HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Indústria de Material Bélico do Brasil (IMBEL; en, Brazilian War Material Industry) is a
Ministry of Defence {{unsourced, date=February 2021 A ministry of defence or defense (see spelling differences), also known as a department of defence or defense, is an often-used name for the part of a government responsible for matters of defence, found in states ...
quango, founded in 1975, which coordinates industrial activity related to the planning and production of war material through the transfer of
technology Technology is the application of knowledge to reach practical goals in a specifiable and reproducible way. The word ''technology'' may also mean the product of such an endeavor. The use of technology is widely prevalent in medicine, science, ...
and the financial and technical support of new military development.


History

IMBEL was founded on July 16, 1934, in the city of Itajubá,
Minas Gerais Minas Gerais () is a state in Southeastern Brazil. It ranks as the second most populous, the third by gross domestic product (GDP), and the fourth largest by area in the country. The state's capital and largest city, Belo Horizonte (literally ...
, Brazil. The original factory was designated Fábrica de Canos e Sabres para Armas Portáteis ( en, Barrels and Sabres Factory for Portable Arms) and later Fabrica de Itajubá (FI), which directly involved the Brazilian Army in the production of military material. On July 14, 1975, Law no. 6227 created Indústria de Material Bélico do Brasil (IMBEL),http://www.planalto.gov.br/ccivil_03/leis/1970-1979/L6227.htm , Brazil. Law no. 6,227, July 14, 1975. Published in July 15, 1975, on Diário Oficial da União. linked to the Ministry of the Army, with the purpose of promoting the war material industry of interest to the army based on private investment. The organisation's remit was later expanded to promoting the military material industry in Brazil. It was initially involved in manufacturing
Mauser Mauser, originally Königlich Württembergische Gewehrfabrik ("Royal Württemberg Rifle Factory"), was a German arms manufacturer. Their line of bolt-action rifles and semi-automatic pistols has been produced since the 1870s for the German arme ...
rifles.


Products

* IA2, a new rifle designed to be the replacement for their FALs. It uses many
polymer A polymer (; Greek '' poly-'', "many" + ''-mer'', "part") is a substance or material consisting of very large molecules called macromolecules, composed of many repeating subunits. Due to their broad spectrum of properties, both synthetic a ...
parts and a redesigned bolt. It has a low recoil and passed the Brazilian Army's test. The rifle is still being evaluated by the
Brazilian Navy ) , colors= Blue and white , colors_label= Colors , march= "Cisne Branco" ( en, "White Swan") (same name as training ship ''Cisne Branco'' , mascot= , equipment= 1 multipurpose aircraft carrier7 submarines6 frigates2 corvettes4 amphibious warf ...
and the
Brazilian Air Force "Wings that protect the country" , colours = , colours_label = , march = Hino dos Aviadores , mascot = , anniversaries = 22 May (anniver ...
(2013/set). * MD-2 and MD-3 Rifles - A licensed copy of the
FN FAL The FAL (a French acronym for (English: "Light Automatic Rifle")), is a battle rifle designed in Belgium by Dieudonné Saive and manufactured by FN Herstal (simply known as FN). During the Cold War the FAL was adopted by many countries of th ...
called the Fuzil Automático Leve ( FAL) manufactured by FI (Fábrica de Itajubá). Brazil took a delivery of a small number of FN-made FAL rifles for evaluation as early as 1954. Troop field testing was performed with FN-made FALs between 1958 and 1962. In 1964, Brazil officially adopted the rifle, designating the rifle M964 for the year. Licensed production started shortly afterwards at IMBEL in the Itajubá plant. The folding-stock version was designated M964A1. By the late 1980s to early 1990s IMBEL had manufactured some 200,000 M964 rifles. Most Brazilian-made FALs are characterized by their 'slab-sided' late-type receivers with external lightening cuts omitted, a feature which simplifies production and lowers cost. Early FN-made FALs for Brazil are typical FN 1964 models with Type 1 or Type 2 receivers (with lightening cuts), plastic stock, handguard, and pistol grip, 22 mm cylindrical flash hider for grenade launching, and plastic model "D" carrying handle. A heavy-barrel version, known as the FAP (Fuzil Automático Pesado, heavy automatic rifle) was also produced for the armed forces, to be used as a
squad automatic weapon A squad automatic weapon (SAW), also known as a section automatic weapon or light support weapon (LSW), is a man-portable automatic firearm attached to infantry squads or sections as a source of rapid direct firepower. Weapons fulfilling this ...
. ** FAL Variants - Brazil also makes its own FAL variants, known as the MD-2 and MD-3 assault rifles, manufactured by IMBEL. The first prototype, the MD-1, appeared around 1983. In 1985, the MD-2 was presented and adopted by the
Brazilian Armed Forces The Brazilian Armed Forces ( pt, Forças Armadas Brasileiras, ) are the unified military forces of the Federative Republic of Brazil. Consisting of three service branches, it comprises the Brazilian Army (including the Brazilian Army Aviatio ...
. The MD-2/MD-3 is very similar to the FAL, the main design differences being the locking system, which was replaced by an M16-type rotating bolt, and its chambering for the 5.56×45mm NATO cartridge. The MD-2 and MD-3 use M16-compatible magazines; the MD-2 features a side-folding stock, and the MD-3 uses the same fixed polymer stock as the FAL. ** SAR 48 - IMBEL produced a semi-automatic version of the FAL for
Springfield Armory, Inc. Springfield Armory, Inc., is an American commercial firearms manufacturer and importer based in Geneseo, Illinois. Founded in 1974 by Bob Reese and family, the company produces rifles such as the Springfield Armory M1A, M1A and imports handguns ...
(not to be confused with the US military Springfield Armory), which was marketed in the US as the SAR-48 and SAR-4800, starting in the mid-1980s. Early SAR-48s were simply selective-fire M964 FALs which were modified to semi-auto-only by replacing the safety sear with a thick washer soldered in its place. **IMBEL MD2A1, a 9mm submachine gun adaptation of the MD-2 rifle. * Itajubá Model 954 Mosquetão and Model 968 Mosquefal, derivatives of the Gewehr 98. * The IMBEL MD97 assault rifle family was developed to replace IMBEL MD-2 and MD-3 rifles that were in use with the Brazilian military. The MD-97 is based on the MD-2. The IMBEL MD-97 assault rifle family consists of three models with different dimensions and weight. The MD-97 family can be fed from standard STANAG magazines. Assault rifles are available with fixed or folding buttstocks. The barrel life is a relatively short 6,000 rounds. The MD-97 also has a brass deflector. ** The MD-97L is intended for the Brazilian Armed Forces, a similar design to the IMBEL MD-2 with a gas-operated action with rotating bolt. The "L" stands for "Leve" or "Light". This assault rifle is chambered for standard NATO 5.56×45mm rounds. It has a selective-fire mode-changer and fires in single-, burst- and full-auto modes. It can penetrate 3.5 mm of ballistic plate at a distance of 600 meters. It is the only MD-97 family rifle that can be fitted with an under-barrel grenade launcher. ** MD-97LC carbine is a shortened single-shot-mode-only version of the MD-97L, intended for police forces. The "LC" stands for "Leve/Curto" or "Light/Short". It has reduced weight and length. It can penetrate 3.5 mm ballistic plate at a distance of 300 meters. ** MD-97LM carbine is a single- and fully automatic model. It is an assault rifle with a sound suppressor and grenade launcher, with a
Picatinny rail The Picatinny rail ( or ), or Pic rail for short, also known as a MIL-STD-1913 rail, 1913 rail or STANAG 2324 rail (cancelled), is a military standard rail interface system that provides a mounting platform for firearm accessories. It was o ...
for various sights and accessories. * The ALAC (pt: Arma Leve Anticarro), (English: Light Antitank Weapon) * M1911 pistols: Project Colt - IMBEL acquired a manufacturing license for the
M1911 pistol The M1911 (Colt 1911 or Colt Government) is a single-action, recoil-operated, semi-automatic pistol chambered for the .45 ACP cartridge. The pistol's formal U.S. military designation as of 1940 was ''Automatic Pistol, Caliber .45, M1911'' for th ...
, and has exported pistols to the
United States of America The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territo ...
through
Springfield Armory, Inc. Springfield Armory, Inc., is an American commercial firearms manufacturer and importer based in Geneseo, Illinois. Founded in 1974 by Bob Reese and family, the company produces rifles such as the Springfield Armory M1A, M1A and imports handguns ...
(sold under the Springfield Armory brand) since 1985. It produces
.380 ACP The .380 ACP (9×17mm) ( Automatic Colt Pistol) is a rimless, straight-walled pistol cartridge developed by firearms designer John Moses Browning. The cartridge headspaces on the mouth of the case.Wilson, R. K. ''Textbook of Automatic Pisto ...
, 9mm Parabellum, .40 S&W and
.45 ACP The .45 ACP ( Automatic Colt Pistol) or .45 Auto (11.43×23mm) is a rimless straight-walled handgun cartridge designed by John Moses Browning in 1904, for use in his prototype Colt semi-automatic pistol. After successful military trials, it ...
models.


References

*"IMBEL Release - 16 de julho de 2008 - Gen Bda MORAES" "IMBEL Release - July 16, 2008 - Gen Bda MORAES"


External links


Official Site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Imbel Manufacturing companies of Brazil Firearm manufacturers of Brazil Defence companies of Brazil Government-owned companies of Brazil Brazilian brands