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| IWI Galil ACE | |
|---|---|
 Galil ACE 22 | |
| Type | Assault rifle Battle rifle |
| Place of origin | Israel |
| Service history | |
| In service | 2008–present |
| Used by | SeeUsers |
| Wars | Colombian conflict Mexican Drug War |
| Production history | |
| Designer | Israel Military Industries |
| Manufacturer | Israel Weapon Industries (Formerly Israel Military Industries) Also produced under license by: |
| Produced | 2008–present |
| Variants | SeeVariants |
| Specifications | |
| Cartridge | 5.45×39mm 5.56×45mm NATO 7.62×39mm 7.62×51mm NATO |
| Action | Gas-operated,rotating bolt |
| Rate of fire | 620–880 rounds/min |
| Muzzle velocity | 600 to 915 m/s (1,970 to 3,000 ft/s) |
| Effective firing range | 300 to 500 m (330 to 550 yd) |
| Feed system | Detachablebox magazines
|
| Sights | Tritium front post and reardiopteriron sights, orPicatinny rail for variousoptical sights |
TheIWI Galil ACE, alsomarketed asIWI ACE (or simplyACE), is a series ofassault rifles andbattle rifles originally developed and manufactured byIsrael Weapon Industries (IWI). It is produced in three different calibres:5.56×45mm NATO,7.62×39mm and7.62×51mm NATO.
IWI US also produced semi-automatic only variants of the Galil ACE. In 2020, alimited edition of the Galil ACE in5.45×39mm was produced. IWI US later introduced the Gen II line which introduced a free-floating M-LOK handguard and M4-style compatible buttstock in 2023.
The IWI Galil ACE series is based upon the original design of theIMI Galil, but instead utilises a modern design to increase its accuracy and lower its weight, while maintaining the original Galil's ergonomics, ease of maintenance and reliability under battle conditions.[1] In the design, emphasis was particularly placed on increasing the reliability and accuracy under adverse battlefield conditions.
The IWI Galil ACE has been adopted as aservice rifle in multiple countries, such as theChilean Army andPeople's Army of Vietnam. The Galil ACE is also manufactured under license byIndumil,[2]FAMAE,[3]RPC Fort[4] andZ111 Factory.[5]
The originalGalil was built with a machined solid steel billet action in order to increase the structural integrity and survivability of the weapon. Unfortunately this resulted in a weight of up to 9.6 lb (4.4 kg), depending on its variant, which was one of the primary criticisms from theIsrael Defense Forces.
The Galil ACE has a significantly reduced weight. IWI redesigned the action to integrate the steel with polymer, which is much lighter than the fully steel receiver of the originalGalil.[1] While the upper receiver is machined steel and the receiver top features a MIL-STD-1913Picatinny rail, polymer has been introduced to the lower receiver of the weapon to reduce the gun's weight.[6]
According toAmerican Rifleman: "Although this rifle is clearly based on theAK design, it demonstrated a superior level of accuracy potential compared to several of its cousins. The best single group of [5 rounds at 100 yards] of 0.83″ and five-group average of 0.98″ was produced using the Federal Premium 123-gr. [8.0 g] Power-Shok soft-point load" (testing done using 7.62×39mm 16-inch barrelled variant).[7]
The Galil ACE adopts theGalil Sniper trigger instead of the original Galil trigger, in order to improve accuracy compared to the standard Galil.[8] This is a two-stage trigger,[6] which IWI have modelled on the two-stage trigger of theM1 Garand.[9]
According toAmerican Rifleman, the two-stage trigger is "clean and smooth with a 4 lb. 13 oz. [4.8 lbf, 21.4 N] trigger pull according to a Lyman digital trigger gauge".[7]
The gas tube, unlike the AK-47 system, is mounted on the rifle via a dovetailed slide machined on the receiver upper-front block. This avoids any movement of the gas block influencing barrel vibration, which would degrade accuracy.[1]
The rifle uses the Galil'slong-stroke piston system. The long-stroke system is found in the M1 Garand,AK-47 (upon which the Galil's internal mechanism design borrowed heavily) and more recently in theIWI Tavor.
The barrel is chrome-lined, cold hammer-forged, with a 1:7″ twist for5.56×45mm NATO, 1:7.5″ for5.45×39mm, 1:9.5″ for7.62×39mm, and 1:12″ for7.62×51mm NATO.
The Galil ACE has a fully adjustableiron sights with tritium front post and two dot tritium rear aperture. It also features aPicatinny rail for mounting various optical sight.
The standard buttstock found on the Galil ACE is a six-position telescopic stock that can be fitted with an optional cheek-piece to improve the sighting of the weapon when using anoptical sight. An optional right folding version of the standard buttstock is also available.
The forearm consists of MIL-STD-1913Picatinny rails on the bottom and both sides for mounting accessories such as aiming optics. The side forearm rails have central grooves to provide routing channels for electric wiring used by pressure switch activated accessories. The forearm comes with quick detachable polymer covering panels that can be mounted to protect the rails when a side or bottom rail has no accessories mounted to it. The gas tube above the barrel also has a Picatinny rail mounted on top that is aligned with the rail mounted on the cover over the receiver.
Another addition by IWI to the original Galil is the last round bolt catch (for variants of the ACE in 5.56×45mm NATO only). The bolt hold-open feature is a common request of military customers, to reduce reloading times during combat.[10]
| Variant | Calibre | Barrel length | Length (extended) | Length (retracted) | Weight (unloaded) | Feed system | Muzzle velocity | Range | Cyclic rate of fire |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ACE 21 | 5.56×45mm NATO | 216 mm (8.5 in) | 730 mm (29 in) | 650 mm (26 in) | 3.00 kg (6.61 lb) | 35-roundGalil magazine | 710 m/s (2,300 ft/s) | 300 m (330 yd) | 680–880 rounds/min |
| ACE-N 21 | 5.56×45mm NATO | 216 mm (8.5 in) | 730 mm (29 in) | 650 mm (26 in) | 3.05 kg (6.7 lb) | 30-roundNATO magazine | 710 m/s (2,300 ft/s) | 300 m (330 yd) | 680–880 rounds/min |
| ACE 22 | 5.56×45mm NATO | 335 mm (13.2 in) | 847 mm (33.3 in) | 767 mm (30.2 in) | 3.40 kg (7.5 lb) | 35-round Galil magazine | 850 m/s (2,800 ft/s) | — | 680–880 rounds/min |
| ACE-N 22 | 5.56×45mm NATO | 335 mm (13.2 in) | 847 mm (33.3 in) | 767 mm (30.2 in) | 3.45 kg (7.6 lb) | 30-round NATO magazine | 850 m/s (2,800 ft/s) | — | 680–880 rounds/min |
| ACE 23 | 5.56×45mm NATO | 463 mm (18.2 in) | 976 mm (38.4 in) | 896 mm (35.3 in) | 3.60 kg (7.9 lb) | 35-round Galil magazine | 915 m/s (3,000 ft/s) | 500 m (550 yd) | 680–880 rounds/min |
| ACE 31 | 7.62×39mm | 216 mm (8.5 in) | 730 mm (29 in) | 650 mm (26 in) | 3.00 kg (6.61 lb) | 30-roundAK-47 magazine | 600 m/s (2,000 ft/s) | — | 680–880 rounds/min |
| ACE 32 | 7.62×39mm | 409 mm (16.1 in) | 927 mm (36.5 in) | 847 mm (33.3 in) | 3.50 kg (7.7 lb) | 30-round AK-47 magazine | 680 m/s (2,200 ft/s) | — | 680–880 rounds/min |
| ACE 52 | 7.62×51mm NATO | 409 mm (16.1 in) | 954 mm (37.6 in) | 874 mm (34.4 in) | 3.60 kg (7.9 lb) | 25-round7.62mm Galil magazine | 800 m/s (2,600 ft/s) | — | 620–680 rounds/min |
| ACE-N 52 | 7.62×51mm NATO | 409 mm (16.1 in) | 954 mm (37.6 in) | — | 3.60 kg (7.9 lb) | SR-25 pattern magazine[11] | — | — | 620–680 rounds/min |
| ACE 53 | 7.62×51mm NATO | 511 mm (20.1 in) | 1,055 mm (41.5 in) | 963 mm (37.9 in) | 3.8 kg (8.4 lb) | 25-round 7.62mm Galil magazine | 860 m/s (2,800 ft/s) | — | 620–680 rounds/min |
In October 2020, IWI US began production of an "extremely limited edition" 5.45×39mm variant of the Galil ACE, available with a 16 in (410 mm) or 8.3 in (210 mm) barrel, producing a total of 545 rifles in each size. They are compatible withAK-74 magazines.[12]
Besides the7.62mmSTV series ofservice rifles for theVietnam People's Army, the Vietnamese industry also developed multiple assault rifle designs based on the Galil ACE that it hasacquired the technologies andproduction right:
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Cameroon: In service withBattalion d'intervention rapide.[16]
Chad[16]
Chile: Selected as theChilean Army's new 5.56 mm standard-issue rifle.[17] In 2014, the ACE began to be deployed in the Chilean Army.[18]
Colombia:[19] Manufactured by an agreement betweenIndumil andIWI.[20]
El Salvador[21]
Guatemala: 3,000 ACE 31s used by theGuatemalan Police.[22]
Haiti: Used by certain Haitian police officers.[23]
Honduras[24]
Laos: Laos received Vietnamese-made Galil ACEs in January 2019.[25]
Ivory Coast[16]
Mexico: Used by theFederal Police.[26]
Nigeria[16]
Peru: The Peruvian government has plans to produce the ACE under license, establishing a factory to produce up to 2,000 rifles per month.[27][28]
Philippines:Philippine National Police uses the ACE 22N as one of its major assault rifles as of 2018.[29] ThePhilippine Drug Enforcement Agency use both the ACE-21N and ACE-22N.[30] ThePhilippine Coast Guard received more than 4,000 units of ACE 21N in March 2020.[citation needed][31]
South Sudan: Used by the South Sudanese Armed Forces.[26][32] Chambered in 7.62×39mm.[16]
Uganda: Galil ACE chambered in 7.62×39mm.[16]
Thailand:[33]
Ukraine: Produced under license since August 2014 byRPC Fort; ACE 22 as the "Fort-227",[4] ACE 31 as the "Fort-228",[34] and ACE 52 as the "Fort-229".[35]
Vietnam: ACE 31 and 32 were selected as the standard-issue assault rifles in thePeople's Army of Vietnam (PAVN), to gradually replace their current AK-47-derived weapons.[36] IWI has established a $100 million factory in Vietnam, to produce an unspecified number of Galil ACE assault rifles for the PAVN.[37] All ACEs used in Vietnam have the charging handles located at the right side of the rifle[38] and replaced the Galil ACE handguards with traditional Galil-style handguards with Picatinny rail on top, replaced standard ACE buttstock with FN-FAL Paratrooper stocks, with modifications for simpler production and ease of use, the original fire selector replaced with AK-style fire selector. The new rifle has its new designations STV-215 and STV-380, the number indicated barrel length.[39]
Zambia: Used by the Zambian Army.[40]