(CNN) -- The Russian army has ceased ordering the famed Kalashnikov rifle for its arsenal and is waiting on a newer model its manufacturer is developing.

The army already has more of the weapons than it requires, Chief of General Staff of the Armed Forces of Russia Nikolai Makarov told Russian media.

The inventor of the weapon, Mikhail Kalashnikov, 91, has reportedly been deliberately kept uninformed about the decision.

"We do not want to have it on our conscience and tell him such bad news. He might not live through it," Russia's Izvestia newspaper quoted an unnamed friend of Kalashnikov as saying.

COMMENT: in my opinion if they develope a better weapon that the Ak-47 at a reasonable price it will be dasngerous fot all because the AK-47 is a very nice weapon and is very powerful but the russians know what they are buying and if they stop buyin AK-47 for another weapon the other wapon will be more dangerous