Gennady Alexandrov.
Alexandrov Design Bureau (formerly Alexandrov Armory in its first phase and until its demise in 1918) is a Russian firearms manufacturer that was founded in 1905 by a Russian engineer and soldier named Mikhail Alexandrov. His first creation was the Alexandrov M1906, a bolt-action rifle that was meant to be more reliable than the Mosin-Nagant series of rifles. While the rifle wasn't necessarily successful, it did see some usage by various divisions of the Imperial Russian Army, therefore he decided to expand his inventory to help supply weapons for the IRA. Also, his weapons were used to somewhat good effect in World War I. However, the Russian Revolution put a stop to the company, as Mikhail was heavily against the Bolsheviks and remained loyal to the White Army. This led to him serving in the White Army during the Russian Civil War, and in 1919, he was killed in action. Before his death (and departure to fight for the White Army), he left all of his design patents to his son, Gennady. Unfortunately, because of the fact that he was a major supporter of the Bolsheviks (unlike his father), and had no intention of being a gunsmith himself, he got rid of all of his father's designs. It was only in the 1940's when World War II broke out that the now Komrid (Major General) Alexandrov wanted to create new and reliable weapons for the Red Army. Therefore, he resurrected the company's name, and made his first weapon, the PP-42, a 7.62x25mm submachine gun that was designed as a low-cost but effective SMG that used few parts as possible. Despite the fact that it wasn't accepted into the Red Army officially, he sent his design to other countries that needed an effective weapon to help fight off the Germans, and therefore, it was a success for Alexandrov, so he officially founded his company; Alexandrov Design Bureau. From then on, ADB has had a good amount of success with their products up until the early-1980's, when the economy of the Soviet Union and other Eastern Bloc nations started to effect the company. This eventually led to the company's fall in 1992, and after that, Mr. Alexandrov had to suffer life in 90's Russia. He died in 1998 of an undisclosed disease.
However, ADB was brought back again in 2003 by a man named Yuri Ivanov, the son of one of Gennady's comrades, and in 2005, announced their first weapon that they were going to manufacture, the AA105 series, an AK-style rifle made specifically for the civilian market. However, over the last few years, they have been manufacturing weapons specifically for the military, like the AA-08, the KSV-14, and the PP-18.
Today (and formerly), ADB has its headquarters in Saratov, Russia, and has its manufacturing just across the Volga River in Engels, Russia. ADB currently competes against On Point International, Podbyrin Specialized Arms, and Viktor Halitov Arms Co.
Products
A stronk evolution. From left to right: M1906 rifle, M1917 rifle, SVA-43 (1945 - 1950), SVA-43 (1948 - 1960), AA-55, AA-81, AA-08, AA-16
1905 - 1919 era:
Alexandrov M1906: 1908 - 1918
SPA M1912: 1914 - 1918
PA M1916: 1916 - 1918
Alexandrov M1917: 1917 - 1918
1944 - 1992 era:
PP-42: 1943 - 1947 / 1956 - 1978
PTRA-44: 1944 - 1946
SVA-43: 1945 - 1960
AA-55: 1958 - 1984
PA-57: 1959 - 1992
PON-60: 1963 - 1992
SV-68: 1971 - 1992
AA-81: 1984 - 1992
SV-85: 1987 - 1992
2003 - present era
AA105 Series: 2008 - present
SV-07: 2011 - present
AA-08: 2011 - present
Ishcheyka Shotgun: 2012 - present
GPA-12: 2014 - present
PON-109: 2014 - present
PA-14: 2016 - present
AA-16: 2019 - present
KSV-14: 2019 - present
PP-18: 2021 - present
SVP-17: 2021 - present
Fun facts:
- Gennady Alexandrov's brother, Sergey, was a rather influential politician in the CPSU. However, he was arrested in 1955 for political reasons. In exchange for a shorter prison sentence, he was sent to the Mayak Nuclear Facility near Mayak, Russia. He has not been seen since his arrest.
- In the 1960's to 1984, the initials of Alexandrov Design Bureau resulted in a bit of a standoff between Alexandrov and Oleg Antonov's Antonov Design Bureau. Ultimately, Antonov renamed its company after Oleg's death in 1984.