The AK-47 (Avtomat Kalashnikova 1947) is a Soviet assault rifle developed by Mikhail Kalashnikov and officially accepted by the Soviet Armed Forces in 1949. Chambered in 7.62×39mm and using a gas-operated rotating bolt, the design set the pattern for eastern-origin assault rifles distributed across Warsaw Pact member states and was later licensed to Bulgaria, where Arsenal AD in Kazanlak began producing the AKK variant in the mid-1960s.
The specification table covers two configurations. The AK-47 uses a fixed wooden stock and a milled steel receiver, weighing 4,300g with an empty magazine. The AKS-47 (S – Skladnoy, “folding”) substitutes an underfolding metal shoulder stock developed for Soviet airborne and paratrooper formations that require reduced transport dimensions; folded overall length is approximately 700mm, with a corresponding weight reduction relative to the fixed-stock version.
Both configurations chamber 7.62×39mm cartridges, the eastern-origin intermediate standard common to the AKM, AKMS, and RPK across former Warsaw Pact inventories. From 1959, Soviet first-line service transitioned progressively to the AKM, but AK-47 and AKS-47 platforms remain in active inventories across former Warsaw Pact and partner states, supporting ongoing procurement and supply requirements.
Available for institutional procurement by ministries of defence, authorized defence contractors, and licensed importers. Inquiries must include product designation, required quantity, country of final destination, intended end-use declaration, and applicable end-user certificate (EUC) or import authorization.