# Examples of Soviet engineering or technology that was superior to the US/West during the Cold War **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [April 8, 2015, 11:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/examples-of-soviet-engineering-or-technology-that-was-superior-to-the-us-west-during-the-cold-war/717167 "2015-04-08T23:37:45Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 6
**Author:** ![smiling\_bandit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9a140/32.png) [@smiling\_bandit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/smiling_bandit)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2015, 11:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/examples-of-soviet-engineering-or-technology-that-was-superior-to-the-us-west-during-the-cold-war/717167/101 "2015-04-20T23:00:27Z")
> [@Scumpup](#): > > The Germans were the first to field what we might consider a “true assault rifle” in numbers and prove the concept but they didn’t come up with the idea and nobody could really be said to have copied them. Well, here’s where it gets somewhat messy. There’s a very good chance the Kalashnikov was invented by one or more _German_ engineers (including people who developed assault rifles prior to WW2), and Russian involvement was no more than oversight. Kalashnikov, and his “legend” was always a stage-managed product created by the Soviets for mass consumption much as the rifle was intended for mass use. Kalashnikov himself has told many inconsistent stories, even in addition to the official version. It seems far more likely that some of the German experts with a track record of designed the rifle, and at most the Russians (of which Kalashnikov was involved in only one team working at the same facility) ruggedized the design. Kalashnikov himself seems to have been very good at self-promotion, and may have been able to hide some inconvenient family history with the help of officers who wanted him to ve their poster child for Soviet achievement. ---
**Author:** ![Scumpup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ce73a5/32.png) [@Scumpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scumpup)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2015, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/examples-of-soviet-engineering-or-technology-that-was-superior-to-the-us-west-during-the-cold-war/717167/102 "2015-04-22T21:14:09Z")
Yes, all of that is well known among students of military weapons. None of it makes the AK a copy of the Stg 44 which was the original assertion that I was disputing. Assault rifles in general have simply tended to have some similarity of appearance due to form following function. ---
**Author:** ![smiling\_bandit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9a140/32.png) [@smiling\_bandit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/smiling_bandit)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2015, 1:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/examples-of-soviet-engineering-or-technology-that-was-superior-to-the-us-west-during-the-cold-war/717167/103 "2015-04-23T01:14:42Z")
> [@Scumpup](#): > > Yes, all of that is well known among students of military weapons. None of it makes the AK a copy of the Stg 44 which was the original assertion that I was disputing. Assault rifles in general have simply tended to have some similarity of appearance due to form following function. Well, I’m not arguing with you. ---
**Author:** ![the\_diego](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7bcc69/32.png) [@the\_diego](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/the_diego)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2015, 10:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/examples-of-soviet-engineering-or-technology-that-was-superior-to-the-us-west-during-the-cold-war/717167/104 "2015-04-25T10:29:44Z")
The US hasn’t produced a new MBT gun since the 105mm for the M-60. ---
**Author:** ![rbroome](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/838e76/32.png) [@rbroome](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rbroome)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2015, 1:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/examples-of-soviet-engineering-or-technology-that-was-superior-to-the-us-west-during-the-cold-war/717167/105 "2015-04-27T01:46:40Z")
> [@Leo\_Bloom](#): > > [Did I mention I’m posting this from Paris?] > Interesting. At a Polish diner by me in NYC, I said good morning in Polish (of my three memorized sentences) to a waitress, who said, basically, “I’m no fucking Pole, I’m a Russian.” Anyway, she then said she shouldn’t even be doing this shit (waitressing) because she was “a mechanical engineer.” The word “AutoCAD” was unfamiliar to her however, which made me wonder. Another data point. I have a friend who was in the oil exploration business in the 1990-2000’s. He spent several years in the early 90’s in Russia working in the field drilling exploratory wells. He commented that the russian roustabouts on the rigs were very good. He also said that almost all his field workers had college degrees. That was expected for any job that required dealing with heavy or technical equipment. ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2015, 2:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/examples-of-soviet-engineering-or-technology-that-was-superior-to-the-us-west-during-the-cold-war/717167/106 "2015-04-27T02:01:15Z")
> [@the\_diego](#): > > The US hasn’t produced a new MBT gun since the 105mm for the M-60. Probably more like the 120mm rifled gun on the M103 Heavy Tank of 1957, as the M48 Pattons were armed with 90mm guns that were variants of a WWII gun, and the M60s were armed with the 105mm gun M68, which is a licence-built Royal Ordnance L7 105mm gun. And the 120mm guns on the M1A1/M1A2 Abrams are license-built Rheinmetall guns. ---
**Author:** ![SHARKBITEATTACK](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/91b2a8/32.png) [@SHARKBITEATTACK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SHARKBITEATTACK)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2015, 4:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/examples-of-soviet-engineering-or-technology-that-was-superior-to-the-us-west-during-the-cold-war/717167/107 "2015-05-12T04:16:31Z")
Thx [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/examples-of-soviet-engineering-or-technology-that-was-superior-to-the-us-west-during-the-cold-war/717167.md?page=5)