Israel Military Industries

The Israeli government-owned firearm company known as Israel Military Industries Limited, or by its popular abbreviated name IMI, is reputed to have been established in 1933. This cannot be said to be an accurate date, since it only pertains to a period during which the Haganah, a Jewish underground outfit, began the organized manufacture of illegal weapons. Some core personnel of the IMI may have originated from this activity, but this has never been confirmed.

IMI supplies its unique range of world-class defense products and systems to various armies and specialist law enforcement and anti-terrorist agencies around the world. However, its primary client remains the Israeli government. The assortment of units collectively known as Israeli Security Forces requires a steady influx of weaponry, since the country’s law ensures that all citizens serve three years in them on attaining the age of eighteen. IMI also manufactures arms for the permanent Israeli army and Israel Defense Force, or IDF.

IMI’s small arms division, Israel Weapon Industries (IWI) Ltd. is a privatized offshoot and handles most of the global market requirements for small arms on IMI’s behalf. It also develops weapons for the IDF through R&D collaboration with this defense division. IMI’s small arms ammunition division is also a major revenue earner for the company, since its products are supported by NATO qualification, which gives them considerable market standing. Ammunition manufactured by IMI includes 5.56mm to 0.50 caliber rounds, and also more specialized ammunition such as armor piercing, sniping and training rounds.

Among IMI’s most prominent products are the Uzi SMG, which has become a sort of global standard in submachine guns, as well as the Jericho and Barak handguns. Other military weapons produced by the IWI include the 5.56 mm caliber, belt-fed, bipod mounted Negev light machine gun and the Galil assault and sniper rifles. Among its most recent designs is the Tavor bullpup assault rifle, which will become the standard assault rifle for Israel Defense Forces personnel and eventually be included among the Israel army’s standard infantry weapon arsenal. The Tavor has also been introduced as a variant called the Micro Tavor.

However, Israel Military Industries Ltd’s product line is not limited to weapons. The fact that it is the primary armament provider for overall Israeli defense operations has prompted it to launch various other associated warfare-related products such as landmine clearing systems and reconnaissance systems. It also provides the Israeli army with armor packages for defense vehicles and supports the air force with flares, decoys and offensive/defensive radar jamming systems. In addition, in provides professional threat assessment services and mission-specific weapon systems.

IMI handles defense systems at every level of significance and has a product line for land power, air power and homeland security. Each of these areas are backed by research and development departments. The company itself consists of five separate and distinct production departments. These are the:

• Heavy Ammunition Division – Handles Artillery Ammunition, Tank Ammunition, Mortars Ammunition, Small Arms Systems, Less Than Lethal Measures, Air-to-Ground Deep Penetration, Air-to-Ground direct and Stand-Off cluster attack and Fire Extinguishing systems
• Land Systems Division - Handles Tanks and APC Upgrades, Survivability/Protection and Public land transportation
• Rocket Systems Division – Handles Artillery Rockets and Missiles, Infantry Rockets and Missiles, Body and Vehicles Protection and Military/Civilian Aircraft Protection
• Advanced Systems Division – Handles Stand-Off Precision Strike Missiles, Air-to-Ground direct and Stand-Off cluster attack systems and Air Launched Tactical Decoys
• Small Arms and Ammunition Division – Handles Small Caliber weapons and ammunition

With its wide range of products and professional supply and support systems, IMI has emerged as one of the world’s foremost defense industries and can boast of an enviable list of domestic and international customers.