Kalashnikov Corporation To Be Establised In July This Year

The Kalashnikov Corporation will be established in July 2013, a merger between weapons makers Izhmash and Izhmekh, a spokeswoman for the Izhmash plant said Friday.

Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin said on Thursday that the corporation should be registered in time for Russia’s Day of Arms Makers, September 19.

"In July 2013, Izhmash, currently a part of the Rostech state corporation, will be renamed the Kalashnikov Corporation and become the only executive body of Izhmekh. The presentation and official ceremony to open Kalashnikov will be held on September 19 in Izhevsk and on September 21, 2013, in Moscow,” Izhmash spokeswoman Irina Filatova said.

Izhmash has been manufacturing Kalashnikovs since the world-famous assault rifle first went into mass production in 1949, while Izhmekh is best known for producing Makarov and Yarygin pistols.

With this merger, the Russian government is hoping to revive financial conditions of Izhmash and Izhmekh under the new brand.