Concept

Heckler & Koch MP5

Summary
The Heckler & Koch MP5 (Maschinenpistole 5) is a submachine gun which fires 9x19mm Parabellum cartridges, developed in the 1960s by Heckler & Koch. There are over 100 variants and clones of the MP5, including some semi-automatic versions. The MP5 is one of the most widely used submachine guns in the world, having been adopted by over forty nations and numerous military, law enforcement, intelligence, and security organizations. In 1999, Heckler & Koch developed the UMP, the MP5's successor. Despite its higher cost, the MP5 remained the more successful of the two options. Heckler & Koch, encouraged by the success of the G3 automatic rifle, developed a family of small arms consisting of four types of firearms all based on a common G3 design layout and operating principle. The first type was chambered for 7.62×51mm NATO, the second for the 7.62×39mm M43 round, the third for the intermediate 5.56×45mm NATO caliber, and the fourth type for the 9×19mm Parabellum pistol cartridge. The MP5 was created within the fourth group of firearms and was initially known as the HK54. Work on the MP5 began in 1964 and two years later it was adopted by the German Federal Police, border guard and army special forces, referring to as the "MP64" or later "MP5". The MP5A1 was introduced in the late '60s, which is the first model to have the iconic ring front sight and the slimline handguard. In 1970, the MP5A2 and MP5A3 were introduced. In 1974, the MP5SD was introduced, which is a suppressed variant of the MP5. It was used in the Vietnam War in 1975 by the Green Berets. In 1976, the MP5K was introduced as a request for a variant for South America. In 1977, the standard 20 & 30 round, curved steel magazines were introduced for the MP5A2 and MP5A3 design. In 1978, the Tropical forearm was introduced to be produced with the MP5. In 1980, the MP5 achieved iconic status as a result of British special forces regiment the SAS when they stormed the Iranian Embassy in London, live on television, rescuing hostages and killing five terrorists during Operation Nimrod.
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