Land Warfare

IWI unveils conversion kit for X95 assault rifle

15th October 2012 - 16:29 by the Shephard News Team

Israel Weapon Industries (IWI) has unveiled a new conversion kit for the X95 assault rifle for 5.45mm-caliber ammunition, making it the only weapon in the world with 3 calibers: 5.56mm, 9mm, and 5.45mm. The new attribute has been developed to make the X95 assault rifle suitable for both western and eastern ammunition.

The X95 was designed to deal with modern terror threats, as well as urban and open area combat, and is the standard Israel Defense Forces (IDF) assault rifle.

The X95 can be used as an assault rifle, carbine, or submachine gun (SMG) with an effective range of 150m for 9mm caliber configuration. According to the company, the conversion kit will enable the weapon to be operated worldwide, due to its compatibility with both western and eastern ammunition, ‘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, and has passed all tests with ‘remarkable success’.

Uri Amit, IWI's CEO, said: ‘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.’