DESIGN
The UZI was developed by Uziel Gal for the
Israeli Defence Force (IDF) in the early
fifties. It was based upon the Czech M23
and M25. The 9mm round was chosen over the
.45 mainly because of its high speed and
low recoil. The high speed of the 9mm would
give the new weapon quite a good range compared
to other sub machine guns of its time. It
is produced by the Israel Military Industries
(IMI). Against Uziel Gal’s will the new sub
machine gun was given its designers nickname:
Uzi. Early models had a fixed wooden stock,
which was later replaced by a retractable
one. In the mid 1980’s the Mini UZI was developed.
At first it was given to the special forces.
Later it was also used by the IDF recruits
and police. Early 1990’s the popular Micro
UZI became available. The Micro UZI has the
size of a pistol but has far more power.
At the same time the Pistol UZI was introduced.
The Micro UZI is often seen in movies. Sometimes
the actors hold one in each hand. In reality
this would not be very effective. The latest
development is the Para UZI, which is a Micro
UZI using Glock magazines. |
| Designed for the American market. It is a
semi-automatic Micro UZI without foldable
stock. This variant is not used by any military
or law enforcement agency. |
| A Micro UZI fitted with a different pistol
grip, which accepts Glock 9mm magazines.
The Glock magazines are available in 17 and
32 rounds. This configuration allows the
Israeli Commandos interchange ability with
their Glock pistols. Every Para UZI is delivered
with a new, short silencer. |
| The Micro UZI was developed for special forces
and security personnel, who needed a pistol
sized weapon with more firepower. The Micro
UZI has a very high rate of fire and a much
shorter barrel, therefore the Israeli special
forces prefer the Mini UZI. It is however
very popular with pilots and officers. |
| The UZI SMG was found to big and to heavy.
A smaller UZI was designed. The Mini UZI
is lighter, has foldable stock, shorter barrel
and fires much faster. |
The first and most used UZI variant. This
variant has one advantage over the Mini and
Micro UZI: controllability, because it is
heavy and has a low rate of fire. Early models
had a fixed wooden stock, which was later
replaced by a retractable one.
Nowadays this variant is out of service in
all western countries, including Israel. |
| The sporting version of the UZI, intended
for the American market and it sold quite
well. It is semi-automatic and has a much
longer barrel. Early UZI Carbines had a fixed
wooden stock. Later it was sold with the
same retractable stock as the normal UZI.
Because the .45 is by far the most popular
pistol round in the United States, the UZI
Carbine was available in 9mm and .45. |
PERFORMANCE
The UZI was developed for desert conditions
and therefore it has none of the problems
other weapons have in desert conditions.
The UZI is robust and quite reliable. The
magazines, which are inserted into the pistol
grip, allow for instinctive reloading. The
UZI SMG has a low rate of fire and weighs
quite a lot, therefore it is a very controllable
sub machine gun. The Mini UZI has none of
these features and therefore its effective
range is half that of its big brother, while
firing fully automatic. The Micro UZI has
the same range as a pistol, but is far more
effective. Its high rate of fire allows quick,
multiple engagements, but empties its magazine
very fast. All versions, except the Pistol
and Carbine UZI, can be fitted with silencers.
Mounting attachments is quite difficult,
especially on older models.
USE
- Israel was the largest user of the UZI.
Nowadays the UZI SMG is no longer in use.
Only the Micro and Mini UZI are still used
by special forces and security personnel.
- The Netherlands was the first foreign user
of the UZI. The UZI is now out of service
- Germany also used the UZI, under the designation
MP-2. It is now out of service.
- Belgium.
- United State Secret Service.
|
|
