AK-47

The Soviet-designed Kalashnikov assault rifle, cheaply available throughout East Africa from decades of regional conflict and military surplus, and the standard weapon of modern Somali pirates operating in the Gulf of Aden and western Indian Ocean since the early 2000s. Variants including Chinese- and Yugoslav-made underfolding-stock models have been recovered from seized pirate skiffs. Its low cost, around $100 on the regional black market, made it ubiquitous among pirate crews.