The IWI Negev (also known as the Negev NG-5) is a
5.56×45mm NATO light machine gun
A light machine gun (LMG) is a light-weight machine gun designed to be operated by a single infantryman, with or without an assistant, as an infantry support weapon. LMGs firing cartridges of the same caliber as the other riflemen of the sam ...
developed by
Israel Weapon Industries
Israel Weapon Industries (IWI), formerly the Magen division of the Israel Military Industries Ltd. (IMI), is an Israeli firearms manufacturer.
It was founded in 1933. Formerly owned by the State of Israel, the Small Arms Division of IMI was pr ...
(IWI), formerly
Israel Military Industries Ltd. (IMI).
In 2012, IWI introduced the Negev NG-7
7.62×51mm NATO general-purpose machine gun
A general-purpose machine gun (GPMG) is an air-cooled, usually belt-fed machine gun that can be adapted flexibly to various tactical roles for light and medium machine guns. A GPMG typically features a quick-change barrel design calibered for v ...
and is used by the
Israel Defense Forces
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF; he, צְבָא הַהֲגָנָה לְיִשְׂרָאֵל , ), alternatively referred to by the Hebrew-language acronym (), is the national military of the Israel, State of Israel. It consists of three servic ...
(mainly in the infantry, combat engineer and special forces units). The NG stands for Next Generation.
Design details
![IMI-Negev006a](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/97/IMI-Negev006a.jpg)
The Negev is a
gas-operated
Gas-operation is a system of operation used to provide energy to operate locked breech, autoloading firearms. In gas-operation, a portion of high-pressure gas from the cartridge being fired is used to power a mechanism to dispose of the spent ...
selective fire
Selective fire is the capability of a weapon to be adjusted to fire in semi-automatic, fully automatic, and/or burst mode. The modes are chosen by means of a selector switch, which varies depending on the weapon's design. Some selective-fire we ...
light machine gun that uses propellant gases from the barrel to cycle a short-stroke gas piston operating system under the barrel and a
rotary bolt locking mechanism. The bolt itself features 4 radial locking lugs that engage the barrel extension and its rotation is controlled by a pin on the bolt body, which rides inside a camming guide machined into the bolt carrier. The bolt contains a spring-powered casing extractor unit, while a lever ejector is housed inside the receiver (it is rotated by the recoiling bolt carrier).
The design was meant to be reliable, especially in adverse conditions. In 1997, it was officially adopted by the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF).
Striker firing mechanism
The Negev is
striker-fired
A firing pin or striker is a part of the firing mechanism of a firearm that impacts the primer in the base of a cartridge and causes it to fire. In firearms terminology, a striker is a particular type of firing pin where a compressed spring ...
, where the bolt carrier assembly acts as the striker, and fires from an
open bolt
A firearm is said to fire from an open bolt if, when ready to fire, the bolt and working parts are held to the rear of the receiver, with no round in the chamber. When the trigger is actuated, the bolt travels forward, feeds a cartridge from t ...
position. A lever-type fire control selector switch is provided ("A" – for fully automatic fire and "R" – for semi-automatic fire), installed on the left side of the pistol grip, which doubles as a manual safety against accidental firing. The safe "S" position disables the sear mechanism (which makes it impossible to cock the bolt carrier), by lifting the lever responsible for holding the bolt carrier in the forward position and disconnects the trigger mechanism from the sear. The weapon can be secured safe regardless of the position of the bolt carrier group. The cocking handle is equipped with a ratcheting mechanism that immobilizes the partially cocked bolt carrier.
Gas regulator
The Negev's adjustable gas regulator has three settings:
* setting "1" is used exclusively when feeding from a magazine (rate of fire in this mode is around 850–1,050 rounds per minute).
* setting "2" is used in normal operating conditions when feeding from a belt (rate of fire in this mode is also around 850–1,050 rounds per minute).
* setting "3" which is used under adverse operating conditions, such as in the presence of dust, dirt or heavy fouling (rate of fire in this mode is around 950–1,150 rounds per minute).
Early prototypes used a different 3-position gas adjustment system:
*setting "1"—for normal operations.
*setting "2"—for adverse environmental conditions.
*setting "3"—isolates the gas system, and is used to launch
rifle grenade
A rifle grenade is a grenade that uses a rifle-based launcher to permit a longer effective range than would be possible if the grenade were thrown by hand.
The practice of projecting grenades with rifle-mounted launchers was first widely used du ...
s with the use of a grenade-launching blank cartridge drawn from a special 12-round magazine from the
Galil
The IMI Galil ( he, גליל) is a family of Israeli-made automatic rifles chambered for the 5.56×45mm NATO and 7.62×51mm NATO cartridges. Originally designed by Yisrael Galili and Yakov Lior in the late 1960s, the Galil was first produced ...
rifle.
Barrel
The Negev has a quick-change
chrome-lined barrel that is manufactured using a cold hammer forging process. The barrel is fitted with a slotted
flash suppressor
A flash suppressor, also known as a flash guard, flash eliminator, flash hider, or flash cone, is a muzzle device attached to the muzzle of a rifle that reduces its visible signature while firing by cooling or dispersing the burning gases that ...
and a fixed carry handle, which is used to transport the weapon and change-out an overheated barrel. The barrel can be changed only after lifting open the feed tray cover.
During the weapon's initial development a barrel with a 1 in 305 mm (1:12 in) rifling twist rate was also planned, adapted for the lightweight M193 cartridge. Additionally, a multifunction muzzle device was designed, used to launch rifle grenades.
Sights
The Negev's
iron sight
Iron sights are a system of physical alignment markers (usually made of metallic material) used as a sighting device to assist the accurate aiming of ranged weapons (such as a firearm, airgun, crossbow or even compound bow), or less commonly as ...
s (closed-type) consist of a front post (adjustable for both windage and elevation) and a rear aperture sight with an elevation adjustment drum, with 300 to 1,000 m range settings in 100 m increments. The sight line radius is . For night-time operation the weapon is equipped with gaseous
tritium
Tritium ( or , ) or hydrogen-3 (symbol T or H) is a rare and radioactive isotope of hydrogen with half-life about 12 years. The nucleus of tritium (t, sometimes called a ''triton'') contains one proton and two neutrons, whereas the nucleus o ...
-illuminated vials (supplied by Betalight): one installed in the front sight post, and two—on a notch sight under the standard aperture sight arm (before use, the rear sight leaf is pivoted forward to expose the night notch sight). A rail is integrated into the receiver top cover that allows optical day and night-time sights to be mounted to the weapon. The barrel can also be optionally fitted with mounting hardware that would allow the Negev to mount a laser pointer or reflex sight.
The machine gun has a metal side-folding (right side) stock and a removable
bipod
A bipod is a V-shaped portable attachment that helps support and steady a device, usually a weapon such as a long gun or a mortar. The term comes from the Latin prefix ''bi-'' and Greek root ''pod'', meaning "two" and "foot" respectively.
Bipod ...
, installed to the forward end of the handguard and folded under the handguard when stowed. The receiver also has slots and hooks used to secure the weapon to vehicle mounting hardware.
Cartridges
The Negev uses the
5.56×45mm NATO intermediate cartridge
An intermediate cartridge is a rifle/carbine cartridge that has significantly greater power than a pistol cartridge but still has a reduced muzzle energy compared to fully powered cartridges (such as the .303 British, 7.62×54mmR, 7.92×57mm ...
and is optimized for the SS109 bullet. Field maintenance involves stripping the weapon down to six main groups: the barrel, stock, bolt carrier, bolt, bipod and return mechanism. All parts, including the quick-change barrels are fully interchangeable. The Negev NG-7 uses the
7.62×51mm NATO full-power
battle rifle
A battle rifle is a service rifle chambered to fire a fully powered cartridge.
The term "battle rifle" is a retronym created largely out of a need to better differentiate the intermediate cartridge, intermediate-powered assault rifles (e.g. the S ...
cartridge.
Ammunition feeding
The Negev feeds from an M27 disintegrating, open-link ammunition belt, carried in a 150-round fabric container that clips into the magazine well, or alternatively from a 35-round box magazine from the
Galil
The IMI Galil ( he, גליל) is a family of Israeli-made automatic rifles chambered for the 5.56×45mm NATO and 7.62×51mm NATO cartridges. Originally designed by Yisrael Galili and Yakov Lior in the late 1960s, the Galil was first produced ...
assault rifle, or a 30-round
STANAG
In NATO, a standardization agreement (STANAG, redundantly: STANAG agreement) defines processes, procedures, terms, and conditions for common military or technical procedures or equipment between the member countries of the alliance. Each NATO st ...
magazine from the
M16 rifle
The M16 rifle (officially designated Rifle, Caliber 5.56 mm, M16) is a family of military rifles adapted from the ArmaLite AR-15 rifle for the United States military. The original M16 rifle was a 5.56×45mm automatic rifle with a 20-roun ...
(with the use of an adapter). 200-round ammunition belt containers are also available. Belted ammunition is introduced into the feed tray port from the left side, while the magazine is inserted vertically into the magazine well at the base of the receiver.
The feed system, which loosely copies the
vz. 52
The CZ 52 (also known by the Czechoslovak military designations vz. 52, for (vz. - ''vzor'' = model) "model of 1952", and CZ 482) is a semi-automatic pistol designed by two brothers, Jan and Jaroslav Kratochvíl, in the early 1950s for the Cze ...
and the
PK, uses a lever mounted on the left wall of the receiver and driven by a cam in the recoiling bolt carrier to turn a small feed
pawl. The belt is pushed by the pawl only during the rearward movement of the bolt carrier.
The non-reciprocating charging handle is located on the right side of the weapon.
Variants
Negev NG-5
![NegevILMachinegun](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/1b/NegevILMachinegun.jpg)
* Negev NG-5 – is a
light machine gun
A light machine gun (LMG) is a light-weight machine gun designed to be operated by a single infantryman, with or without an assistant, as an infantry support weapon. LMGs firing cartridges of the same caliber as the other riflemen of the sam ...
is chambered in
5.56×45mm NATO cartridge. It has a barrel length of 460 mm (18.11 inch) and two operation modes; semi-automatic for accurate and fast controlled fire, and fully automatic for maximum firepower.
* Negev NG-5 SF – is a compact variant of the Negev NG-5. It uses a shorter barrel and is primarily fitted with the (Negev assault grip).
It has a barrel length of 330 mm (12.99 inch).
Negev NG-7
* Negev NG-7 – is a
general-purpose machine gun
A general-purpose machine gun (GPMG) is an air-cooled, usually belt-fed machine gun that can be adapted flexibly to various tactical roles for light and medium machine guns. A GPMG typically features a quick-change barrel design calibered for v ...
is chambered for the
7.62×51mm NATO cartridge. It has a barrel length of 508 mm (20 inch) and two operation modes; semi-automatic for accurate and fast controlled fire, and fully automatic for maximum firepower.
It is fed by a 100- or 125-round assault drum magazine containing disintegrating M13 NATO standard ammunition belts or NATO standard ammunition belts and has two gas regulator settings as the possibility for box magazine feeding was omitted. The IWI eLog weapon-embedded sensor module was added to collect and store data on the actual use of the weapons for more efficient maintenance management and servicing by armourers.
* Negev NG-7 SF – is a compact variant of the Negev NG-7. It uses a shorter barrel and is primarily fitted with a side grip (Negev assault grip).
It has a barrel length of 420 mm (16.5 inch).
Gallery
File:שני מקלעים.JPG, FN MAG (on the left), IWI Negev NG-5 (on the right)
File:IMI-Negev001.jpg, Negev NG-5 (on the left), M4A1 (on the right)
File:Flickr - Israel Defense Forces - Standing Guard in Nablus.jpg, IDF
IDF or idf may refer to:
Defence forces
* Irish Defence Forces
* Israel Defense Forces
*Iceland Defense Force, of the US Armed Forces, 1951-2006
* Indian Defence Force, a part-time force, 1917
Organizations
* Israeli Diving Federation
* Interac ...
infantry
Infantry is a military specialization which engages in ground combat on foot. Infantry generally consists of light infantry, mountain infantry, motorized infantry & mechanized infantry, airborne infantry, air assault infantry, and marine i ...
soldier with a Negev NG-5 light machine gun during Operation Defensive Shield, 2002
File:Flickr - Israel Defense Forces - Desert Reconnaissance Battalion Special Training, Nov 2010 (1).jpg, IDF
IDF or idf may refer to:
Defence forces
* Irish Defence Forces
* Israel Defense Forces
*Iceland Defense Force, of the US Armed Forces, 1951-2006
* Indian Defence Force, a part-time force, 1917
Organizations
* Israeli Diving Federation
* Interac ...
infantry
Infantry is a military specialization which engages in ground combat on foot. Infantry generally consists of light infantry, mountain infantry, motorized infantry & mechanized infantry, airborne infantry, air assault infantry, and marine i ...
soldier fires a Negev NG-5 light machine gun during training
File:Flickr - Israel Defense Forces - Weapons Instructor.jpg, IDF instructor with a Negev NG-5 light machine gun
Users
*
*: Used by
Military Police of São Paulo State
The Polícia Militar do Estado de São Paulo (''São Paulo State Military Police'') is a law enforcement agency (Military Police (Brazil)) of the military kind in the state of São Paulo, Brazil. It is the largest state police force in the count ...
,
Military Police of Amazonas State
*: Used by
Battalion d'intervention rapide
*
*
*: Used by mechanised infantry, paratroopers and the Special Forces.
* : Used by Presidential Guard units in 2010
*
*
* Since May 2010, standard issue
light machine gun
A light machine gun (LMG) is a light-weight machine gun designed to be operated by a single infantryman, with or without an assistant, as an infantry support weapon. LMGs firing cartridges of the same caliber as the other riflemen of the sam ...
of the GAF. Heavily used by Georgian units
in Afghanistan.
*: 5.56 variant serving as standard issue LMG for Special Forces from earlier. An order for 16,479 NG-7s was placed in March 2020 to replace all the INSAS Light Machine guns present with the
Indian Army
The Indian Army is the land-based branch and the largest component of the Indian Armed Forces. The President of India is the Supreme Commander of the Indian Army, and its professional head is the Chief of Army Staff (COAS), who is a four- ...
, which were subsequently delivered in February 2021.
*: The Negev was adopted by the
Israel Defense Forces
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF; he, צְבָא הַהֲגָנָה לְיִשְׂרָאֵל , ), alternatively referred to by the Hebrew-language acronym (), is the national military of the Israel, State of Israel. It consists of three servic ...
in 1997
[Hogg, Ian (2002). ''Jane's Guns Recognition Guide''. Jane's Information Group. .] and the Negev NG-7 was adopted in 2012.
*:
*:
Kenya Defense Forces
*:
Mexican Federal Police
The Federal Police ( es, Policía Federal, PF), formerly known as the (Federal Preventive Police) and sometimes referred to in the U.S. as "Federales", was a Mexican national police force formed in 1999 and folded into the National Guard in 2019. ...
*:
Police Special Forces
*: Paraguayan Army.
*:
Philippine National Police
The Philippine National Police ( fil, Pambansang Pulisya ng Pilipinas, acronymed as PNP) is the armed national police force in the Philippines. Its national headquarters is located at Camp Crame in Bagong Lipunan ng Crame, Quezon City. Current ...
Philippine Coast Guard
The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) ( fil, Tanod Baybayin ng Pilipinas) is recognized as the third armed uniformed service of the country attached to the Philippines' Department of Transportation, tasked primarily with enforcing laws within P ...
*: Used by special forces and commandos
*: Used by Tanzanian Special Forces.
*: Purchased 1,000 machine guns in 2007, and another 550 in 2008.
*: In service with Naval Special Forces.
*: Known as Fort-401
See also
*
Daewoo Precision Industries K3
The Daewoo Precision Industries K3 is a South Korean light machine-gun. It is the third indigenous firearm developed in South Korea by the Agency for Defense Development, following the Daewoo Precision Industries K1 submachine gun and Daewoo Prec ...
*
M249 light machine gun
The M249 light machine gun (LMG), also known as the M249 Squad Automatic Weapon (SAW), which continues to be the manufacturer's designation, and formally written as Light Machine Gun, 5.56 mm, M249, is the American adaptation of the Belgian F ...
*
M60 machine gun
The M60, officially the Machine Gun, Caliber 7.62 mm, M60, is a family of American general-purpose machine guns firing 7.62×51mm NATO cartridges from a disintegrating belt of M13 links. There are several types of ammunition approved for ...
*
FN Minimi
The FN Minimi (short for french: Mini Mitrailleuse; "mini machine gun") is a Belgian 5.56mm light machine gun/squad automatic weapon developed by Ernest Vervier for FN Herstal. First introduced in the late 1970s, it is now in service in more th ...
*
FN Maximi
*
FN EVOLYS
The FN EVOLYS is a general purpose machine gun designed by FN Herstal, chambered for 5.56×45mm NATO and 7.62×51mm NATO ammunition. It is produced since 2021. The EVOLYS was designed to be lighter and more ergonomic than other machine guns, su ...
*
FN MAG
The FN MAG is a Belgian 7.62 mm general-purpose machine gun, designed in the early 1950s at Fabrique Nationale (FN) by Ernest Vervier. It has been used by more than 80 countries and it has been made under licence in several countries, inc ...
*
HK MG4
*
HK MG5
The Heckler & Koch MG5 (in the development phase also known as the HK121) is a belt-fed 7.62×51mm NATO general-purpose machine gun manufactured by German firearm manufacturer Heckler & Koch.
The MG5 resembles the 5.56×45mm NATO Heckler & Koch ...
*
PK machine gun
The PK (russian: Пулемёт Калашникова, transliterated as ''Pulemyot Kalashnikova'', or "Kalashnikov's machine gun"), is a belt-fed general-purpose machine gun, chambered for the 7.62×54mmR rimmed cartridge.
Designed in the ...
*
PKP Pecheneg machine gun
The PKP Pecheneg (Pulemyot Kalashnikova Pekhotny "Pecheneg", russian: Печенег) is a Russian 7.62×54mmR general-purpose machine gun.Popenker, Max RPKP Pecheneg machine gun It is a further development and modification of the PK machine gun ...
*
QJY-88
The QJY-88, also known as the Type 88 LMG (Chinese: 88式通用机枪, 1988 shì tōngyòng jīqiāng; English: 1988 model general purpose machine gun), is a 5.8x42mm Chinese light machine gun designed in the late 1980s by China North Industries ...
*
QJS-161
The QJS-161 (), also known as the QJB-201, is a Chinese light machine gun designed and manufactured by Norinco for the People's Liberation Army.
Design and development
The QJS-161 features two types of barrel varied in length, presumably for di ...
*
QJY-201
The QJY-201 (), is a Chinese general purpose machine gun designed and manufactured by Norinco for the People's Liberation Army. The weapon is publicly unveiled at Zhuhai Airshow in September 2021. The weapon is chambered with the DJP-201 7.62×51 ...
*
RPL-20
The RPL-20 is a prototype light machine gun developed by Kalashnikov Concern for the Russian Military. Though designed in response to feedback following the purchase and testing of the company's magazine-fed RPK-16 light machine gun, the RPL-20 i ...
*
Ultimax 100
The Ultimax 100 is a Singapore-made 5.56mm light machine gun, developed by the Chartered Industries of Singapore (CIS, now ST Kinetics) by a team of engineers under the guidance of American firearms designer L. James Sullivan. The weapon is extr ...
References
External links
* The Negev LMGs in the
IWI
Iwi () are the largest social units in New Zealand Māori society. In Māori roughly means "people" or "nation", and is often translated as "tribe", or "a confederation of tribes". The word is both singular and plural in the Māori language, an ...
official website:
*
Negev SF*
Negev NG-7*
Negev NG-7 SFIsrael Weapon Industries – Homepage (Main Website)Israel Weapon Industries – Negev (Main Website)
{{IMI IWI smallarms
5.56×45mm NATO machine guns
Light machine guns
7.62×51mm NATO machine guns
General-purpose machine guns
Firearms of Israel
Military equipment introduced in the 1990s