Heckler & Koch MP7

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Heckler & Koch MP7
Image:MP7 SMG.jpg The Heckler & Koch MP7
Type	Personal defense weapon
Place of origin	Germany
Service history
Used by	German Army, UK MOD Police, Garda Síochána, South Korean Police
Production history
Manufacturer	Heckler & Koch
Produced	2001—
Specifications
Weight	1.8 kg (3.96 lb) empty 1.9 kg (4.2 lb) with 20 rounds 2.0 kg (4.4 lb) with 40 rounds
Length	340 mm (13.4 in), stock retracted 541 mm (21.2 in), stock extended
Barrel length	180 mm (7.1 in)

Cartridge	4.6 x 30 mm
Action	Gas-operated, rotating bolt
Rate of fire	950 + 200 round/min (depending on ammunition)
Effective range	200 m
Feed system	20 or 40-round box magazine

The MP7 is a personal defense weapon manufactured by Heckler & Koch (HK) and chambered for the 4.6 x 30 mm cartridge.

It was designed in conjunction with the new cartridge to meet NATO requirements published in 1989 calling for a machine pistol or submachine gun with greater effect against body armor than current models which are limited due to use of standard handgun cartridges.<ref>NATO Action Committee AC225</ref>

It is a direct competitor of the FN P90 also developed to meet the new NATO requirements.

1 Overview
2 Variants
3 Usage
4 See also
5 References
6 External links
7 Video links

[edit] Overview

The MP7 is classified as a personal defense weapon (PDW). It went into production in 2001. It is very compact and light, using mainly polymers in its construction.

The proliferation of high-quality body armor has begun to make guns that fire pistol ammunition (such as HK's earlier MP5 or USP) ineffective. In response to this trend, HK designed the MP7 (along with the brand new UCP, which uses the same ammunition) to penetrate body armor, but small enough to be used in place of either a pistol or a submachine gun.

The MP7 essentially operates like a scaled-down assault rifle, with the same action as HK's G36. It fires a specially designed, armor-piercing round with a muzzle velocity nearly as high as that of the 5.56 x 45 mm NATO round used by many modern rifles. This ammunition is unique among submachine guns in that the bullet is made almost entirely of a hardened steel penetrator instead of softer brass or lead. The ammunition is almost entirely specific to the gun (save of the H&K UCP and a planned variant of the Brugger & Thomet MP-9) and also offers low recoil. The round also has a small diameter (it can almost be described as a scaled down .223 Remington), allowing for high capacity in a very small magazine. Even though the round is much smaller in diameter than a 9 mm bullet, its special properties give it comparable stopping power. The projectile is designed to tumble in tissue after penetrating body armor, thus causing more damage than a bullet of this size would normally do. But this is still a point of widespread discussion since the MP7 and its specially designed ammunition have yet to prove themselves in action.

The weapon allows a conventional 20-round or 40-round box magazine to be fit within the pistol grip (the former being comparable in size to a 15-round 9 mm magazine, while the latter compares to a 25-round 9 mm magazine). The weapon features an ambidextrous fire-select lever and rear cocking grip. It has an extendable stock and a folding front grip. It can be fired either one-handed or two-handed.

The MP7 is marketed as a direct competitor to the FN P90. Some observers make the distinction that the MP7 is closer to a true machine pistol than a submachine gun. The FN P90 features a simpler delayed blowback design that fires with a closed breech, so there is no rotating bolt or gas system, but it is bulkier and heavier than the MP7.

[edit] Variants

The weapon features a full-length, top-mounted Picatinny rail and can fit additional rails on the sides of the barrel, which allow it to mount commercial optical sights (telescopic and red dot sights), laser aiming modules (LAM), and tactical flashlights. The MP7 can also equip a suppressor.

[edit] Usage

The German Army has begun to procure the MP7 in high numbers, after it has been used extensively by the German special forces unit Kommando Spezialkräfte (KSK). German soldiers in Afghanistan are now using the MP7 on patrol in Kabul.

In 2005, the MP7 was also adopted by the UK Ministry of Defence Police as their weapon of choice. The light weight of the weapon, as well as its close range accuracy, were both given as reasons for the purchase.

The MP7 has also been adopted for use within the United Nations Safety and Security Service for field security duties along with the G36K, MP5, Benelli Shotguns and Glock 19.

The MP7 has also been adopted for use within the Republc Of Korea National Police Special Weapon Attack Team (KNP SWAT) & Coast Guard Sea Special Assault Team (SSAT) for field operations along with the MP5, UMP, USP, P7M13.