Heckler & Koch MP7
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| Heckler & Koch MP7 | |
|---|---|
 The Heckler & Koch MP7A1 |
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| Type | Personal defense weapon |
| Place of origin | Germany |
| Service history | |
| Used by | German Army, UK MOD Police, Irish Garda Síochána, South Korean Police |
| Production history | |
| Manufacturer | Heckler & Koch |
| Produced | 2001– |
| Specifications | |
| Weight |
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| Length |
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| Barrel length | 180 mm (7.1 in) |
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| 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. It is a direct competitor of the FN P90 also developed to meet the new NATO requirements.
Contents |
[edit] Overview
The MP7 is classified as a personal defense weapon (PDW). It went into production in 2001. The current version is the MP7A1. It is compact and light using 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 virtually exclusive to the gun (save for 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 30-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 straight 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 MP7 has been through four revisions since its first appearance:
- The first prototype shown in 1999 was designated the 'PDW' (Personal Defense Weapon) and only had a small Picatinny rail on the top. It also had a smooth pistol grip.
- In 2001 it was named the 'MP7' and went into production. It included a full length Picatinny rail, a thick curved stock and an anti-slide surface on the pistol grip much like the HK USP. It also featured folding iron sights mounted on the Picatinny rail and an easier to use folding foregrip.
- In 2003 its designation was changed to 'MP7A1' and featured a more curved pistol grip, a smaller flat-ended stock, side mounded Picatinny rails as standard and more compact folding iron sights. The stock is also able to be locked in 3 positions.
- The current 2005 version, still called the MP7A1, is basically the same as the 2003 model but with the addition of a 'Safety Trigger' similar to a Glock pistol, the middle section of the trigger must be pulled first and then the outer part will move. This helps to stop accidental discharges if the trigger is bumped. New iron sights similar to the HK MP5 are added to the MP7A1 package along with the compact folding iron sights.
Each revision of the weapon is slightly heavier, possibly due to the addition of more Picatinny rails. [1]
[edit] Accessories
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 Bundeswehr (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.[2]
- 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 Republic 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.
- The MP7 will replace the Uzi in service with the Irish Garda Síochána (police) Emergency Response Unit.
- Royal Malaysian Police would soon acquire the weapon for use by the Pasukan Gerakan Khas unit.
[edit] See also
[edit] References
[edit] External links
- HK Defense: MP7 product page
- HKPRO page on HK MP7
- Modern Firearms — HK MP7
- Nazarian's Gun's Recognition Guide
