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"No rifle in the world has been as reliable as this one," Josh Laura, a former Marine from Maryville, Tennessee, recently told the New York Times when explaining why he purchased an AK-47.
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The Kalashnikov is more the Volkswagen of the arms market than the Porsche: simple, rugged and indestructible. It's not particularly refined, nor is it lovely to look at. Still, the rifle is not a technical marvel. To this day, Kalashnikovs are standard equipment for any rebel army in Africa. The weapon helped guerrilla fighters in the jungles of Vietnam defeat their American opponents, Mozambique's leaders incorporated it into their country's flag, and al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden carried one in his video appearances. About 100 million AK-47s have been manufactured around the world. But over 60 years after its debut, the Kalashnikov appears to be marching triumphantly on. Russia has never graced the world with either a car or a super jet of its own.
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He also mentioned how Afghanistan is still asking Moscow for Kalashnikovs "even though they have 140,000 well-armed NATO soldiers within their borders." Private collectors have also come to embrace this assault rifle, he continued, noting that US sales of the weapon jumped by 50 percent last year. Elite US military units use it, he added, even though the US Congress generally prefers to purchase only American-made weapons. This automatic weapon, known in Russian simply as an "avtomat," even receives the highest praise from Americans, Rogozin reported. SPIEGEL Media Menü SPIEGEL Media aufklappen.Alle Magazine Menü Alle Magazine aufklappen.SPIEGEL-Heft Menü SPIEGEL-Heft aufklappen.Gutscheine Anzeige Menü Gutscheine aufklappen.Marktplatz Anzeige Menü Marktplatz aufklappen.Partner-Inhalte Anzeige Menü Partner-Inhalte aufklappen.Wissenschaft Menü Wissenschaft aufklappen.