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The Uzi () is a family of Gun s that started with a compact, boxy, and lightweight Submachine Gun . Smaller and newer variants are considered Machine Pistol s. The first Uzi submachine gun was designed by Uziel Gal in the late 1940s. It was manufactured by Israel Military Industries , FN Herstal , and others. DESIGN Overview The Uzi uses an and the magazine to be housed in the pistol grip, yielding a heavier, slower-firing bolt in a shorter, better-balanced weapon. It is made mostly of stamped sheet metal and has relatively few parts, making it easy to strip for maintenance and making it less expensive per unit to manufacture than an equivalent design machined from forgings. The fact that the magazine is housed within the pistol grip allows for intuitive and easy reloading in dark or difficult conditions, as the operator simply brings his hands together. On the other hand, the high grip also makes the weapon awkward to fire when prone. The weapon also features a Grip Safety , making it difficult to fire accidentally. Despite the grip safety, the Uzi is notorious for slam-firing when dropped or exposed to sudden shocks. When the gun is decocked, the ejector port closes, preventing entry of dust and dirt. Though the Uzi's receiver is equipped with pressed reinforcing ridges to accept accumulated dirt and sand, the weapon may jam with heavy accumulations of sand in desert combat conditions when not cleaned regularly. The Uzi is generally a highly effective weapon, and has been found especially useful for mechanized troops needing a compact weapon, as well as for infantry units clearing bunkers and other confined spaces. Cartridge and magazine options The most common variant fires the 9 Mm Parabellum Cartridge , though some fire .22 LR , .41AE , or .45ACP . Caliber conversions exist in .40 S&W and 10mm Auto {Link without Title} . Available magazines include 20-, 25-, 32-, 40-, and 50-round magazines ( 9 Mm Parabellum ), 10-round magazines (.41 and .22LR), and 16-round magazines ( .45ACP ). All of the above are manufactured by IMI. Other high-capacity magazines exist (e.g. 50-round magazines and 100-round drums in 9 mm) which are manufactured by companies such as ''Vector Arms''. The grip-mounted magazine gives the Uzi a highly distinctive, instantly-recognizable profile, and it is often seen in TV shows, movies, and video games. In such portrayals, the weapon is often fired one-handed (especially the Mini- and Micro-Uzis) and in some cases even as a pair of weapons, one in each hand. HISTORY The weapon was designed by Major (Captain at the time) Uziel Gal of the Israel Defense Forces following the 1948 Arab-Israeli War . The design was loosely based on the Czechoslovakian Series 23 To 26 submachine guns introduced in 1948 (Hogg 1979:157). The Uzi submachine gun was submitted to the Israeli army for evaluation and won out over more conventional designs due to its simplicity and economy of manufacture. Gal did not want the weapon to be named after him, but his request was ignored. The initial model was accepted in 1951 and was first used in battle in 1956 and gained huge success. It was soon developed into a number of better engineered variants. The Uzi submachine gun was used as a personal defense weapon by rear-echelon troops, officers, artillery troops and tankers, as well as a frontline weapon by elite light infantry assault forces. The Uzi's compact size and firepower proved instrumental in clearing Syrian bunkers and Jordanian defensive positions during the 1967 Six-Day War . Advanced and smaller Uzi variations were used by the Israeli Special Forces until recently, when in December 2003, the Israeli military announced that it was completely phasing the Uzi out of use by its forces but would continue to manufacture the weapon for both domestic use and export. Total sales of the weapon to date (end 2001) has netted IMI over $2 billion (US), with over ninety countries using the weapons either for their soldiers or in law enforcement. The German Bundeswehr used the Uzi since 1959 under the name MP2 (especially for tank crews) and is now changing to the MP7 . The Irish Gardaí Emergency Response Unit (ERU) are replacing the Uzi with the MP7 . The Uzi was produced under license in Rhodesia in the late 1970s, from Israeli-supplied and later, domestically manufactured components. Commonly called the "Rhuzi" (although the title was also applied to some indigenous submachine gun designs). Sri Lanka ordered a few thousand Mini Uzi and Uzi Carbines in 1990s. Currently those are deployed with Sri Lanka Army special forces regiment and Sri Lanka Police Special Task Force as their primary weapon when providing security for VIP s. The United States Secret Service , the agency that guards the President of the United States, used the UZI to provide covering fire while agents evacuated the President out of the area. When President Ronald Reagan was shot on March 30, 1981 outside of the Washington Hilton Hotel by John Hinckley Jr. , Secret Service Special Agent Bob Wanko pulled out an Uzi from under his shoulder and covered the rear of the presidential limousine as it sped to safety with the wounded president inside. VARIANTS There are several smaller variants of the Uzi SMG:
Those variants are still in use by many Special Forces and Law Enforcement agencies in the world - including in Israel , United States and the Sri Lanka {Link without Title} . IN POPULAR CULTURE The Uzi and its variants are some of the most popular submachine guns in the world. Along with the MP5 and MAC-10 , they have appeared in many Film s, TV Series , and Video Games . The Uzi was designed to be able to be fired with one hand if its user lost the use of a hand in battle. In many films and video games, many fictional characters are shown with two Uzis, firing one with each hand. CONFUSION WITH MAC-10 The Ingram MAC-10 and MAC-11 have a similar design as the Mini and Micro Uzi and for a person who does not know firearms very well, its an easy thing to confuse. Part of the confusion is that many film directors and media outlets incorrectly refer to the Uzi as a MAC-10 or vice versa. Additionally, the three weapons fire similar ammunition. USERS : - Under license by Fabrique Nationale : : - Used by Carabineros De Chile (Chilean Police Forces) : - Was used by military police during the El Salvador Civil War. : : : - Being phased out to adopt Heckler & Koch MP7 : : : - Used by Kopassus and Tontaipur : - Used by the Garda Síochána ERU and Special Branch . To be replaced by the Heckler & Koch MP7 . : - Production ceased; still produces parts :- Used by police in protection against drug dealers and drug transporters : - Under license by Ka Pa Sa factories as the BA-94 : : - Portuguese Army , formely used by Polícia De Segurança Pública during Portuguese Colonial War : : : - Being phased out from regular Army, except for special forces : : - With ROCMC Special Service Company units : : : : REFERENCES |
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