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Lieutenant General Mikhail Timofeyevich Kalashnikov (Russian: Михаи́л Тимофе́евич Кала́шников, Mihail Timofeevič Kalašnikov) (born November 10, 1919) is a famous Russian small arms designer, most famous for his AK-47, frequently called the Kalashnikov.

Kalashnikov began designing an assault rifle while in hospital after being wounded in the Battle of Bryansk. Soon afterwards, he entered a competition that had been launched for a new weapon that would take the new 7.62 x 39 mm cartridge and would not jam under the adverse conditions of the Soviet frontline. His winning entry, the "Mikhtim" became the prototype for the development of a family of guns.

This process culminated in 1947, when he designed the AK-47 (acronym for Avtomat Kalashnikova model 1947). In 1949, the AK-47 assault rifle became the Soviet Army's standard issue rifle; after that, the design became Kalashnikov's most famous invention.