Glock Ges.mbH
Glock 43 Pistol
In 1963, Austrian mechanical engineer Gaston Glock, who had experience with steel and polymeric materials in various industrial plants, founded his own company Glock KG in Deutsch-Wagram near Vienna. Starting with the production of curtain rails for curtains, the company soon turned to military products. In 1970-s. the development and production of the first samples of field knives, training grenades, machine gun belts were started.
In 1980, Glock received a formal proposal for the development of combat pistols for Austrian army personnel to replace outdated models of the Second World War period. In the same year, the legal entity Glock Ges.mbH (the current name of the company) is registered.
According to the American journalist, the author of a book about stories Glock's Paul Barrett (Paul Barrett), Gaston Glock sought to improve the solutions available on the market by creating his own sample from scratch. Before starting work, he held consultations with Austrian weapons experts. According to their recommendations, the gun should have a large ammunition, be as durable and reliable as possible, and also easy to handle and train [1].
Already in 1981, the first sample of the semi-automatic Glock 17 pistol with a receiver made of polymeric materials and a Safe Action system consisting of three independent automatic fuses [2] was presented. A year later, after conducting numerous tests, Glock won a contract for the supply of its products to the Austrian armed forces and in 1983 delivered them 30 thousand Glock 17 pistols chambered for 9 × 19 mm.
The original model, adopted by the Austrian army under the designation Р80, consisted of 33 parts and was equipped with a magazine for 17 cartridges. The gun turned out easy, maintainable, resistant to shock, diving in water and extreme temperatures.
In 1984, Norway became the first NATO member to adopt Glock 17 pistols.
The next important stage in the development of the company was the opening of the first foreign subsidiary in the United States in 1985. Entering the American market coincided with an increase in crime on the streets of major cities of the North American state and, accordingly, increased law enforcement needs for a new effective personal weapons... Most police units of that time were armed with five- and six-shot revolvers from Smith & Wesson, which were noticeably inferior in performance to Glock products.
The article by authoritative weapon expert Peter Kokalis in the magazine Soldier of Fortune, in which he gave a description of the successfully passed tests of the Glock 17 pistol and gave his own extremely positive, played a certain role in drawing attention to the company's products. product evaluation [3].
In the American public and political environment, a heated discussion began about new weapons, there were concerns about the possible use of a pistol by terrorists, it was assumed that the plastic construction would not allow detecting it with metal detectors at airports. Subsequently, these fears were dispelled, the gun still had metal parts, and the security services had other instruments (X-ray, magnetometer) to identify dangerous objects. Nevertheless, the Austrian pistol received additional publicity.
The event that prompted the American authorities to accelerate the program for the transition to new images of pistols, was the so-called "shootout in Miami." 11 on April 1986 as a result of an armed clash between eight agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation and two criminals killed two and injured five law enforcement officers. The main reason for such serious damage was that the criminals were armed with a semi-automatic rifle with several magazines on 40 ammunition and an eight-charge pump pistol, which provided a high density of fire, while FBI agents were forced to reload their revolvers for a long time.
The sharp increase in demand for Glock products fell at the end of the 1980s, and export figures increased. In the period from 1982 to 1989, more than 350 thousand pistols were sold, and about 2000 thousand units [150] were in service with 4 US police departments. In 1988, the second overseas representative office was opened in Hong Kong to coordinate sales and marketing activities in Asia and Oceania, and in 1990, in South America.
At 1999, the two-millionth gun produced by Glock was presented at the Shot Show in Atlanta.
Current state
To date, more than 65 percent of US law enforcement agencies and about 50 elite units around the world use Glock pistols [5]. By 2007, the company achieved sales in 5 million pistols [6], and in 2013 a record was set for commercial shipments - 1 million pistols per year [7].
The head office of Glock Ges.mbH is located in the Austrian town of Deutsch-Wagram. In addition, the structure includes four regional subsidiaries: Glock Inc. (Smyrna, USA), GlockAsiaPacificLimited (Hong Kong), Glock America SA (Montevideo, Uruguay), Glock Middle East FZE (Dubai, United Arab Emirates). The total number of employees is about 1300 people [8].
Main production programs of the company
Pistols
The main type of products manufactured by the company are pistols. Since the creation of the first model for the Austrian army in 1980, four generations of Glock pistols were created.
The appearance of the second generation was in 1988 g. In order to improve the grip, the surface structure of the pistol grip was changed.
More serious changes came with the third generation in 1998. The handle has become more ergonomic, getting recesses for fingers. In addition, a special bar with guides (Universal Glock rail) appeared in the front of the frame, allowing you to place additional accessories, such as a laser sight and tactical flashlight [9]. Introduced new models chambered for 9 × 33 mm.
Finally, in 2009, the fourth generation was announced. Today Glock pistols are represented by models for various purposes, form factor and all major calibers (see table 1).
In addition to the above models, Glock offers special training and training guns under the Cutaway, Practice, Reset and Training lines.
The manufacturer considers as the main advantages of his pistols:
Simplicity. The design of Glock pistols, consisting of a small number of elements (34 parts), increases their reliability, allows you to quickly perform incomplete disassembly and assembly in field conditions without special tools, and also reduces overall operating costs. In addition, the elements of all models of the company are completely interchangeable.
Ergonomics. Special rear lining on the handle (Modular Back Strap System) allow you to tailor the gun to the individual characteristics of the shooter. In addition, the variable position of the lever to eject the magazine (on the left or right side) allows the gun to be used by both left-handers and right-handers.
Engineering solutions. Glock pistols use high-strength polymeric materials that are resistant to various climatic conditions and are not susceptible to corrosion, thereby reducing the weight of the finished product and increasing its service life.
The patented Safe Action system, consisting of three automatic independent safety devices. All three fuses are disconnected sequentially at the moment the trigger is pulled and returned to the starting position when released. This system allows you to freely use a weapon in stressful situations, and also eliminates the likelihood of a shot when a pistol is dropped.
Components and accessories
Glock offers a wide range of additional products for its pistols. Pins and flies made of various materials, slide delays, magazine latches, trigger springs, impact combat springs, tactical lights, holsters, pouches and load accelerators for stores can be attributed to this category of goods.
Outdoor Equipment
In addition to pistols, accessories and accessories to them, Glock produces army field equipment - knives and shovels.
The knives of the company are represented by two models: Field Knife 78 (FM78, field knife) and Survival Knife 81 (FM81, knife for survival). Both have a total length of 290 mm and a blade length of 16,5 mm, made of carbon steel with a hardness of 55 HRC units. Model FM81 has a saw on the butt of the blade and weighs 202 grams, four grams lighter than the model FM78 [10]. These knives are adopted by the special units of Austria, Denmark and several other countries.
Charges of illegal activities
In 1999, an assassination attempt was made on Gaston Glock, as a result of which he was seriously injured, but survived. Later it became known that the murder customer was Charles Ewert, a former business partner of Glock. At the same time, during the court proceedings a network of offshore enterprises was discovered, organized by Evert and associated with Glock [11].
The investigation came under the control of the US tax authorities. Lawyers representing Gaston Glock acknowledged the misuse of the company's funds, however they placed all the blame on the former employee.
In this case, the testimony of the former senior manager of the American division of the company Paul F. Jannuzzo was considered. According to him, Gaston Glock used an extensive structure of dummy foreign companies to withdraw US sales revenues and conceal them from the American tax authorities [12].
Jannuzzo also claimed that for several years the company's management had redistributed funds between its employees and their family members, knowing that this money would later be donated to candidates for the US Congress, which was a direct violation of the country's electoral legislation [13]. These charges were also denied by the lawyers of Glock.
Glock in Russia
In 2007, the Ministry of the Interior of Russia received the right to use foreign small arms. Later, in 2009, Russian media reported that, within the framework of the state defense order, 400 pistols Glock 17 for the cartridge 9x19 mm [14] were acquired for special units of the Ministry of Internal Affairs.
During the tests and training firing, the compatibility of the incoming foreign weapons with the 7Н21 cartridges of the Ulyanovsk cartridge plant [15] was confirmed.
In 2013, the Federal Agency for the Supply of Arms, Military, Special Equipment and Material Resources (Rosoboronpostavka) has placed two applications for "the supply of special small arms and close combat means for special-purpose units." According to the first of these, for the needs of the Ministry of Defense, it was planned to purchase fourth-generation Glock 17 pistols in the amount of 318 units worth 66,8 million rubles. [16] The second order was placed for the supply of 24 pistols Glock 26 worth 4,6 million rubles.
However, the application for the purchase of Glock 17 pistols was canceled by the Federal Defense Order Service due to the “unreasonable overstatement of the proposed initial maximum contract price” [18].
According to Sergey Chemezov, general director of the state corporation Rostec, in 2013, negotiations were also held to open a joint production with [Glock] [19] in Russia.
At the same time, in July 2012, the Russian company Promtechnology concluded a long-term agreement with the Austrian company on the exclusive rights to assemble and directly sell Glock pistols [20] in Russia.
Three facilities of the fourth-generation Glock (17, 34, 35) semi-automatic sport pistols were assembled at the facilities of the ORSIS Moscow Arms Factory, owned by Promtechnology. The total volume of the first batch of pistols was more than 2000 units. The Promtechnologiya company announced plans to expand the geography of supplies of these pistols throughout Russia and to the entire post-Soviet space [21].
Future of the company
The prospects for improving the financial position of Glock are mainly related to the US market - the largest for the company.
The American Glock plant in Smyrna (Georgia) works in two shifts and releases 100 thousand weapons per month, while there are opportunities to expand production [22].
In 2015, the company's sales rose to 501 million euros, and net profit reached 96,7 million euros (in 2014, 46,5 million euros). The growth rates were associated with the start of mass production of two models of compact pistols for individuals, as well as the rate of the American currency [23]. In 2016, the company won a contract to supply guns for the FBI, ranging in value from 20 to 85 million. [24]
At the same time, one of the limiting factors is the potential changes in US law regarding the ownership and use of firearms. Thus, a noticeable increase in sales of pistols was noted in the months when Barack Obama assumed the presidency in 2009 and 2013, as well as in December 2015 after the massacre in the city of San Bernardino [25]. In all the above cases, the reason for the growth of the indicators was the fear of the weapon holders regarding the possible introduction of legal restrictions.
In addition, the company is forced to compete in the American market with other large manufacturers such as Smith & Wesson, Sig Sauer, Beretta. In January 2017, the US Army declared the German company SigSauer the winner in the tender for the supply of 280 thousand pistols in an amount that could amount to $ 580 million. [26] Glock disputed the results of this tender and filed a formal complaint with the US Audit Office. [27]
[1] From the interview with Paul Barrett on FreshAir on American radio station NPR, 24.01.2012.
[2] The name of the gun is associated with the serial number of the patent registered by the company.
[3] Kokalis P. Plastic Perfection // Soldier of Fortune, October, 1984.
[4] Webpage: https://us.glock.com/heritage/timeline.
[5] Adler D. Revolutionary Classic: A Glock for the Redefining the Civilian Handgun Market | Combat Handguns, February 2012. P. 86.
[6] Webpage: https://us.glock.com/heritage/timeline.
[7] Webpage: http://xnumxth.glock.com/.
[8] Webpage: http://bmpd.livejournal.com/2059899.html.
[9] Hoffmann H.Vehi history: four generations of the Glock pistol // http://www.nobninsk.ru, 21.03.2012.
[10] Webpage: http://eu.glock.com/english/index_pistols.htm.
[11] Grow B., Ewing J., Barrett Paul M. Glock's Secret Path to Profits // www.bloomberg.com, 11.09.2009.
[12] Ibid.
[13] Ibid.
[14] MIA special forces arm themselves with Austrian pistols // Lenta.ru, 11.12.2009.
[15] Ibid.
[16] Web page: http://zakupki.gov.ru/pgz/public/action/orders/info/common_info/show?source=epz¬ificationId=7226765.
[17] Web page: http://zakupki.gov.ru/pgz/public/action/orders/info/common_info/show?source=epz¬ificationId=7226753.
[18] The application for the purchase of Glock pistols for the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation was canceled // RIA "News, 25.10.2013.
[19] The Italians suspended the creation of Beretta production in Russia // Lenta.ru, 30.05.2013.
[20] ORSIS collects Glock pistols // bmpd.livejournal.com, 22.07.2012.
[21] Ibid.
[22] Riehl F. Glock Arms First Ever Factory Tour, After Action Report // www.ammoland.com, 18.03.2015.
[23] Webpage: http://bmpd.livejournal.com/2059899.html.
[24] Smith A. Glock wins $ 85 million contract FBI // money.cnn.com, 01.07.2016.
[25] Aisch G., Keller J. What Happens After Calls for New Gun Restrictions? Sales Go Up // New York Times, 13.06.2016.
[26]Веб-страница: https://www.forbes.com/sites/frankminiter/2017/01/20/a-star-is-born-u-s-army-chooses-sig-sauer-p320-for-its-new-service-pistol/#e64e09d5ae16.
[27] Webpage: https://sputniknews.com/military/201703011051134908-glock-files-protest-army-contract/.
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