Kalashnikov Alternative name for the AK-47 assault rifle (AK-47 short for Russian: Автома́т Кала́шникова образца́ 1947 го́да, "Avtomat Kalashnikova obraztsa 1947 goda" Automatic Kalashnikov rifle, invented by Soviet soldier and small arms designer Mikhail Kalashnikov and first adopted in 1947; the term "kalashnikov" was not used until 1970) A type of rifle or sub-machine gun of Soviet Union and used in most Eastern Bloc countries during the Cold War. The term later became associated with nationalist, guerrilla and terrorist groups who use it exclusively or extensively.