- Title: RUSSIA: Kalashnikov maker takes aim at counterfeit producers
- Date: 14th August 2007
- Summary: AK-47 SIXTIETH ANNIVERSARY CEREMONY WITH MIKHAIL KALASHKNIKOV
- Embargoed: 29th August 2007 13:30
- Keywords:
- Topics: Crime / Law Enforcement,Defence / Military
- Reuters ID: LVA6P92U7Q48S0ZOYX0SHA7JGMR1
- Aspect Ratio: 4:3
- Story Text: The Russian producer of the Kalashnikov rifle says it is losing millions in potential global sales because of counterfeit production around the world.
The maker of Kalashnikov rifles said it is losing millions of dollars due to copies of its famous rifle being produced and sold without a licensing agreement around the world.
At a recent media facility to the Izmash plant to mark its 200th anniversary, officials said counterfeit Kalashnikov rifles were being produced in China, Bulgaria and Poland in direct violation of international trade agreements.
"The People's Republic of China accept the fact the we have copyright, but at the same time a company there keeps producing our rifles without licence. In Bulgaria, a firm called Arsenal is copying our rifles, and in Poland they are producing our rifles - these are well known facts in the media," said Vladimir Grodetsky, director general of the Izhmash plant in the city of Izhevsk in the Udmurtia region east of Moscow.
Grodetsky said a total of one million Kalashnikov rifles per year are sold globally, of which only 100,000 come from the Izmash plant.
"We consider that our share of the market is about 10 percent, which on average is about 100,000 Kalashnikov rifles. Now, if you count say a price of 300-400 U.S. dollars per rifle in a basic format, which is without spare magazines; then take the lowest price of 300 U.S. dollars and multiply it by 1,000,000 then you have a figure of 300,000,000 U.S. dollars," he added.
Izhmash, founded in 1807, makes 95 percent of all Russian rifles.
Its flagship product is the 100th series AK rifle, a more advanced version of the AK-47, the weapon of choice for many armies and guerilla groups.
About 90 percent of Izhmash production is exported. Venezuela, for example, recently bought 100,000 Kalashnikovs.
Most contracts are arranged through Russia's state arms exporter Rosoboronexport.
President Vladimir Putin has set plans for an industrial revival to curb the country's dependence on oil and gas exports. The effort stresses the role of the defence industry, one of the few Russian industries which is competitive on world markets.
Russian arms sales are expected to rise to a record $7.5 billion this year from $6.4 billion in 2006, according to government estimates.
Izhmash's factory workers, mostly middle-aged women dressed in blue overalls, assemble rifles by hand from parts made on Soviet-era machinery, labelled with a pentagram, a Soviet mark of quality.
Sixty years after the AK-47 went into production, designer Mikhail Kalashnikov, said his rifle has been a success due to its simplicity.
"Every weapon designer would be happy to have his rifles seen as the best weapon, all designers would be happy. I will tell you though, that when some people say it was easy to make, I can reply that to design a simple weapon is a thousand times more difficult that making a complicated thing.
Soldiers who don't graduate from military academies need a simple and reliable weapon," a frail looking Kalashnikov, now aged 87, told reporters at a media event organised by Izmash.
Since production began, more than 100 million AK-47s have been made - either at the home factory in Izhevsk, under license in dozens of other countries, or illegally.
The AK-47 has been a mainstay in wars, coups, terrorist attacks, robberies and other mayhem. Its popularity comes from being rugged and easy to maintain, though its accuracy is not high.
It proved ideal and extremely reliable for warfare in jungle or desert - easily assembled and able to keep firing in sandy or wet conditions that would jam a U.S.-made M-16.
The simplicity and reliability of the AK-47 made it a favourite of rebel movements worldwide - it even features on the Mozambique flag. Keen to support anti-colonial movements in Asia and Africa, the Soviets proliferated the rifle, sometimes for free, to pro-Soviet regimes or insurgents. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
- Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2020. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
- Usage Terms/Restrictions: Audio restrictions: This clip's Audio includes copyrighted material. User is responsible for obtaining additional clearances before publishing the audio contained in this clip.