Izhmash, the largest producer of military weapons was founded on the 10 of June 1807.
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Izhmash – Russia’s largest producer of military automatic and sniper weapons, guided artillery shells, as well as a wide range of civilian products: shotguns, sporting rifles, machine tools.
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The company was founded in 1807 in Izhevsk, a historical city of gunsmiths about 600 miles north-east of Moscow.
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This machine-building plant was the first to launch mass production of the AK-47 rifle that spawned a whole new generation of small arms. The Kalashnikov series of assault rifles is among the most outstanding inventions of the 20th century.
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When the Great Patriotic War broke out, the young tank driver Mikhail Kalashnikov was sent to the front, where he was badly wounded. Bedridden, he started thinking about creating a submachine gun, which Russian soldiers desperately needed.
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Without any previous engineering training, Kalashnikov set to work thinking, designing, testing and discussing weaponry with experts. He finally got a job in an arms design bureau and began learning from professionals.
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From the start, Kalashnikov clearly identified his own principles of design: his rifle should be simple and reliable. However, success proved to be elusive. It was only in 1947, after the failure of numerous prototypes, that Kalashnikov's design was accepted in a competition organised by the defence procurement agency.
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Despite competition from the top small-arms makers in the Soviet Union, Kalashnikov's prototype made it to the second round, and ultimately to the final test.
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In 1949, Kalashnikov saw his rifle adopted as the army standard, and he received the prestigious Stalin Award. He spent the next 60 years refining his award-winning design.
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Till the end of his life in 2013 Kalashnikov was confident that the upgraded AK rifles will reign supreme for at least 25 years, until the advent of new, high-power cartridges. In general, gun makers will continue to design weapons for better precision and penetration through modern body armour and light obstacles.
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Production of “Izhmash” is delivered in 27 countries, including the U.S., UK, Germany, Norway, Italy, Canada, Kazakhstan and Thailand. In August 2013, Izhmash and Izhevsk Mechanical Plant have been merged and formally renamed Kalashnikov Concern.
