Design Bureau of M.T. Kalashnikov. From left to right: K.B. Yudintseva, E.M. Saifutdinova, V.V. Kamzolov, V.I. Pushin, M.T. Kalashnikov, I.I. Malyutin, A.D. Kryakushin.
If a plant is compared with a living organism, then a design bureau is its brain. Here sketches and designs, as well as terms of reference are developed for manufacturing purposes. The design bureau of the Izhevsk Machine-Building Plant from 1957 to 1967 was headed by Mikhail Timofeevich Kalashnikov. Then he was promoted to the position of the Deputy General Designer of the production association Izhevsk Machine-Building Plant, while Alexei Dmitrievich Kryakushin came to work instead of him. He occupied this position until 1986.
Alexei Kryakushin became a leading designer for the development of a new 5.45 mm small arms system. Production of barrels with a four rifling groove bore began under his control. This enhanced the barrel life appreciably. Also, the problem of the assault rifle destruction after negotiation of water obstacles was solved. In operation of the muzzle brake-compensator the sound was reduced to an acceptable level. Directions of strikes of the moving parts in the forward position were optimized thus enhancing the weapon stability. A special shape of the foregrip and handguard was elaborated, a new form of the folding stock was introduced. A particular achievement of the designers was a very close pattern of fire in bursts.
Another design engineer who worked with M.T. Kalashnikov is Vladimir Valentinovich Kamzolov. From 1975, he worked as the head of the design bureau of the Chief Designer’s Department. Vladimir Kamzolov was working on the modernization of the unified machine gun. Owing to the optimized fabrication of details and use of sheet metal stamping, labour intensity in the production of weapons was reduced. In 1969, a modernized machine gun was adopted for service in the USSR Armed Forces after competition testing.
Vladimir Kamzolov was a member of the methodological council of the mechanical assembly production unit. He put forward and introduced a number of innovative proposals to replace fasteners of the barrel fittings by “pressing in” instead of the pinned connection.
Kamzolov directed the modification of the machine gun for rifle units based on the tank machine gun, developed disk-type magazines with capacity up to 100 rounds to increase the rate of fire. Owing to the developments by Vladimir Kamzolov, the weapons could compete successfully with combination feed machine guns operating by the feed pattern “magazine-belt” and “belt-magazine”.
If a plant is compared with a living organism, then a design bureau is its brain. Here sketches and designs, as well as terms of reference are developed for manufacturing purposes. The design bureau of the Izhevsk Machine-Building Plant from 1957 to 1967 was headed by Mikhail Timofeevich Kalashnikov. Then he was promoted to the position of the Deputy General Designer of the production association Izhevsk Machine-Building Plant, while Alexei Dmitrievich Kryakushin came to work instead of him. He occupied this position until 1986.
Alexei Kryakushin became a leading designer for the development of a new 5.45 mm small arms system. Production of barrels with a four rifling groove bore began under his control. This enhanced the barrel life appreciably. Also, the problem of the assault rifle destruction after negotiation of water obstacles was solved. In operation of the muzzle brake-compensator the sound was reduced to an acceptable level. Directions of strikes of the moving parts in the forward position were optimized thus enhancing the weapon stability. A special shape of the foregrip and handguard was elaborated, a new form of the folding stock was introduced. A particular achievement of the designers was a very close pattern of fire in bursts.
Another design engineer who worked with M.T. Kalashnikov is Vladimir Valentinovich Kamzolov. From 1975, he worked as the head of the design bureau of the Chief Designer’s Department. Vladimir Kamzolov was working on the modernization of the unified machine gun. Owing to the optimized fabrication of details and use of sheet metal stamping, labour intensity in the production of weapons was reduced. In 1969, a modernized machine gun was adopted for service in the USSR Armed Forces after competition testing.
Vladimir Kamzolov was a member of the methodological council of the mechanical assembly production unit. He put forward and introduced a number of innovative proposals to replace fasteners of the barrel fittings by “pressing in” instead of the pinned connection.
Kamzolov directed the modification of the machine gun for rifle units based on the tank machine gun, developed disk-type magazines with capacity up to 100 rounds to increase the rate of fire. Owing to the developments by Vladimir Kamzolov, the weapons could compete successfully with combination feed machine guns operating by the feed pattern “magazine-belt” and “belt-magazine”.
