 | |
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Arms/Defense |
| Founded | 1933; 92 years ago (1933) (privatized in 2005) |
| Headquarters | , Israel |
Area served | Worldwide |
| Products | Firearms,weapons |
Number of employees | Over 500 in Israel (excluding overseas)[1] |
| Website | iwi |
Israel Weapon Industries (IWI), formerly the Magen division of theIsrael Military Industries Ltd. (IMI), is an Israelifirearms manufacturer.
It was founded in 1933.[2] Formerly owned by theState of Israel, the Small Arms Division of IMI was privatized and renamed IWI in 2005.
IWI is one of the world's most famous and bestselling military arms manufacturers.[3] The Magen division rose to international prominence in the 1950s, as the creator of theUzi, of which over 10 million would be produced, netting billions of dollars for the company.[4] Subsequent well known military exports have included theJericho 941 semi-automatic pistol,Negev light machine gun,Galil assault rifle,Tavor assault rifle, and theDAN .338 sniper rifle.
IWI develops and manufactures guns used by armies and law enforcement agencies around the world.[5]
For many decades, IWI and the Magen division of Israeli Military Industries before it, has manufactured its weapons inRamat HaSharon. The factory has for many years been regarded an important component of the manufacturing sector in Ramat HaSharon. In 2017, IWI announced it is planning to construct a new factory inKiryat Gat, to which its manufacturing will re-locate when completed in 2020. The new Kiryat Gat factory, whose construction will cost NIS 180 million, will employ 560 full-time production workers and engineers on its assembly lines.[6]
IWI owns several factories overseas, for the manufacture of weapons for local markets. In India, IWI is establishing a joint-manufacturing center withPunj Lloyd (with IWI owning 49% of the plant, and Punj Lloyd owning 51% of the plant), which will be India's first privately-owned small-arms manufacturing plant. The factory will manufacture firearms for the Indian army.[7] IWI said in 2017, that it expects tenders with the Indian army in the region of $200–300 million.[8]
IWI also operates a manufacturing facility inMiddletown, Pennsylvania USA. They locally assemble theZion-15, Tavor and Galil rifles,TS12 15+1 round semi-automatic shotgun as well as the Jericho, Masada and Galil pistols, among others.[9]
| Name | Type | Year | Image |
|---|---|---|---|
| ARAD | Assault rifle | 2019 | |
| Carmel | Battle rifle | 2019 | |
| Dan | Sniper rifle | 2014 | |
| Desert Eagle | Semi-automatic pistol | 1982 |  |
| Dror | Light machine gun | 1946 |  |
| Galil | Assault rifle | 1972 |  |
| Galil ACE | Assault rifle | 2008 |  |
| Jericho 941 | Semi-automatic pistol | 1990 |  |
| MAPATS | Anti-tank guided missile | 1984 |  |
| Masada[10] | Semi-automatic pistol | 2017 |  |
| Negev | Light machine gun | 1985 |  |
| Negev NG7 | General-purposelight machine gun | 2012 |  |
| SP-21 Barak | Semi-automatic pistol | 2002 | |
| Tavor 7 | Bullpupbattle rifle | 2017 | |
| Tavor TAR-21 | Bullpup assault rifle | 2001 |  |
| Tavor TS12 | Bullpupsemi-automatic shotgun | 2018 | |
| Tavor X95 | Bullpup assault rifle | 2009 |  |
| Tavor X95 SMG | Bullpupsubmachine gun |  | |
| Uzi | Submachine gun | 1950 |  |
| Zion-15 | AR-15-style rifle | 2020 |
IWI offers anti-terrorism training to Israeli citizens and contracts its services to outside countries requiring security training and anti-terror training to protect assets and high-ranking officials.[11]IWI collaborates with theMetropolitan College of New York (MCNY) inNew York City, which offers a classroom-based MA degree in Public Administration, Emergency Management, and Homeland Security.[12]