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The Galil is one of the standard assault rifles used by the Israel Defense Forces. It was designed by Israel Galili, and bears his name. It uses 5.56 mm NATO ammunition, like an M-16, but uses the more reliable and easier to manufacture action of the Russian AK-47. The Galil was fielded as a replacement to the aging M-16 rifle, which often performed poorly in the dusty Middle Eastern conditions.
The Galil project began after the Six-Day War, and the design was selected by the IDF from two competing designs. The winner was based on the Finnish Rk 62 (a variant of the AK-47). The first rifles began to arrive in 1974, after the Yom Kippur War. One of its aims was to replace the first M-16 ( Vietnam surplus) which had been rushed to IsraelThis article discusses the State of Israel. For other meanings of Israel see Israel (disambiguation). The State of Israel Medinat Yisrael in Hebrew, Daulat Israil in Arabic) is a country in the Middle East on the eastern edge of the Mediterranean Sea. during that war. The surplus M-16s had severe reliability problems, and were regarded solely as provisional weapons until the Galil could be issued. The Galil was used by infantry during the LebanonAlternate uses: see Lebanon (disambiguation The Lebanese Republic or Lebanon is a country in Southwest Asia, bordering the Mediterranean Sea. It is considered to be one of the fifteen lands that comprise the so-called " Cradle of Humanity". Lebanon is bor War in 1982; but towards the mid-1980s, it was determined to be less than optimal.
The Galil's main problem is weight; it is heavier than the M-16, at around 3.9 kg (8.6 lb) empty vs the M-16's 2.9 kg (6.4 lb), and therefore often considered to be a greater burden as a personal weapon for infantryInfantry (or Infantrymen are soldiers who fight primarily on foot, using personal weapons. They may arrive on scene in various ways, and are deployed either in formations or as skirmishers and guerillas. In the modern period, the term "infantryman" is resmen, although its short length due to the folding stock made it very popular with the troops (Galil 840/614 mm vs M-16 986 mm). Fighting infantry units therefore were reissued M-16s (new or upgraded to improve reliability and reduce weight), although the Galil's compactness resulted in it remaining a personal weapon for soldiers in armor and artilleryFor the thrash metal band, see Artillery (band Historically, artillery refers to any engine used for the discharge of projectiles during war. The term also describes ground-based troops with the primary function of manning such weapons. The word as used i units.
Although designed as a serious infantry weapon, one could also claim the Galil boasts many unusual features to make it more amenable to a citizen-militia. The Galil includes a folding stockA folding stock is a weapon stock that folds. They are often present on many modern small arms designs, such as the AK-47, Sig 55x series, and the Heckler and Koch G-36. They allow the weapon to be stored in a smaller space, or to be manuevered in close q, tritiumTritium (symbol T or 3H is an isotope of hydrogen. The nucleus of tritium contains one proton and two neutrons, whereas a normal hydrogen nucleus consists of just one proton. Its atomic weight is 3. It is a gas (T or 3H) at standard temperature and pressu illuminated night sights, a bipod that can cut barbed wire, and an integrated bottle-opener to avoid damage to the rifle through a previously common misuse of weapons to open beverage bottles.