Israel is a relatively young nation, with few natural resources.
So, they capitalize on what they do best, which is weapons.
It’s no secret how good Israeli weapons are.
In fact, Israel is one of the world’s top weapons exporters, with approximately $6.5 billion in annual arms sales.
Despite Israel’s small size, it spends about 4.5 percent of GDP on research and development.
Of that amount, about 30% goes to products of a military nature.
By comparison, only 17% of U.S. R&D is for the military.
A big reason Israelis are such successful weapon innovators is their willingness to take more risks than other countries.
This stems from their required military service.
While many of their Western counterparts live in the safety of college dormitories.
Many Israeli 19-year-olds are conducting highly dangerous operations behind enemy lines.
Plus, Israel has been in a perpetual state of conflict.
They’ve fought a war almost every decade.
When you’re constantly under attack, you either innovate or die.
So today, I want to share 3 of the most popular weapons designed or manufactured in Israel.
The Uzi.
The Uzi is one of the most distributed weapons in history.
More than ten million manufactured and shipped to over 90 countries.
While it’s been in production and use since the early 1950s, there have been several variants.
The Uzi was first designed by Captain Uziel Gal of the Israeli Defense Forces.
The original models had a wooden stock, before they went to the iconic folding metal one in later models.
The Uzi came in different variations including ammo capacity of 20-50 rounds.
Along with a rate of fire of 1,000 to 1,150 rounds per minute.
Older versions came in 9mm, but .22, and 45 ACP models were also made.
The Uzi was sold to more military and law enforcement forces than any submachine gun ever made.
Its popularity stemmed from its compact size, large ammo capacity, and ability to churn out a high rate of fire.
The Desert Eagle.
Another iconic Israeli gun is the Desert Eagle (AKA “The Desert Eagle Hand Cannon”).
The pistol was designed from 1979-1982, and manufactured in Israel until 1995.
Today it is no longer an Israeli gun, but it was originally manufactured in Israel.
The Desert Eagle is a massive pistol.
It’s designed to withstand enormous amounts of pressure from the large calibers it fires.
It was originally chambered in .357 magnum.
Before the Desert Eagle came along, revolvers were the only handguns that could withstand the pressures of the round.
And while most semi-auto pistols have free-floating barrels…
To compensate for the force of shooting, the Desert Eagle has a fixed barrel.
The bolt face utilizes teeth to lock into battery, much like an AR-15 rifle.
Typically, pistols use the energy from the round fired to cycle the action.
But this would be impractical and unsafe on the Desert Eagle.
Instead, they derived a gas piston system like the one in the Ruger Mini-14.
This system takes the excess gas from the gunpowder to push a piston, and cycle the action.
This diverts some of the recoil from going straight into the operator’s wrists.
There are three main variants to the Desert Eagle:
The most recent edition has a 10” barrel, and a total length of 14.75”.
It comes in .357 Magnum, .41 Magnum, .44 Magnum, or .50 Action Express.
While it never has seen much practical use, it’s been used in film and television.
And it’s remained one of the most popular sidearms in modern gun culture.
The Jericho 941.
The Jericho 941 is a no-nonsense, no-frills, but highly reliable semi-automatic sidearm.
It’s based upon the proven Czech CZ-75 pistol design.
And the Jericho 941 comes in 9mm, .40 S&W, and .45 ACP.
The gun incorporates a low bore axis to minimize recoil and muzzle rise.
It comes in both single and double action configurations.
The weapon has been imported into several countries, including the U.S.
There are several variations and sizes, and both steel and polymer configurations.
The steel frame Jericho is much heavier than the polymer models.
This can lead to a more manageable recoil while shooting.
While not ideal for self-defense carry, it’d still be a good choice for home defense.
It’s desired by operators around the world who work in harsh environments.
These are three of the most popular weapons Israel has produced…
Perhaps you may wish to add one or two of them to your personal arsenal.
