AK-47 AK-47 The AK-47, AK, or as it is officially known (), also known as the Kalashnikov, is a gas-operated, 7.62×39mm assault rifle, developed in the Soviet Union by Mikhail Kalashnikov. It is the originating firearm of the Kalashnikov rifle (or "AK") family. Design work on the AK-47 began in 1945. In 1946, the AK-47 was presented for official military trials, and in 1948, the fixed-stock version was introduced into active service with selected units of the Soviet Army. An early development of the design was the "AKS" (S—"Skladnoy" or "folding"), which was equipped with an underfolding metal shoulder stock. In
AK-12 all of these features. In January 2012, the Russian Deputy Defense Minister announced that the Russian Army would not be buying the AK-12, as they had millions of surplus AK-74 assault rifles and over concerns of the financial state of Izhmash. Despite this, the Russian Ministry of Defence began trials of the rifle on 2 November 2012. It was tested for its effectiveness when exposed to freezing cold, desert heat, humidity, dust and impacts. By 23 November 2012, trials were about 80 percent complete. During these initial tests, the AK-12 was found to have a "range of defects". The specific