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Pravda reports that the Court of Arbitration of the Udmurtia Republic has declared JSC Izhmash—manufacturers of the legendary Kalishnikov rifle—bankrupt. Old news? Apparently so. “In 2011, JSC Izhmash and Russian Technologies state-run corporation developed the concept for restructurization [ness]. A new company called Scientific and Industrial Association Izhmash (NPO Izhmash), a branch company of Russian Technologies, appeared as a result of the work. All contractual obligations and personnel were re-registered with the new company. The basic activities will be delivered to NPO Izhmash before the end of the first quarter of 2012.” Yes, well, just because some papers have been shuffled doesn’t mean that Izhmash is alive and well and living in Udmurtiastan. As Chevy Chase might have said, Izhmash is still dead. And looking deaderer by the day . . .
Russian news agencies said in January that the defense ministry was not planning any orders with Izhmash within the scope of the state defense order for 2012. It was also said that the new AK-12 assault rifle was nothing more but a bluff.
However, Izhmash officials said that the AK-12 was designed for export purposes to meet all modern requirements to small arms. An order from the state would give the company an opportunity to launch the serial production of the AK-12 for the Russian Armed Forces.
Translation: in Russia, AK12 owns you. Here’s the bottom line via hurriyetdailynews.com:
Izhmash, which has 5.3 billion ruble loan debts, registered 2.4 billion rubles of loss in 2011. Its production volume decreased by 45.5 percent last year.
More optimistically (back to Pravda, of course):
The state tests of the new rifle may begin at the end of 2012 or in the beginning of 2013. Russia’s Interior Ministry has already evinced great interest in the new product.
“Developing a new family of automatic arms is a priority for Izhmash to retrieve the world share of the market,” Maksim Kuzyuk, the General Director of the Scientific and Industrial Association said.
I guess the Evil Empire business just ain’t what it used to be. Now, someone get the Freedom Group on the line . . .
Ah, Robert…..
The video clip in this article is in russian.
You might want to get an english voice-over if you are going to run the story in america!
Что, не владеющих русским языком?
Is that a trick question?
“What, Do you not speak Russian”.
LOL
Yep. I can also say.
Вы говорите по-английски? Где находится туалет? Помогите! Пожалуйста. Кофе.
Do you speak English? Where is the bathroom? Help! Please. Coffee.
And that’s about the end of my Russian.
It does no good to be able to say, in grammatically correct Russian, “Where is the bathroom,” if you can’t understand the reply.
Wolverines!
LoL +1
Что, не владеющих русским языком?
Вам просто нужно почистить вверх на вашей английской языке моего меньшего друга щеткой ruskie.
Where’s FPS Russia to translate?
Ha, I see what you did there!
Where is the bail out money for the AK factory?
I’d rather my tax dollars went to bail out Izmash who built quality stuff than the UAW who built overpriced crap.
+100
Well, not everything so bad. Really – Izhmash is a manufacturer of a bunch of old tech, not only firearms. And it’s a group of companies. Around 150 of them. Was. And no one knows – what the hell they all doing.
Well, thats not the end of AK, but massive reconstruction.
Is there a “Kalashnikov Armory” in our future?
I’m imagining a fire sale of all their inventory. Many glorious Kalashnikovs for far below market price…. *drool*
Many Kalashnikovs that will never make it to these shores either as rifles or intact parts kits 🙁
Why don’t you export these to the US. They will sell out in a month.
I want the 7.62×51.
Stamp it in stainless steel with a threaded stainless barrel and you can have my deposit.
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