The Russian who designed the most popular assault rifle ever made says the use of his gun in Iraq proves it is still superior to other weapons.

Mikhail Kalashnikov says, "Even after lying in a swamp you can pick up this rifle, aim it and shoot. That's the best job description there is for a gun. Real soldiers know that and understand it."

The 86-year-old gun maker says at a news conference in Moscow, Russia, "In Vietnam, American soldiers threw away their M-16 rifles and used (Kalashnikov) AK-47s from dead Vietnamese soldiers, with bullets they captured. That was because the climate is different to America, where M-16s may work properly."

He claims that U.S. soldiers are using the Kalashnikov rifle in Iraq, "Look what's happening now: every day on television we see that the Americans in Iraq have my machine guns and assault rifles in their armored vehicles. Even there American rifles don't work properly."