Venezuela to Mass Produce Kalashnikov Rifles

Venezuela is to become the first foreign country licensed to manufacture Russian AKs.

Chavez is finally moving to diversify Venezuela’s oil dependant economy and he has chosen no other than the lucrative business of arms production to do so. Or at least that is what he said during a recent press conference. This is the deal: Venezuela will partner with Russian weapons giant Rosoboronexport to manufacture its global best-seller product, the Kalishnikov rifle.

"The Russians are going to install a Kalashnikov rifle plant and a munitions factory,"…"So we can defend every street, every hill, every corner," a defiant Chavez was quoted by BBC.

AP checked with Rosoboronexport and the company “confirmed talks were ongoing, but declined to give any further details on when the plant could be constructed or what would be its production capacity”.

This arrangement is part of a deal with Rosoboronexport to acquire 100,000 AK-103 assault riffles. So far the AK production has not been licensed to a foreign country. The Kalishnikov rifle is arguably the most successful assault weapon ever to have entered the arms market; and then people dare to brand Chavez as anti-business.