IMI TAVOR-----THE NEW BUTTKICKIN BULLPUP IS HERE

The piece of supreme design and advanced weaponry technology you can see in the picture is the IMI TAR-21 ( Tavor Assault Rifle- 21st century)

This mean carbine was developed by Israel Military Industries with the purpose of replacing the colt m-16s built under licensed production that were in service with most ground-based assault divisions of the army and paramilitary. In israel, firefights are predominantly urban and against personnel armed with Avotomat Kalashnikovas or in other words- AKs. Like any other operational region, the climate plays a huge role in the weapon reuqirements. The extreme heat of the desert combined with its dusty nature and various other factors demeaned a weapon that was radically modern, had good stopping power, a high rate of fire, good reliability and a less frequent need for cleaning. The answer was simple- an radically new bullpup design that could have the potential of changing the mechanisms used in the making of small arms for ever... The answer was:- IMI tavor

What made the tavor the compact and deadly assault carbine it is today, was the bullpup system which means in simple terms that the magazine was placed behind the trigger and the pistol grip rather than the other way around as in the case of the m-4 or the ak-47. This meant that there was a drastic reduction in weapon lenth without compromising on barrel length. This enabled the weapon to retain its accuracy. Chambered for the 5.56x45mm NATO cartridge, the tavor has a maximum effective range of 550 metres and is dead accurate at 300 which is more than you can ask of a gun that's only 650 mm in length. A rate of firing 700-950 rounds per minute makes it a lethal spray gun in urban encounters. Morover, since the weapon is short, it reduces the overall shadow cast by the soldier and thus aids in stealth in a daytime urban face off. A light weight of merely 3kgs and complete waterproofing makes it an ideal carbine for paramilitary forces too. the tavor accepts feed from 30-35 round STANAG magazines- the same as the m16. Thus a standard ammo can be used.


Already in service with the Givati brigade, Golani brigade and the Nahal brigade, it has become very clear that T.A.R.-21is going to be the future assault rifle of the Israeli armed forces. It has already seen action in Operation Defensive Shield, Operation Summer Rains, 2006 Lebanon War, 2008 South Ossetia War, Operation Cast Lead, Colombian armed conflict and the 2008 Cambodian-Thai stand-off. India had ordered M.T.A.R-21s for thespecial frontier forces, but they were returned after delivery with some complaints...they will now be reinduced in service with M-203 UBGLs.

When Mikhail Kalashnikov invented the ak-47 in 1947, it was a landmark in the development of assault rifles. Another one came with the invention of the m-16 by Eugine Stoner. The development of the TAVOR may be yet another.