confirmed with those involved and with other objective historical accounts.
13
Only a few weeks after shipping out
Ibid., 50, 92.
Only a few weeks after shipping out
Ibid., 50, 92.
20
The U.S. military was oblivious
William H. Hallahan,
Misfire: The History of How America’s Small Arms Have Failed Our Military
(New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1994), 402-404.
The U.S. military was oblivious
William H. Hallahan,
Misfire: The History of How America’s Small Arms Have Failed Our Military
(New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1994), 402-404.
23
In addition, rather than build components
See Kalashnikov,
From a Stranger’s Doorstep
, 231.
In addition, rather than build components
See Kalashnikov,
From a Stranger’s Doorstep
, 231.
32
One of the champions of the .30 caliber
Edward Clinton Ezell,
The Great Rifle Controversy: Search for the Ultimate Infantry Weapon from World War II Through Vietnam and Beyond
(Harrisburg, PA.: Stackpole Books, 1984), 49-51.
One of the champions of the .30 caliber
Edward Clinton Ezell,
The Great Rifle Controversy: Search for the Ultimate Infantry Weapon from World War II Through Vietnam and Beyond
(Harrisburg, PA.: Stackpole Books, 1984), 49-51.
34
But the Americans did not keep their promise
Hallahan,
Misfire
, 435-437.
But the Americans did not keep their promise
Hallahan,
Misfire
, 435-437.
41
Stoner would not have known
Much of the material about Stoner’s efforts to push forward the AR-15 project and resistance from the army came from the Ichord hearings (see page 44 note below) into M-16 malfunctions during the Vietnam War. Stoner also did a series of videotaped interviews for the Smithsonian Institution (as did Kalashnikov) in which he talked about his battles with the army. Also,
The Great Rifle Controversy
and
Misfire
, both referenced above, contain extensive documentation about this period. This particular quote can be found in the History Channel’s series
Tales of the Gun: The M-16
, in which Stoner explains on camera the genesis of the M-16 rifle.
Stoner would not have known
Much of the material about Stoner’s efforts to push forward the AR-15 project and resistance from the army came from the Ichord hearings (see page 44 note below) into M-16 malfunctions during the Vietnam War. Stoner also did a series of videotaped interviews for the Smithsonian Institution (as did Kalashnikov) in which he talked about his battles with the army. Also,
The Great Rifle Controversy
and
Misfire
, both referenced above, contain extensive documentation about this period. This particular quote can be found in the History Channel’s series
Tales of the Gun: The M-16
, in which Stoner explains on camera the genesis of the M-16 rifle.
43
Their luck turned
From an October 3, 1968, press conference where George Wallace announced that LeMay had agreed to serve as his vice presidential candidate.
Their luck turned
From an October 3, 1968, press conference where George Wallace announced that LeMay had agreed to serve as his vice presidential candidate.
44
Boutelle’s farm was a shooter’s paradise Report of the Special Subcommittee on the M-16 Rifle Program of the Committee on Armed Forces,
House of Representatives
,
19th Congress, First Session, October 1967. This was dubbed the Ichord hearings after Missouri representative Richard Ichord, who championed Congress’s inquiry into failures of the M-16 during the Vietnam War.
Boutelle’s farm was a shooter’s paradise Report of the Special Subcommittee on the M-16 Rifle Program of the Committee on Armed Forces,
House of Representatives
,
19th Congress, First Session, October 1967. This was dubbed the Ichord hearings after Missouri representative Richard Ichord, who championed Congress’s inquiry into failures of the M-16 during the Vietnam War.
47
Whatever his reason, McNamara was clearly angry
Report by Preparedness Investigating Subcommittee of the Committee on Armed Services, U.S. Senate, on M-14 Rifle Program, 1961.
Whatever his reason, McNamara was clearly angry
Report by Preparedness Investigating Subcommittee of the Committee on Armed Services, U.S. Senate, on M-14 Rifle Program, 1961.
55
The war that Soviet president Mikhail Gorbachev
Lester Grau, “The Soviet-Afghan Wars: A Superpower Mired in the Mountains,”
Journal of Slavic Military Studies
, March 2004.
The war that Soviet president Mikhail Gorbachev
Lester Grau, “The Soviet-Afghan Wars: A Superpower Mired in the Mountains,”
Journal of Slavic Military Studies
, March 2004.
57
Strategically, the invasion was brilliant
Ibid.
Strategically, the invasion was brilliant
Ibid.
58
The Soviets with their tanks
The CIA’s operations in Afghanistan during the Soviet invasion have been well documented. Sources include congressional testimony on CIA operations as well as Charles G. Crogan, “Partners in Time,”
World Policy Journal
, Summer 1993; and Steven Coll,
Ghost Wars: The Secret History of the CIA, Afghanistan and Bin Laden from the Soviet Invasion to September 10
,
2001
(New York: Penguin, 2004), 58.
The Soviets with their tanks
The CIA’s operations in Afghanistan during the Soviet invasion have been well documented. Sources include congressional testimony on CIA operations as well as Charles G. Crogan, “Partners in Time,”
World Policy Journal
, Summer 1993; and Steven Coll,
Ghost Wars: The Secret History of the CIA, Afghanistan and Bin Laden from the Soviet Invasion to September 10
,
2001
(New York: Penguin, 2004), 58.
58
Soviet weapons designers
Val Shilin and Charlie Cutshaw,
Legends and Realities of the AK
(Boulder, CO: Paladin Press, 2000), 38.
Soviet weapons designers
Val Shilin and Charlie Cutshaw,
Legends and Realities of the AK
(Boulder, CO: Paladin Press, 2000), 38.
59
Kalashnikov, well aware of the move
Kalashnikov,
From a Stranger’s Doorstep
, 292.
Kalashnikov, well aware of the move
Kalashnikov,
From a Stranger’s Doorstep
, 292.
59
Making a smaller-caliber weapon
Much of the technical data for this section is drawn from Shilin and Cutshaw,
Legends and Realities of the AK
.
Making a smaller-caliber weapon
Much of the technical data for this section is drawn from Shilin and Cutshaw,
Legends and Realities of the AK
.
60
Again, Western intelligence underestimated
Edward Clinton Ezell,
Kalashnikov: The Arms and the Man: A Revised and Expanded Edition of the AK47 Story
(Cobourg, ON: Collector Grade Publications, 2001), 121.
Again, Western intelligence underestimated
Edward Clinton Ezell,
Kalashnikov: The Arms and the Man: A Revised and Expanded Edition of the AK47 Story
(Cobourg, ON: Collector Grade Publications, 2001), 121.
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