| The
UZI production line during the 1970s |
Field
tests, 1950s |
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The
UZI turned out to be not only highly reliable, but also surprisingly
accurate for such type of weapon, and soon caught the eye of the international
firearms community. During the 1960s a new folding metal stock replaced
the original wooden stock and the UZI was also licensed to be produced
by FN, the Belgian firearms company. |
The UZI's original manufacturer - Israel Military Industries (IMI)
- has not rested on its laurels and developed a number of variants:-
The Mini Uzi is shorter and lighter than the standard model; The Micro
Uzi is shorter still, almost the size of a large handgun; Another
version is the Uzi Pistol - a semi-automatic version of the Micro.
In addition there have been several more customized versions in much
smaller production scales. |
The
UZI gained its fame not only in combat, but also as a favorite
of elite forces and security services. During the attempted
assassination on U.S. President Ronald Reagan in 1981, the press
cameras caught one of his bodyguards pulling an UZI from his
jacket. In subsequent years the UZI also became a regular feature
in dozens of actions movies where it was seen in the hands of
Hollywood's biggest stars.
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A
Secret Service guard pulls an UZI during the assassination attempt
on the U.S. president - 1981 |
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Today, after more than half a century in service by the world's
leading defense forces, the UZI family has a place of honor
in firearms history. The new company Israel Weapon Industries
(IWI) which was launched from a privatized spin-off of IMI's
original small arms division continues the production and development
of the UZI. |
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