How "Kalashnikov" became "Galil"
14 May Day 1948 year for most countries in the Middle East is particularly memorable. The proclamation of the independence of Israel on that day instantly unleashed numerous bloody conflicts with all its neighbors who defended the sovereignty and integrity of their territories and categorically did not want to see the newly appeared state on the map of the region. Since then, the Israelis have constantly had to fully develop their military-industrial potential and equip the army with the most effective models of military equipment and weapons.
In the 1950s and 60s the basis of the small arms of the Israeli army were 7,62 mm automatic rifles FN FAL, originally Belgian production, subsequently replaced by their own, produced under license weapons Israel Military Industries (IMI) in Ramatha Sharon. However, during the "six-day war" of Israel with its Arab neighbors - Egypt, Syria and Jordan (1967), the Israeli military command was forced to recognize the superiority of opponents in small arms. While the Israeli infantrymen bombarded their command with complaints about the FN FAL rifle, which in the most difficult desert-sandy terrain of the Middle East theater of operations proved to be insufficiently reliable - the Arab soldiers were armed with reliable and unpretentious Soviet Kalashnikov assault rifles in any conditions. The Israelis complained about the constant failures of their FN FAL, which arose due to inadequate care of weapons (quite natural in the conditions of hostilities) due to pollution and dustiness of the mobile automation system. The command of the Israeli armed forces was convinced of the need to replace the FN FAL rifles with a more promising model. Their soldiers needed weapons that would have, like the Kalashnikov assault rifle, high combat and service-operational qualities.
Taught by bitter experience, the Israel Defense Forces in the late 1960s. adopted a new concept of warfare, which included the simultaneous use tank, mechanized, airborne troops and the air force to strike and penetrate through the enemy's tactical defense lines to its entire operational depth with the aim of its final defeat. The condition for the implementation of such a task was the creation of effective mobile forces, which also required the development of appropriate systems and weapons. A promising weapon was supposed to provide a solution to a variety of fire missions - from the defeat of single and group living targets and military equipment on the ground to the fight against low-flying aircraft and helicopters.
Solving such a wide range of fire tasks in close combat could only be universalization of the weapons being developed and the expansion of the combat capabilities of promising models that were required to achieve without a significant reduction in the basic indicators.
In short, Israel needed a new assault rifle.
Therefore, in 1969, they began to design a new model of individual automatic infantry weapons. Along with high combat performance and reliability of the mobile parts of automation, the new assault rifle was required to: conduct a single and continuous fire; weight not more than 4 – 4,5 kg; direct shot of the chest figure - not less than 400 m; overall dimensions to ensure free movement of the sample through the landing hatch of the Merkava tank of the Mk.1, in which it was supposed to have a fully equipped infantrymen on the 10 troop compartment.
After a long study of modern models of small arms, the Soviet Kalashnikov AK assault rifle was taken as the basis for developing a multipurpose automatic rifle, since Israeli gunsmiths had thoroughly studied all its advantages and disadvantages. Studies of ammunition led the Israelis to conclude that the most effective means of improving the accuracy of combat when shooting from the most common unstable situations is to reduce the recoil momentum when fired. The result was a choice for the American weapon of the American low-pulse cartridge 5,56 × 45 mm М193. This cartridge had an increased slaughter effect of light bullets weighing 3,56 g, which was achieved due to the lack of stabilization (minimum stability margin) of the bullets flying on the trajectory - the result of the fact that the rifle barrel bore must have a very gentle pitch of 305 mm. It was believed that in this case the 5,56-mm cartridges bullets, having sufficient rotational speed to maintain stability in the air, when they hit the more dense tissues of the body will lose stability and will begin to "tumble", causing injuries of an "explosive" nature, far exceeding the severity of injuries NATO 7,62-mm bullets used in FN FAL rifles.
In the same 1969, Israeli gunsmiths from IMI created two rifles on a competitive basis. A group of designers led by Israel Galili-Blashnikov and Jacob Lior presented the Galil rifle, and Major Uziel Gal, the designer of the world-famous UZI submachine gun, the Ultrasound rifle. Already in March 1969, the new Israeli rifles passed comparative tests with the American M16A1, Stouner-63, AR-18 and West German NK-33. The Galil rifle showed the best results, getting 98 from 100 points, the UZI rifle ranked second (and the American M16A1, with 82 points the fourth).
The Galil assault rifle was a combination of an automatic rifle, a light machine gun and a grenade launcher for shooting rifle grenades. At the same time, unlike many other systems of small arms, the main option, remaining unchanged, could perform all three functions. During the tests, some changes were made to the design. In fact, “Galil” has become a modernized version of the Finnish model of the Kalashnikov m / 62, and in addition to the “highlights” inherent in the original prototype, it incorporated parts and parts of many other samples: 35-charging magazine - from the experienced American automatic rifle Stouner-63; folding metal frame butt - in the Belgian FN FAL mod. 50-63 for paratroopers; the barrel with a slotted flame arrester - from the American M16A1. In addition, the first samples of “Galil” used the Kalashnikov barrel boxes m / 62 made by the Finnish state arsenal Valmet Oy in the city of Jyväskylä.
Already in 1973, the “Galil” entered into service with the Israel Defense Forces, and soon IMI began to produce in Gali’s Ramat Hasharon 5,56 rifles in several versions:
• AR assault rifle (Assault Rifle) with a barrel length of 460 mm, without a bipod and carrying handle;
• assault rifle - ARM machine gun (Assault Rifle Machinegun), with a barrel length of 460 mm, a bipod and carrying handle, used as a light support weapon;
• SAR (Short Assault Rifle) carbine for armored vehicles crews - with a shortened 330 mm barrel and without a carrying handle.
In the ARM version, “Galil” consisted of 104 parts (for comparison, the American M16A1 has 162 parts, the Soviet AKM - 95). With incomplete disassembly for cleaning and lubrication, the rifle was disassembled into six knots.
The automatics of the Galil assault rifle has a classic AK layout with a top gas engine and works on the principle of using the energy of a portion of the powder gases discharged through a hole in the barrel wall and acting on the gas piston of the bolt. The “trademark” of Kalashnikov’s weapons and the samples created at its base remains the locking of the barrel bore with two lugs of the bolt turning around its longitudinal axis. In "Galil" the bolt is also activated by a slide frame, when its leading projection interacts with its figured notch. At the same time, the bolt carrier, at the end of its roll, turns the bolt to the right, winding its fighting projections beyond the fighting stops of the receiver and locking the barrel bore, and at the beginning of the rollback it unlocks it, turning the bolt to the left and disengaging it from the receiver.
Of the features inherent in all Kalashnikov weapons (which allowed Galil to outrun potential rivals), the successful solution of the locking assembly with an increased shoulder of the bolt, created in a single moving system with a bolt-shaped longitudinal sliding bolt combined with a rod, was retained. gas piston and serving as the leading link of automation. Setting the direction of movement of the moving parts (by means of the gas piston and the return mechanism), the frame perceives the vast majority of dynamic loads, practically excluding delays in firing due to contamination of the weapon. This design has significantly increased the reliability and dependability of the automation in any operating conditions, which was one of the main requirements for the main theater of combat operations of the Israeli armed forces - with the prevalence of sand and desert areas. Following MT Kalashnikov, the Israeli gunsmiths embodied in Galil one of the most important features of the AK machine gun: a preliminary, in the radial direction, shift of the cartridge case after the shot prior to its extraction from the chamber. When going back to the length of the free stroke, the slide frame only turned the bolt to the left, without moving it in the axial direction. At the same time, the barrel bore continued to remain locked, and the sleeve was rotated in the chamber with the bolt. This made it possible, firstly, to prevent rupture of the liner, due to the discharge of residual pressure in the chamber, and secondly, even with severe contamination of the chamber, to extract defamed or burnt liners.
It should be noted that this method of locking the bolt by turning was previously very often used in various samples of non-automatic weapons, but only in the Kalashnikov design, this scheme allowed us to obtain not only a very short locking assembly with simple and reliable mechanisms of functioning, but also rationally distribute the load on the locking assembly in moment of shot, which, in turn, significantly reduced the mass of the bolt, and hence the weight and size characteristics of the weapon itself.
Extraction of spent cartridges in the “Galil” (right through the window of the receiver) was provided by a spring-loaded ejector installed in the gate and a rigid reflector fixed in the receiver. Throughout the whole construction, it was possible to reduce to the limit the number and area of rubbing surfaces, which again increased the reliability of its work in the most difficult conditions. The impact mechanism “Galil” is of the hammer type. The trigger mechanism is designed for maintaining single and automatic fire.
The flag interpreter of fire, like in the Kalashnikov machine gun, performs several functions: switches fire modes from single to automatic, turns on the fuse, and also closes the slot of the reloading handle, protecting the receiver from dust and dirt. In this position, the translator-fuse allows only a small, a few millimeters, lead of the bolt carrier with the bolt back. This allows you to inspect the chamber and, at the same time, does not lead to the triggering of a combat platoon. The interpreter-fuse box is displayed on both sides of the receiver, and is located on the left side above the pistol grip; as a result, unlike AK, it can also be controlled by the thumb of the right hand, without its detachment from the handle.
Another difference between the Israeli rifle and the "Kalashnikov" is the original changes in the design of the vapor system, including the presence of holes (6 pieces) in the gas piston head. Through these openings, a portion of the powder gases penetrates the inside of the receiver, blowing off the powder, dust and dirt from the moving parts. In the gas pipe nozzle there are holes for discharge of residual powder gases. The reloading handle (upward curved) and the magazine's latch are installed so that it is convenient to use them on either side of the rifle, which is important for left-handed soldiers (which, according to statistics, in the Israeli army are more than 13%).
The Galil rifle has open sights, consisting of a front sight and reversing dioptric sight, with 300 and 500 m firing range settings. The location of the sight on the back of the receiver cover (and not on the sight block, like in the Soviet prototype) made it possible to increase the Israeli specimen aiming line length up to 475 mm (against mm 378 at AKM assault rifle).
The sight is equipped with a device for shooting at night and in conditions of limited visibility. It is a folding rear sight and front sight with luminous tritium points. Similar illumination allows to conduct aimed shooting at flares in the dark at ranges up to 100 m.
Placing the base of the front sight on the gas chamber makes it possible to use the muzzle brake-flame arrester mounted on the barrel as a guide for firing rifle anti-personnel, signal and lighting grenades. Along with this, from Galil it is possible to shoot with Belgian anti-tank 75-mm rifle grenades “Energy” HEAT-RFL-73N with an effective firing range of 150 – 200 and armor to 275 mm. Before shooting a grenade is worn directly on the flame arrester. 1973 to 1980 rifles were equipped with slit flame arresters, which were then replaced by an improved, perforated type. Aiming is performed using a plastic frame sight, which was attached to each grenade. Grenades are shot by special blank cartridges from the 12-charging magazine. Since the end of 1970's. They began to use new grenades, which can also be fired with live ammunition. They are equipped with a special device called a bullet trap.
At the customer’s choice, the Galil rifle can be equipped with both a permanent wooden butt and a metal one folding to the right along the receiver - without interfering with either the reloading and control of the translator safety box or the mounting on the left side of the receiver for an optical or night sight . The design of the butt is thought out very well. And in the folded and folded position, the metal butt is securely fixed by a spring-loaded locking mechanism.
Initially, the “Galil” had a wooden forearm, subsequently replaced by a more practical heat-resistant plastic. Pistol grip fire control - plastic. On a standard ARM rifle mounted folding handle for carrying. In addition, in the front of the trunk, in the area of the gas chamber, a metal multifunctional two-legged bipod (with a mass of 250 g) is fixed, retracting in the stowed position in the groove under the forearm. On her coulters, there are protrusions-poloski, facilitating the connection of the store at night "to the touch" with the bipod folded. The bipod also has a wire cutting device that also serves to open beer bottles. And this is not a luxury, but a sober account of the specifics of the Middle Eastern climate, when heat and thirst become a constant companion of the Israeli soldier, in the mass accustomed to "Western" comfort. In Soviet times, we paid special attention to this detail, as one of the incarnations of "Zionist military propaganda" with its triune formula "kill, drink, walk" ... Meanwhile, the "bottle opener" not only facilitates the service of the fighter, but also ensures the safety of the store and other parts of weapons, which, as a rule, are still used by soldiers for these purposes. The rifle is completed with box-shaped detachable magazines with a capacity of 35 (in the form of an assault rifle) and 50 ammunition (for a light machine gun), as well as 12 ammunition - for firing rifle grenades.
The peculiarities of the Israeli "Galil" include a clearly outdated manufacturing technology of the receiver from a solid-forged billet, followed by milling; This is due to IMI’s purchase of equipment, drawings and accessories for the production of AK machines from the Finnish arsenal of Valmet Oy. But although almost all the leading arms firms of the world had by then transferred to advanced technologies using die-welded structures, Israeli gunsmiths preferred to retain the traditional methods of machining metal processing that provided their weapons with greater strength and reliability, despite a certain increase in its mass and higher production costs. In particular, the combat stops and the Galil reflector were made directly with a milled receiver.
The Israeli rifle was very robust (10 000 shots), its construction was robust and reliable (after 240 shots, the chamber temperature exceeded 90 ° C, but the cartridge didn’t self-ignite), which was greatly facilitated by the milled heat-absorbing receiver. “Galil”, like the Kalashnikov assault rifle, works reliably in the temperature range from -40 to + 60 ° С, at 100% humidity and snowfall, with full dusting and lack of weapon care. However, in the latter case, the facts of the shutter not closing were noted, which had to be sent to the most forward position manually. With the fall of the rifle, strong shaking and vibration, as well as when hitting the obstacles, spontaneous shots were not observed.
The relatively large mass of the rifle (with the 35 magazine loaded with ammunition - 4,3 kg), the low rate of fire (650 rds / min), the thoughtful design of the butt and its strong attachment to the receiver, along with the presence of a bipod, provided this weapon with good accuracy in tracking fire bursts of various lengths.
The Galil total ammunition consists of 392 cartridges, which, for example, can be loaded into two 50 magazines, eight 35 cartridges and one 12 ammunition (for comparison: the Kalashnikov assault rifle ammunition, 300 ammo, equipped with four store, located directly at the machine, the rest - in the supporting structures of various levels). The ammunition "Galil" also includes four fragmentation rifle grenades.
As a rule, the Galil assault rifles intended for the Israel Defense Forces had a stamp on the left side of the receiver, above the pistol grip (crossed sword and olive branch, inscribed in the Star of David) and marking in Hebrew, and for export - in English . Since the beginning of the 1980-x rifles have received a new marking of the IMI concern (now the weapons group TAAS) - the sword and olive branch, superimposed on the gear.
In 1980's the Israeli Defense Forces adopted another version of the “Galil” - a lightweight sniper 5,56-mm rifle Mk.1, equipped with a mount for mounting optical or night sights, as well as a bipod.
At the end of the 1990-x, a new, very successful model of “Galil” appeared - a small-sized automatic machine MAR (Mini Assault Rifle) - an analog of the Soviet shortened automatic machine AKS-74U. The new version was intended primarily for military support units of the army - telecom operators, drivers of vehicles, etc., as well as for arming special forces and law enforcement. The compactness, along with the powerful 5,56-mm SS109 low-impulse cartridge, made this weapon truly effective (compared to the favorite ultrasound machine guns) as a means of combat at short distances to 200 – 300 m. It differs from its predecessors, in addition to the small length, lack of a bipod, carrying handle and a new plastic forearm, in front of which there is a projection, not letting the hand arrow slip forward, which could lead to injury, given the proximity of the muzzle of the trunk. The MAR machine can be equipped with a silencer, a laser designator mounted in the forearm, as well as various options for optical and night sights.
The great opportunities inherent in the design of the Kalashnikov assault rifle constantly encouraged Israeli gunsmiths to fully utilize its potential. Since 1975, IMI has mastered the production of several more versions of its 5,56-mm rifle “Galil” - AR, ARM and SAR assault rifles under the NATO SS77 rifle-and-machine gun cartridge (7,62 × 51 mm). From their small-caliber counterparts, they differed in a hardened receiver, an elongated and weighted barrel, on which there was no tide for the bayonet, and a box-shaped 25-charging magazine. New rifles were intended mainly for export.
In 1982, the city of Israel, Galili-Blashnikov, in close collaboration with the Israeli Ministry of Defense, developed a new 7,62-mm sniper self-loading rifle “Galil” SASR based on the ARM model. The new version has a trigger mechanism, designed only for a single fire, with adjustable descent effort. In addition, it differs from the prototype with an elongated (508 mm) and weighted barrel with a powerful muzzle brake-compensator, a folding wooden butt, as well as an 25-charging detachable box magazine. Muzzle brake compensator can be replaced by a device that, using our terminology, can be called a tactical silencer. Not being able to drown out the sound of a shot with the powerful 7,62 × 51 mm chuck, it nevertheless can greatly weaken it (in our case, such devices are also called PBS). The SASR rifle, unlike its prototype, has a fry fixed not to the barrel, but to the front of the receiver, which improved its accuracy characteristics. On the left side of the receiver on a special bracket can be installed as a telescopic sight Nimrod 6 × 40, and night IR sights.
The Galil 7,62-mm sniper rifle possesses high combat characteristics: when fired at a single fire at a range of 300, the dispersion width is 120 – 150 mm, and at a range of 600 m - 300 mm. The SASR rifle comes in a special transportation case. It includes a telescopic sight with light filters, a portable belt, a belt loop for a second hand, two spare magazines and accessories for cleaning a weapon (a pencil case and a ramrod).
In 1987, another self-loading variant of the Galil 7,62 rifle mod. AR, with an elongated wooden lodge, which is used under the name "Hadar II" as a police weapon. It is possible to install a muzzle attachment for shooting rubber bullets, as well as for shooting grenades with tear gas.
Currently, the Galil assault rifles of all modifications are in service with the Israeli army and law enforcement special forces. Nevertheless, “Galil” did not become the main model of small arms in the Israeli armed forces, since not more than a quarter of all soldiers are armed with them. Among other factors, this is explained by the quite sober and realistic policy of the country's leadership, which, in order to reduce the cost of defense programs, does not seek to purchase only its own, albeit good, but expensive weapon, when you can get some assistance from the American “big brother” Worst rifles М16А1, but almost half the price - for 100 – 120 dollars. At the same time, the presence of a small release of their weapons, constantly maintained at a certain level, reliably guarantees the possibility of their wide deployment in case of need.
However, there is also a commercial factor. If in Israel itself “Galilas” are far from being armed with all soldiers, then the businessmen of the country with their active policies contributed to the wide distribution of these weapons to many potential as well as real theaters of operations. “Galili” with the IMI brand name is now widely used in almost all “hot spots”, starting with South Africa and ending with Latin America. Due to the high service and combat qualities of these weapons, not only the military of many states paid attention to it. "Galil" in automatic and self-loading versions in both calibers of steel in large quantities come into commercial sales in America and Western Europe, with 5,56 mm rifles being produced both in the standard Israeli version, in increments of 305 mm rifling (chambered M193), and in the version under the NATO NATO 5,56-mm SS109 cartridge with 178 mm rifling pitch, chrome-plated bore and chamber.
With 1978, the South African firm Lyttleton Engineering Works Pty (now Vector Engineering) in Pretoria began manufacturing the 5,56-mm R4 assault rifle, an almost exact copy of the Galil ARM, under license. Minor differences from the Israeli prototype are mainly due to the climatic conditions of South Africa, including high humidity and extreme heat. In the production of the R4 rifle, the use of modern construction materials was significantly expanded: the foregrip and pistol grip of the fire control, as well as the butt were made of impact-resistant plastic. In addition, the "Yuarovsky" rifles differed elongated butt, since the soldiers of the South African army on average are larger than the Israeli. On the trunk there was no tide for the bayonet. Subsequently, Lyttleton Engineering mastered the production of several more new models of this weapon: in 1987, the 5,56-mm R5 carbine (“Galil” SAR) used for arming the Air Force and South African Marine Corps, and from the middle of the 1990-x - 5,56-mm automatic Carabiner (compact machine) R6 Compact (another analogue 5,45-mm AKS-74U), adopted for arming the crews of armored vehicles, airborne units, etc.
In 1979, the Dutch firm Nederlandische Waapenen Munitiefabriek de Kruithoorn BV, under IMI license, mastered the production of SAR model Galil assault rifles under the symbol MN1, as well as the ARM Galil machine gun.International cooperation of gunsmiths also contributed to the production of “Galilov”: Rheinmetall International SA together with the Swedish company Forenade Fabriksverken AS (FFV) mastered at the beginning of the 1980-s. for commercial sale the manufacture of the FFV 890 rifle and the FFV 890C carbine. The use in the Swedish rifles of a heavier bullet of the new 5,56-mm cartridge SS109 (in the US Army - the M855 index) required an increase in the steepness of the groove pitch from 305 to 178 mm. In addition, the operating conditions of weapons in Northern Europe have caused some changes in the design in order to improve the reliability of the moving parts of automation (improved system for removal of powder gases from the barrel); improved ergonomics (a barrel pad with ventilation holes was installed, completely covering the gas tube, and the trigger guard was extended for easy shooting in winter with gloves). These samples were offered to arm the Swedish army, but preference was given to the Belgian rifle FNC.
In Italy, in the middle of the 1980, Vincenzo Bernardelli SpA created the X5,56 family of CP556 weapons on the basis of the Israeli Galil assault rifle, but, like in Sweden, these “didn't go”: the Italians adopted another rifle - “Beretta” »AR-70 / 90.
Currently, the Israeli Galil rifle is armed with armies of 15 states, including Bolivia, Botswana, Honduras, Zaire (now the Democratic Republic of the Congo), Nicaragua, Paraguay, Chile, and most recently - Estonia.
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