IMI Galil
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| Galil | |
|---|---|
 Galil Assault Rifle |
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| Type | Assault rifle |
| Place of origin | Israel |
| Service history | |
| In service | 1974– |
| Used by | Colombia, Estonia, Israel, Peru, Philippines, Portugal, Indonesia |
| Wars | Yom Kippur War, Lebanon War |
| Production history | |
| Manufacturer | Israel Military Industries (IMI) |
| Variants | See Variants |
| Specifications | |
| Weight | 3.9 kg (8.6 lb) (empty) |
| Length | 979 mm, 742 mm stock folded |
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| Cartridge | 5.56 x 45 mm NATO |
| Action | Gas-operated, Rotating bolt |
| Rate of fire | 650 rounds/min |
| Effective range | 450 m |
| Feed system | 35-round detachable box magazine |
The Galil is one of the standard assault rifles used by the Israel Defense Forces. It was designed by Yisrael Galili, and bears his name. It is a variant on the AK-47 design. It uses 5.56 mm NATO ammunition, like an M16, but is easier to manufacture like the Russian AK-47.
Contents |
[edit] History
The Galil project began after the Six-Day War, and the design was selected by the IDF from two competing designs. The winner was based on the Finnish Rk 62 (itself a locally improved and further developed variant of the AK-47). The first rifles began to arrive in 1974, after the Yom Kippur War. The Galil was designed to be a domestically produced main battle rifle for the IDF, taking the best features of other rifles, such as the M16 and AK-47, and putting them into one rifle. That rifle could be adapted to any number of tasks. The result was the IMI Galil. The Galil was used by the infantry during the Lebanon War in 1982; but towards the mid-1980s, it was determined to be less than optimal.
Galil rifles were exported to various South American, African and Asian countries as well as to Estonia. The Galil of today has evolved into a much more reliable battle rifle than it was during its initial inception. The abusability and utilitarian nature of the design are perfect for the dry and sandy climate of the eastern Mediterranean.
Israel gave to Indumil (Colombia's National Military Industry), in the year 2006, the license to be the only producer of the Galil rifle in the world.
[edit] Usage
The Galil's main problem is weight; it is heavier than the M16A1, at around 3.9 kg (8.6 lb) empty vs the M16A1's 2.9 kg (6.4 lb), and therefore often considered to be a greater burden as a personal weapon for infantrymen, although its short length due to the folding stock made it very popular with the troops (Galil 840/614 mm vs M16A1 986 mm). The weapon never caught on among Israel's numerous special forces units, who used AK-47s for reliability and deniability if dropped or captured. Fighting infantry units therefore were reissued M16s (new or upgraded to improve reliability and reduce weight). The Galil SAR's compactness resulted in it remaining (until a staged phase out from 2004-2005 where it was replaced by a shortend version of the M-16) a personal weapon for soldiers in armour and artillery units since its compact size does not get in the way of tank and self-propelled gun crews while using their main, crew-served ordnance.
The Galil includes a folding stock, tritium illuminated night sights, a bipod that can cut barbed wire, and even the unusual feature of an integrated bottle-opener to avoid damage to the rifle magazines through a previously common misuse of weapons to open beverage bottles by using the magazine orifice to twist the caps off.
[edit] Variants
Nowadays, there are a number of models used:
- Galil ARM - the main version.
- Galil SAR ("short") - no bipod or carry handle, shorter barrel.
- Galil SNR ("sniper") - bipod, subsonic munition.
- Galil MAR ("micro") - which retains the internal features with a completely new frame and even shorter barrel. It has been reported that this weapon is subject to severe overheating, becoming too hot to touch after sustained automatic fire. A redesigned version is now in service with Israeli special forces in undercover operations, small enough to conceal under a jacket, yet extremely powerful. A Galil MAR variant with a redesigned receiver and front sight is in widespread service with Israel's police.
Another version, the Galil AR, has a significantly longer barrel and fires heavier 7.62 × 51 mm ammunition and is intended to be used as a sniper or tactical rifle.
The South African R4, developed in 1982, is based on the Galil. This version was the base for some further variants, the R5, the R6 and a light machine gun.
[edit] See also
- Assault rifles in IDF service
- FN FAL
- M16A1 (1973, Yom Kippur War)
- M16A2 (1990—present)
- CAR-15, M4 Carbine and M4A1 (1997—present)
- IMI Tavor (starting to deploy in 2004)
[edit] External links
- Israel Weapon Industries (I.W.I.): Galil
- Buddy Hinton Collection / Galil
- Israel's deadly desert fighter
- Modern Firearms
- Nazarian's Gun's Recognition Guide
- IMI Galil Review - Reviews and Images of the IMI Galil
