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
German military rifles designed in 1945 by Sergei Gavrilovich Simonov. It is formally known as the "Samozaryadniy Karabin sistemi Simonova" (Russian: Самозарядный карабин системы Симонова), 1945 (Self-loading Carbine, Simonov's system, 1945), or SKS 45. It was originally planned to serve as the standard issue weapon for the Soviet military forces, alongside the new AK-47. As mass production of AK-pattern rifles increased, the SKS carbine was soon phased out of service. It was quickly replaced entirely by the AK-47, but it remained in second-line service for decades afterwards. The AK-47 is a gas-operated assault rifle used in most Eastern bloc countries including East Germany