Uzi | |
---|---|
Type | Machine pistol (Mini Uzi, Micro Uzi) |
Place of origin | Israel |
Service history | |
In service | 1954–present |
Used by | See Users |
Wars |
Suez Crisis Six-Day War The Troubles Vietnam War War of Attrition Yom Kippur War Colombian internal conflict Sri Lankan Civil War Portuguese Colonial War Falklands War Invasion of Grenada 1982 Lebanon war South African Border War Rhodesian Bush War Somali Civil War Mexican Drug War Syrian Civil War Miami Drug Wars |
Production history | |
Designer | Uziel Gal |
Designed | 1948 |
Manufacturer |
Israel Military Industries Israel Weapon Industries FN Herstal Norinco Lyttleton Engineering Works (under Vektor Arms) RH-ALAN Group Industries |
Produced | 1950–present |
No. built | 10,000,000+ |
Variants | See Variants |
Specifications | |
Weight | 3.5 kg (7.72 lb) |
Length |
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Barrel length | 260 mm (10.2 in) |
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Cartridge |
9×19mm Parabellum .22 LR .45 ACP .41 AE |
Action | Blowback,open bolt |
Rate of fire | 600 rounds/min |
Muzzle velocity | 400 m/s (9mm) |
Effective firing range | 200 m |
Feed system | 10-round magazine (.22 and .41 AE) 16-round magazine (.45 ACP) 20-, 25-, 32-, 40-, 50-round magazines (9 mm) magazines |
Sights | Iron sights |
The Uzi (Hebrew: עוזי, officially cased as UZI) pronunciation: i/ˈuːzi/ is a family of Israeli open-bolt, blowback-operated submachine guns. Smaller variants are considered to be machine pistols. The Uzi was one of the first weapons to use a telescoping bolt design which allows the magazine to be housed in the pistol grip for a shorter weapon.
The first Uzi submachine gun was designed by Major Uziel Gal in the late 1940s. The prototype was finished in 1950. First introduced to IDF special forces in 1954, the weapon was placed into general issue two years later. The Uzi has found use 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 has been exported to over 90 countries. Over its service lifetime, it has been manufactured by Israel Military Industries, FN Herstal, and other manufacturers. From the 1960s through the 1980s, more Uzi submachine guns were sold to more military, law enforcement and security markets than any other submachine gun ever made.