Uzi submachine gun
The Uzi is a compact, boxy, light-weight submachine gun. It is manufactured by Israel Military Industries (IMI) and was designed by Uziel Gal (1923-2002). Gal did not want the weapon to be named after him but his request was ignored. It fires a 9mm Parabellum round using blowback from open bolt to drive a cyclic rate of 600 r.p.m. at a muzzle veleocity of 400 m/s. The weapon is 650 mm long with stock extended and 470 mm without, it weighs 3.5 kg with each 25 round magazine a further 500 g. This gun is primarily used as a personal defense weapon by rear-echelon troops, officers, artillery men and tankers. Israeli defense doctrine is to load a magazine so that a tracer alternates with a regular bullet. In operation, the troop aims by walking the tracers into the target.
The weapon was designed shortly after Israel held its independence in the war of 1948. Based on the Czech M25 design the weapon was submitted to the Israeli army for evaluation. The weapon won out over more conventional designs due to its simplicity and economy - it is made of stamped metal plates and was light and small, and with relatively few parts it is easy to strip, maintain and re-assemble. It features a magazine held within the pistol grip, allowing for intuitive reloading in difficult conditions ("fist finds fist"). The weapon also features a grip safety, making it difficult to misfire. When decocked, the ejector port closes, preventing entry of dust and dirt. Also, the bolt wraps around the barrel, allowing a heavier, slower-firing bolt in a shorter, better-balanced weapon.
The initial model was accepted in 1951 and saw war action in 1956. It was soon developed into a number of better engineered variants. Versions include the mini (1980), micro and pistol sizes as well as both blowback and electrically operated firing systems.
Total sales of the weapon to date (end 2001) have netted IMI over $2 billion (US), with over ninety countries using the weapons either for their soldiers or in law enforcement.
In December 2003, the Israeli military announced that it was completely phasing the Uzi out of use by it forces but would continue to manufacture the weapon for both domestic use and export.
