AK-47s
Iconic assault weapons
AK-47s are Kalashnikov assault rifles, the Soviet-designed automatic weapons that became the world's most widely produced firearm.
Durable, cheap, and easy to use, they appear in conflicts worldwide and have become symbolic of guerrilla warfare, revolution, and armed insurgency.
The rebels were armed with AK-47s.
Automatic infantry combat weapon
- KalashnikovRussian automatic rifle
- automaticOperating without intervention
- magazineBound periodical with articles
- muzzleAnimal's nose area
barrel · trigger · stock · selector · bolt · cartridge · ammunition · firing
Prolonged East-West standoff
- Soviet UnionFormer communist superstate
- proliferationRapid increase in quantity
- arms tradeCommerce in weaponry
- black marketIllicit trading system
smuggling · embargo · trafficking · warlords · conflict zones · child soldiers · arms dealers · illicit
Representational mark or sign
- iconPictorial screen symbol
- flagCloth symbol or signal
- MozambiqueSoutheast African coastal nation
- HezbollahLebanese Shiite militant organization
revolutionary · resistance · propaganda · rap lyrics · video games · Call of Duty · movies · Hollywood
Armed hostile engagement
- soldiersMilitary personnel who fight
- infantryGround combat troops
- warfareArmed conflict between groups
- battlefieldCombat engagement area
insurgents · guerrilla · militia · armed forces · conflict · troops · engagement · firefight
Of the USSR
- RussianEastern Slavic language
- 1947Year after WWII ended
- simplicityLack of complexity
- reliabilityConsistent, predictable performance
durability · rugged · gas-operated · wooden stock · maintenance · mud · sand · jamming
assault rifle
Automatic infantry combat weapon
- KalashnikovRussian automatic rifle
- automaticOperating without intervention
- magazineBound periodical with articles
muzzle · barrel · trigger · stock · selector · bolt · cartridge · ammunition · firing · recoil
Cold War
Prolonged East-West standoff
- Soviet UnionFormer communist superstate
- proliferationRapid increase in quantity
- arms tradeCommerce in weaponry
black market · smuggling · embargo · trafficking · warlords · conflict zones · child soldiers · arms dealers · illicit · sanctions
symbol
Representational mark or sign
- iconPictorial screen symbol
- flagCloth symbol or signal
- MozambiqueSoutheast African coastal nation
Hezbollah · revolutionary · resistance · propaganda · rap lyrics · video games · Call of Duty · movies · Hollywood · gangster
combat
Armed hostile engagement
- soldiersMilitary personnel who fight
- infantryGround combat troops
- warfareArmed conflict between groups
battlefield · insurgents · guerrilla · militia · armed forces · conflict · troops · engagement · firefight · squad
Soviet
Of the USSR
- RussianEastern Slavic language
- 1947Year after WWII ended
- simplicityLack of complexity
reliability · durability · rugged · gas-operated · wooden stock · maintenance · mud · sand · jamming · tolerances
AK-74
Soviet 5.45mm infantry weapon
Egyptian · Bulgarian · Polish · Yugoslav · clone · copy · licensed · unlicensed · knockoff · modernized
- firearmsrifle, pistol, handgun, shotgun, revolver
- African ConflictsRwandan genocide, Boer War, Darfur, Al-Shabaab
- Somali piracyhijacking, ransom, hostages, skiffs, pirate attacks