IMI Tavor TAR-21

Wars:Operation Defensive Shield, Operation Summer Rains, Second Lebanon War, Operation Hot Winter, South Ossetia War, Gaza War, Colombian armed conflict, Cambodian-Thai stand-off Production history: Designer Israel Military Industries (IMI) Designed 19912001 Manufacturer Israel Weapon Industries (IWI) Variants See Variants Specifications: Weight 3.27 kg (7.21 lb) (TAR-21) 3.18 kg (7.0 lb) (CTAR-21) 3.67 kg (8.1 lb) (STAR-21) 2.95 kg (6.5 lb) (MTAR-21) Length 720 mm (28.3 in) (TAR-21, STAR-21) 640 mm (25.2 in) (CTAR-21) 590 mm (23.2 in) (MTAR-21) 670 mm (26.4 in) (TC-21) Barrel length 460 mm (18.1 in) (TAR-21, STAR-21) 380 mm (15.0 in) (CTAR-21) 330 mm (13.0 in) (MTAR-21) 410 mm (16.1 in) (TC-21) Cartridge: 5.56x45mm NATO 9x19mm Para (Optional on MTAR-21) Action: Gas-operated, rotating bolt Rate of fire:750-900 rounds/min

Muzzle velocity:910 m/s (2,986 ft/s) (TAR-21, STAR-21) 890 m/s (2,919.9 ft/s) (CTAR-21) 870 m/s (2,854.3 ft/s) (MTAR-21) 885 m/s (2,903.5 ft/s) (TC-21) Effective range:550m Feed system:Various STANAG magazines Sights: ITL MARS with integrated laser and IR pointer, Trijicon ACOG (STAR-21), others available The TAR-21 (or simply Tavor) is an Israeli bullpup assault rifle chambered for 5.56x45mm NATO ammunition with a selective fire system, selecting between semiautomatic mode, burst mode, and full automatic fire mode. The name "TAR-21" stands for "Tavor Assault Rifle - 21st Century". It is the standard issued weapon of the Givati Brigade (since August 2006) and Golani Brigade (since August 2008), with the Nahal Brigade receiving it by 2010. The MTAR-21 (Micro Tavor) was recently selected as the future assault rifle of the Israeli Defense Forces, and within the next few years it will become the standard Israeli infantry weapon. It is named after Mount Tavor.Contents The TAR-21 uses a bullpup design, as seen with the French FAMAS, the British SA80, Austrian Steyr AUG, and the Chinese Norinco QBZ-95. Bullpup rifles are configured in a layout in which the bolt carrier group is placed behind the pistol grip; this shortens the overall length but does not sacrifice barrel length. The TAR-21 provides carbine length, but rifle muzzle velocity. The bullpup design is also used to minimize the silhouette of soldiers and to maximize effectiveness in turning corners in urban warfare. The TAR-21 has ejection ports on both sides of the rifle so it can easily be reconfigured for right or left-handed shooters. However, this process requires partial disassembly, so it can not be quickly reconfigured while the rifle is in use. The TAR-21 design was created by Zalmen Shebs, with the express purpose of creating a weapon more suited to urban combat than the M16/M4 carbine. It is based on advanced ergonomics and composite materials in order to produce a more comfortable and reliable rifle. The TAR-21 is waterproof and lightweight. The weapon has a built in laser and MARS red dot sight, one of the main advantages of having a built in system is that the weapon does not have to be zeroed after each use. The TAR-21 can also be mounted with an array of different scopes such as night vision systems and other electronic devices. The TAR-21 accepts standard STANAG magazines. It can also be mounted with the M203 grenade launcher. Its ambidextrous fire mode selector above the pistol grip has a semi-automatic mode, burst mode, and a fully automatic mode. The Tavor assault rifle comes in different variations: TAR-21 - standard version intended for multirole infantry.

GTAR-21 - standard version with notched barrel, to accept a M203 40 mm under-barrel grenade launcher.

CTAR-21 - compact short barrel version intended for commandos and special forces. STAR-21 - designated marksman version with folding under-barrel bipod and Trijicon ACOG 4x magnification sight. MTAR-21 Zittara - Indian locally produced version of the MTAR-21 Micro Tavor modified to use the local 5.56x30mm MINSAS cartridge. The Micro Tavor (MTAR), fitted with a Kimber Mepro reflex sight.

The Micro Tavor (MTAR-21), also designated X-95 and sometimes called Tavor-2, is a stand-alone extremely compact weapon specifically designed for special forces units, as well as military personnel who are normally not issued long assault rifles. With the use of a relatively simple conversion kit, the MTAR-21 can be converted from a 5.56 mm assault rifle to a 9 mm submachine gun loaded with 20, 25, and 32-round magazines. A suppressor can also be added to the weapon, it is part of the 9 mm conversion kit. An integrated grenade launcher is currently being developed for the Micro Tavor. In November 2009, the Micro Tavor was selected as the future standard infantry weapon of the IDF, ahead of all other forms of Tavor. The semi-automatic Tavor Carbine (TC-21) has been conceived for civilian customers, and as a police patrol carbine for those countries, or law enforcement agencies, where full-automatic firearms are issued only to SWAT-like units. A semi-automatic Tavor carbine was first seen at the 2002 SHOT Show, when agreements were announced between IMI and the Barrett Firearms Company to manufacture the Tavor in both its military and civilian variants in the United States. This was probably done in order to allow Israel to procure the Tavor using United States military aid money, since, according to American military assistance agreements, said funds must be spent to purchase US-manufactured equipments. The agreement between IMI and Barrett was never finalized, and the semiautomatic Tavor carbine as shown at the 2002 SHOT Show was never manufactured, although that specific design has recently resurfaced. The current Tavor Carbine, made in Israel by IWI, has been designed with slightly shortened barrel, otherwise being identical to the standard TAR-21 assault rifle. As of 2008, it is available for civilian customers to purchase in Canada.The Canadian civilian version comes standard with the Mepro reflex sight and a slightly longer barrel to meet the Canadian requirement for non-restricted semi-automatic centerfire rifles to have a barrel length of at least 18.5 inches. There was a report by Charles Daly President Micheal Kassnar that plans were being made to import, or at least partially build, the Tavor in the United States, which was released through the Charles Daly forums. However, since that time Charles Daly has gone out of business and the prospect of the sale of a semiautomatic version of the Tavor for the American civilian market is currently in question. Although the Romanian Armed Forces and the Israeli Armed Forces had several partnerships regarding military personnel training, upgrades for military equipment and not only, a contract about the aquistition of TAR-21 assault rifle has not been discussed yet. Should a contract like this be discussed, the introduction of a weapon that functions on a different principle implies a major change of the training methods of the personnel.

Bibliography 1. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IMI_Tavor_TAR-21 2. world.guns.ru/assault/isr/tavor-tar-21-e

3. www.famous-guns.com/tavor