Lt. Gen. Mikhail T. Kalashnikov and the AK-47: Half an ObituaryDecember 23, 2013 | FlaglerLive | 39 CommentsLt. Gen. Mikhail T. Kalashnikov, the designer of the AK-47, the world’s most popular machine gun among soldiers, mercenaries and militiamen, died on Dec. 23. A brief history of the AK-47.