Israel Weapon Industries (IWI) is a leader in the production of combat-proven small arms for Governmental and Military entities as well as law enforcement agencies around the world. Continuously developing new capabilities, attributes, configurations, and applications, the company introduces its new conversion kit for the X95 assault rifle for 5.45mm-caliber ammunition – making it the only weapon in the world with these 3 calibers: 5.56mm, 9mm, and 5.45mm. The weapons have been on display at the INTERPOLITEX expo in Moscow (Russia), October 23rd to 26th, at the RPC “Fort” stand, and at the EXPODEFENSA show in Bogotà (Colombia), October 31st to November 2nd, at the TYSA - Tecnologías y Sistemas Avanzados S.A. stand. Said news come a couple of weeks after the first 5.45x39mm-marked TAVOR variants have actually been spotted in the wild: introduced by the RPC “Fort” State-Owned Science-Industrial Association of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine, these rifles and carbines, marked FORT-221, are manufactured locally under full IWI license; 5,56x45mm-caliber, locally-manufactured TAVORs have in fact already been issued in limited quantities for service to Special Forces units encadred under the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense and Ministry of Internal Affairs, and the RPC "Fort" company hopes that, by re-chambering the TAVOR in the former Soviet caliber used in the AK-74M rifles which still today represent the mainstay of the Ukrainian Armed Forces they may finally succeed to develop the suitable bull-pup replacement for the AK platform which Ukraine has been seeking for at least since the early 2000s.
The new conversion kit was developed for the successful X95 – which can be used as an Assault Rifle, Carbine, or Submachine Gun (SMG) with an effective range of 150m for 9mm caliber configuration. It enables the X95 to be operated worldwide, due to its compatibility with both western and eastern ammunition, thus saving training time, spare parts, and overall costs. The new kit has already been armament and operationally tested in extreme conditions including dust, water, heat, and cold (-60⁰C) – as well as for shooting accuracy – passing all tests with remarkable success.
Designed for Military, Law Enforcement, and Special Forces, the X95 was developed in close cooperation with elite units, and was tailored to their specific requirements. Incorporating advanced technology enabling the conversion between calibers within minutes, Special Ops can use the same weapon platform for a wide array of scenarios. The kit can include a silencer for all calibers, distinguishing the X95 as the ideal weapon for Special Forces dealing with complex situations.
With an outstanding effective range of 500 meters, the X95 was created to deal with modern terror threats, as well as urban and open area combat – all in one mission. Very reliable in even the harshest weather conditions, the X95 complies with the stringent NATO standards for small arms, including environmental standards. Combat-proven by many police and armed forces around the world, it is the standard Israel Defense Forces (IDF) assault rifle.
According to Uri Amit, IWI’s CEO: «We developed the kit in response to requests we received from our customers for a 5.45mm ammunition weapon so that they could use the ammunition in their inventories. This enables considerable savings by allowing our customers to change the rifle barrel according to the ammunition on hand, as well as matching the weapon to the evolving operational scenarios. IWI works closely with its worldwide customer base, providing solutions that are designed to meet their specific needs. The X95 is one of the most popular weapons of its category in the world – a success based on its exceptional effectiveness and reliability. We continue to develop a range of new configurations and applications in order to ensure its effectiveness in the widest possible range of situations and field requirements».
For further information
IWI - Israel Weapon Industries, Ltd.
P.O Box 63
Ramat Hashron
47100 - Israel
Tel.: +972-3-7606000
Fax: +972-3-7606001