The MP5 (Maschinenpistole 5) is a 9x19mm Parabellum submachine gun, developed in the 1960s by a team of engineers from the German small arms manufacturer Heckler & Koch GmbH (H&K) of Oberndorf am Neckar.
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".
In 1970, the MP5A2 and MP5A3 was introduced.
The lever-type ejector is located inside the trigger housing (activated by the movement of the recoiling bolt). === Accessories === In the early 1970s, HK introduced a conversion kit for the MP5 that enables it to use rimfire ammunition (.22 LR).
In 1974, the MP5SD was introduced, which is a suppressed variant of the MP5.
The stockless MP5A1 has a buttcap with a sling mount for concealed carry; the MP5K series was a further development of this idea. The MP5A4 (fixed stock) and MP5A5 (sliding stock) models, which were introduced in 1974, are available with four-position trigger groups.
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. The MP5 has become a mainstay of SWAT units of law enforcement agencies in the United States since then.
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. The MP5 has become a mainstay of SWAT units of law enforcement agencies in the United States since then.
The additional setting of the fire selector, one place before the fully automatic setting, enables a two or three-shot burst firing mode. A variant with the last trigger group designated the MP5-N (N—Navy) was developed in 1986 for the United States Navy.
The PT variant can be configured with various buttstocks and trigger groups and was developed for the West German Police and Border Guard. === Semi-auto === The MP5SFA2 (SF – single-fire) was developed in 1986 in response to the American FBI solicitation for a "9 mm Single-fire Carbine".
It was widely used by SWAT teams in North America, but has since been supplanted by M16 variants in the 21st century. In 1999, Heckler & Koch developed the UMP, the MP5's successor.
The "Navy"-style ambidextrous trigger group later became standard, replacing the classic "SEF" trigger group. In late 2013, Heckler & Koch unveiled the MLI (Mid Life Improvement) version of the MP5.
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Page generated on 2021-08-05