The UZI was developed by Israeli Military Industries (IMI) and has been sold in over 40 countries with worldwide sales of over 1.5 million units. The original gun was so named after its inventor, Israel bu Usiel Gal (despite his protests to the contrary).

It's not hard to see why this gun has become so popular - the sub-machine gun version provides unrivalled full-automatic firepower from a relatively small firearm. Its younger brother, the Micro-UZI, was designed to be worn under clothes by plain-clothes law enforcement officers, who would be able to provide considerable fire-power at a moments notice with a concealed weapon.

The UZI is reliable and surprisingly accurate; it has been used by the armed forces of over 20 nations and has also been license-built by FN in Belgium. Israeli troops have fought numerous battles with this tough little gun, and even though it has been replaced in many formations by the Galil assault rifle it will remain in service for years to come.

Israel Military Industries has not rested on its laurels however, and a number of variants have been developed. The Mini-UZI is some 95mm (3 3/4 in) shorter than the standard model, has a much simpler wire folding stock, and has compensating slots cut into the top of the muzzle. In virtually all other respects it is identical to the basic model. An even smaller version is the Micro-UZI, which at 250mm (10 in) in length is almost the same size as a large handgun. It retains a wire folding stock, and the bolt has a heavy tungsten insert to slow the rate of fire to a reasonable level.

The micro-UZI is too small and short-ranged for the battlefield, but it makes for an effective, easily concealed bodyguard and personal defense weapon. Both of the smaller versions, mini and micro UZI, have been adopted by many police, special operations and security units around the world, including the Israeli Isayeret and the US Secret Service.

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