Mikhail Kalashnikov Asks Putin To Save Izhmash
The famed original AK maker Izhmash is on the brink of collapse. Production of sporting rifles has stopped, export contacts cannot be fulfilled and skilled workers are leaving the company. Mikhail Kalashnikov and 16 colleagues have written an open letter to President Putin pleading for his intervention to prevent the company collapsing.
It is hard to sympathise with either Izhmash or Mikhail Kalashnikov. Mikhail Kalashnikov’s last open letter addressed to Putin was in 2008. In that letter he accused foreigners of spreading rumours about the collapse of Izhmash in order to undermine the power of Russia.
For most of the past decade there has been almost no innovation from Izhmash. Instead of innovating they used the Russian courts and diplomats to suppress competitors. In 1997 they obtained a patent for the 50 year old AK-47 design. Izhmash used this ridiculous patent to sue and take ownership of their Russian rival Molot.
Izhmash’s first new military rifle in years, the AK-12, was introduced earlier this year. It seems it is a little to late.
For the company to survive they need to accept they are no longer a major player in the military and law enforcement market. Their glory days ended a long time ago. State intervention is only going to prolong the pain.
[ Many thanks to Lance for emailing us the tip. ]
I founded TFB in 2007 and over 10 years worked tirelessly, with the help of my team, to build it up into the largest gun blog online. I retired as Editor in Chief in 2017. During my decade at TFB I was fortunate to work with the most amazing talented writers and genuinely good people!
More by Steve Johnson
![[NRAAM 2024] Magpul's NEW Lever Action & SIG P320 Furniture](https://cdn-fastly.thefirearmblog.com/media/2024/06/04/064429/nraam-2024-magpul-s-new-lever-action-sig-p320-furniture.jpg?size=350x220)
Comments
Join the conversation
Mr Kalashnikov is a little behind the times. I guess he discovered that his family did not tell him about Izhmash going into bankruptcy. Izhmash and Molot have created some very promising models this year that very well could overtake the very popular Saiga rifles in sales. I hope all works out for the better and Izhmash will recover and even become stronger.
Here is a link to some new products on display: http://vitalykuzmin.net/?q=...
Gents, I've read your discussion above and understood that there is a misunderstanding which needs to be clarified (I meant Western people, not my Russian and Ukrainian brothers might be sitting here).
Wherever such a factory like Izhmash (or anyone else in Russia) goes to bankruptcy this means that somebody needs it to make its own for few money. This is happening during all the last 20 years, when majority of state owned factories become private. The procedure is well known for anyone of you. And there is nothing new (oil companies like Yukos, Lukoil, Sibneft, Tatneft, or anyone else were bought by criminal structures, supported by Yeltsin's 'family', of course, appeared as well)
Just take a look: from one side Russian military said that they don't need new AK's, due to heavy amount of these guns in stocks, which is may be, true. These guns can be modified as you like by aftermarket teams, but the main thing is that Izhmash stability in a great trouble. Moreover, this is given in the post, so, there are no reasons to repeat.
From the other side when company produces something which has a great demand, always wanted to be owned by someone who has a desire to get it. The reasons are - huge profits. How many state owned gun-makers do you have in the USA? That's a reason.
Gun business is very cost effective, especially, when you making may be not the best guns in the world, but very cheap, strong enough (during testing AK must work after falling from 10metres (30 feet) height to the concrete floor, so, try to do so with any of M-4 gun and properly use it after), proven in the world. All Finnish, Bulgarian, Hungarian or Chinese copies are just copies.
In my opinion, the nearest scenario is: as per this factory is willing to be owned by someone, it can be bought by this 'someone' or taken for free "to save the workplaces" and such a shit well known by every ex-commie country member (including myself). Afterwards, surely Russian army will get an "immediate strong desire to replace "old AK's" with newer models (refurbished old ones).
May be, this is not the worst scenario, and many people including Mikhail Kalashnikov and all respectable people, who are still icons for us, children of the USSR, will have an opportunity to work in the new modern factory.
But now factory needs to be renewed, it needs huge investment, and the state doesn't want to spend money without revolutionary going ahead.
And, of course, semi-communist anti-gun laws must be changed, otherwise all interesting models will remain just for Spetsnaz or police, but not for majority.