Latest news and statistics about counterfeit weapons and fake firearms.
According to a statement by U.S. Senator Charles Schumer, counterfeit aircraft parts are causing a 5 to 15 percent decrease in the reliability of the United States military weapons systems.
Source: “SCHUMER: COUNTERFEITING OF MILITARY TECHNOLOGY IS PUTTING TROOPS LIVES AT RISK AND COULD THREATEN SYRACUSE COMPANIES LIKE LOCKHEED, SRC, SENSIS, & C SPEED – SCHUMER PUSHES LEGISLATION TO CRACKDOWN ON MAKERS OF FAKE MILITARY PARTS,” U.S. Sentate, July 25, 2011.
According to a statement by U.S. Senator Charles Schumer, the number of counterfeit electronics used by the military increased by 250 percent between 2005 and 2008.
In 2010, the United States Navy alone purchased 59,000 counterfeit microchips for missiles, transponders and other military equipment that originated from China.
Source: “SCHUMER: COUNTERFEITING OF MILITARY TECHNOLOGY IS PUTTING TROOPS LIVES AT RISK AND COULD THREATEN SYRACUSE COMPANIES LIKE LOCKHEED, SRC, SENSIS, & C SPEED – SCHUMER PUSHES LEGISLATION TO CRACKDOWN ON MAKERS OF FAKE MILITARY PARTS,” U.S. Sentate, July 25, 2011.
The U.S. Customs and Border Protection seized $4 Million worth of counterfeit electronic components in Fiscal Year 2009.
The counterfeited products were considered critical components used for defense systems and aircraft system, according to a press release by the Aerospace Industries Association.
Source: AIA, “AIA Issues Report on Counterfeit Parts and Threat to the Supply Chain,” PR Newswire, Press Release, March 16, 2011.
A company in Russia states that it losses up to $400 Million a year due to sales of counterfeit AK-47s. The company reported that Venezuela is the only country that has an official license that allows for production of Kalashnikovs.
Source: Vladimir Isachenkov, “Russia cracks down on fake Kalashnikovs,” Independent, October 24, 2009.
In the 60 years that the AK-47 has been in production, almost 100 million Kalashnikovs have been made. Only about half of the total world production has been officially licensed and made in Russia.
Source: Vladimir Isachenkov, “Russia cracks down on fake Kalashnikovs,” Independent, October 24, 2009.
The only official company in Russia that is licensed to make the Kalashnikov Assault Rifle, or AK-47, loses an estimated $450 Million a year to counterfeit copies.
Source: Associated Press, “Russia to defend Kalashnikov copyright,” BusinessWeek, October 22, 2009.
Counterfeit copies of the AK-47 are maded in 8 different counties with dozens of businesses within them.
The AK-47 is a Russian creation and product and only one company is officially licensed to make the AK-47.
Source: Benjamin Bidder, “Kalashnikov Manufacturer Faces Bankruptcy,” Speigel Online, September 29, 2009.
The Counterfeit Small Arms market consists of the selling of unauthorized guns and other small arms that are being sold under legitimate brand names.
$2 billion worth of unlicensed small arms are sold on the international market each year, with 80 to 90 percent of those arms being counterfeit.
Source: RIA Novosti, “Russia set to crack down on unlicensed arms production abroad,” Russian News and Information Agency, December 5, 2006, (accessed: December 6, 2006).
According to Larry Kahaner, author of AK-47:The Weapon That Changed The Face Of War, counterfeit production of AK-47s stems from the fact that the inventor of the AK-47 Mikhail Kalashnikov “never patented the rifle’s design – the thought had never occurred to him or anyone else under the Soviet regime.”
Source: Larry Kahaner, AK-47: The Weapon That Changed The Face Of War, (New Jersey: John Wiley and Sons, 2007), pg. 210.
Around 100 million Ak-47s are circulating around the world, with 47 national armies utilizing the weapon. Russia has stated that it only accounts for 10 to 12 percent of the sales of the weapon, with the rest being unlicensed and counterfeit copies.
Source: RIA Novosti, “Russia set to crack down on unlicensed arms production abroad,” Russian News and Information Agency, December 5, 2006,(accessed: December 6, 2006).
