Yisrael Galili
Yisrael Galili holding a Mini Uzi, 1981
Born
Yisrael Balashnikov

(1923-10-23)October 23, 1923
Mandatory Palestine
DiedMarch 9, 1995(1995-03-09) (aged 71)
Giv'atayim, Israel
OccupationWeapons designer

Yisrael Galili (Hebrew: ישראל גלילי, born Yisrael Balashnikov;[1] 23 October 1923 – 9 March 1995)[2] was an Israeli weapons designer, best known for designing the Galil assault rifle. He also helped to create the Uzi submachine gun. He was known in the military by the nickname 'Father of the Rifle'.

Early life

Born in Mandatory Palestine on October 26, 1923, Galili served in the British Army in World War II. Following his discharge, he volunteered to work with the Haganah in weapons manufacture.

Galil rifle

During the Six-Day War in 1967, the Israelis captured many AK-47 assault rifles from the Egyptian soldiers which proved more reliable and useful in the arid conditions against the FN FAL. Inspired by the AK-47, the IDF assessed it thoroughly and began the process of designing a new automatic rifle. The task was assigned to two groups: one led by Uziel Gal, the designer of the Uzi submachine gun, and the other led by Galili. The latter, together with Yakov Lior, invented the Galil assault rifle, named after its inventor. Tests were conducted from the end of the 1960s to the early 1970s led to Galili's rifle emerging as the winner, as a result Galil was adopted by the military. The Galil assault rifle heavily derives most of the features from Kalashnikov AK-47. In 1973, he received the Israel Defense Prize for this achievement.

Death

Yisrael Galili died on March 9, 1995.[2]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "The Israeli Galil". 23 November 2018.
  2. 1 2 "Yisrael Galili, Weapons Inventor, dies at 72". New York Times. 11 April 1995. Retrieved 11 February 2007.
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