Heckler & Koch UMP

Heckler & Koch UMP
HK UMP45 with a KAC vertical foregrip
TypeSubmachine gun
Place of originGermany
Service history
In service2000–present
Used bySee Users
Production history
Designed1990s
ManufacturerHeckler & Koch
Produced2000–present
VariantsSee Variants
Specifications
MassWithout magazine:
  • 2.3 kg (5.1 lb) (UMP9/UMP40)
  • 2.5 kg (5.5 lb) (UMP45)

With unloaded magazine:

  • 2.5 kg (5.5 lb) (UMP9)
  • 2.55 kg (5.6 lb) (UMP40)
  • 2.65 kg (5.8 lb) (UMP45)
Length450 mm (17.7 in) (stock folded)
690 mm (27.2 in) (stock extended)
Barrel length200 mm (7.9 in)
Cartridge9×19mm Parabellum (UMP9)
.40 S&W (UMP40)
.45 ACP (UMP45/USC)
ActionBlowback,[1] closed bolt
Rate of fire600–750 rounds/min (UMP9, UMP40)[2][3]
600–700 rounds/min (UMP45)[3]
Muzzle velocity380 m/s (1,250 ft/s) (9×19mm Parabellum)
358 m/s (1,170 ft/s) (.40 S&W)[3]
260 m/s (870 ft/s) (.45 ACP)[3]
Effective firing range100 m (328 ft) (9×19mm Parabellum)
65 m (213 ft) (.45 ACP)
Feed system30-round detachable curved box magazine (UMP9)
30-round detachable straight box magazine (UMP40)
25-round detachable straight box magazine (UMP45)
10-round detachable straight box magazine (USC)
SightsIron sights and Picatinny rail for various optical sights

The Heckler & Koch UMP (Universale Maschinenpistole, German for "Universal Machine Pistol") is a submachine gun developed and manufactured by Heckler & Koch. Heckler & Koch developed the UMP as a lighter and cheaper successor to the MP5, though both remain in production.[4] The UMP has been adopted for use by various countries including Brazil, Canada, and the United States. Some of the weapons saw limited service in the early years of the Iraqi insurgency, making them one of the more popular submachine guns being deployed by the U.S. military personnel in recent conflicts around the world.

The UMP can be converted from 9×19mm Parabellum, .40 S&W, or .45 ACP by changing the barrel, bolt, and magazine. The UMP was previously available in multiple calibres, however with a decline in global use of .40 S&W and .45 ACP, only the 9mm Parabellum variant is in production. Parts are still available for the .40 S&W and .45 ACP calibre variants.[2]

History

[edit]

The UMP was designed in the 1990s by Heckler & Koch (HK), as a cheaper, lighter alternative to the MP5,[5] which made heavy use of polymers.[6] The UMP first entered production in 2000.[2] It was designed primarily for use by American military and law enforcement units,[7] as the MP5 was not available in .45 ACP, a round which was popular in the United States, but not in Europe.[8] Despite the UMP's improvements and reduced cost, it did not replace the MP5, which ended up outselling the UMP.[9]

Recall

[edit]

In 2000, H&K recalled certain UMP and USC serial numbers due to faulty operating handles. The faulty handles, made of polymer, could break off, making the weapons inoperable.[10]

Design details

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The UMP is a blowback-operated, magazine-fed submachine gun that fires from a closed bolt.[11] The closed bolt design increases the accuracy, which is particularly desirable in a law enforcement context.[8] However, the simple blowback design of the UMP makes it less controllable than the MP5.[12]

The UMP was originally designed for larger cartridges such as the .40 S&W and .45 ACP, to provide more stopping power against unarmoured targets, with slightly lower effectiveness at longer ranges. A larger cartridge produces more recoil and makes it harder to control in fully automatic fire. To mitigate the excessive recoil, Heckler & Koch designed the UMP to have a cyclic rate of around 600 rounds per minute, though the rate of fire increases up to 700 rounds per minute if (+ P) ammunition is used.[3][11]

Heckler & Koch MP5A5 (top), MP5A4 (middle) and UMP9 (bottom), on display at a Navy armoury exhibition

The UMP9 (the 9×19mm variant of the UMP) is almost 0.2 kilograms (0.44 lb) lighter than the MP5. It has a cyclic rate of around 600–750 rounds per minute.[2] Its predominantly polymer construction reduces both its weight and the number of parts susceptible to corrosion.[11][13]

The UMP is available in four trigger group configurations, featuring different combinations of semi-automatic, 2-round burst, fully automatic, and safe settings. It features a side-folding buttstock to reduce its length during transport. When the last round of the UMP is fired, the bolt locks open, and can be released via a catch on the left side. The iron sights consist of an aperture rear sight and a front ring with a vertical post. It can mount four Picatinny rails (one on top of the receiver, and one on the right, left, and bottom of the handguard) for mounting accessories such as optical sights, tactical lights, or laser sights. Vertical foregrips can be attached to the bottom rail for better control during burst and automatic fire.[11]

Variants

[edit]
UMP9 (top) and MP5 E6 (bottom) on display at Military University of Technology

The UMP is interchangeable between three different calibres:

The UMP9, chambered in 9×19mm Parabellum

The UMP40, chambered in .40 S&W

The UMP45, chambered in .45 ACP

Apart from the different chambering, all versions feature the same design model, the exterior differences being the curved magazine used on the UMP9, while both the UMP40 and UMP45 each use a straight magazine. All three versions of the weapon can be cross-converted to any of the round chamberings by replacing the bolt, barrel, and magazine.[11][13]

The USC or Universal Self-loading Carbine is a semi-automatic-only variant of the UMP designed for civilian use. It was created following the Assault Weapons Ban of 1994 in the United States and was introduced in 2000. Changes from the original UMP include a "thumbhole" type stock/grip instead of the pistol grip of the UMP, a longer barrel without the flash suppressor, a magazine limited to 10 rounds, and a semi-automatic-only trigger group and action.[14] Originally available in grey, as of 2008 the USC came only in an all-black finish.[15]

Production of the USC was halted in 2013.[16] In 2018, H&K announced a limited production run of new USC rifles.

Clones

[edit]
  • Omega Gideon Shadow - American clone of the UMP released in 2017.[17]
  • Tommy Built Tactical TMP/KSM - American clone of the UMP.

Users

[edit]
UOPI operator with a UMP9
Country Organisation name Model Date References
 Australia Victoria Police Critical Incident Response Team UMP40 _ [18]
New South Wales Police Force State Protection Group UMP40 _ [19]
 Brazil Special Operations Command of the Brazilian Army UMP9 _ [20]
Amphibious Commandos of the Brazilian Marine Corps UMP9 _ [20]
 Canada Brantford Police Service Emergency Response Team UMP40 _ [21]
 France National Gendarmerie UMP9 2008 [22]
Directorate-General of Customs and Indirect Taxes UMP9 2016 [23]
National Police (France) UMP9 2016 [24]
 Georgia Special Operations Forces UMP45 _ [25]
 Jordan Jordanian Special Operations Forces _ _ [26]
 Latvia Latvian Army UMP9 _ [27]
 Liechtenstein Special Police Unit _ _ [28]
Security Corps _ _ [29][28]
 Malaysia Pasukan Khas Laut (PASKAL) counter-terrorism team of the Royal Malaysian Navy UMP45 2006 [30]
Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency UMP9 _ [31]
 Mexico Mexican Marines _ _ [32]
 Paraguay Regimiento Escolta Presidencial. UMP9 _ [33]
 Poland Policja UMP9 _ [34]
 Portugal Portuguese Armed Forces _ _ [35]
 Romania Romanian Special Operations Forces UMP9 _ [36]
Romanian Naval Forces special operations group (GNFOS) UMP9 _ [37]
 Serbia 72nd Brigade for Special Operations and 63rd Parachute Brigade of the Serbian Armed Forces UMP9 _ [38]
 Slovakia 5th Special Forces Regiment of the Armed Forces of Slovak Republic UMP9 _ [39]
South Africa South Africa National Intervention Unit - A special operations element of the South African Police Service (SAPS) UMP9 _ [40]
 Spain Spanish Army _ _ [41]
 United States U.S. Border Patrol UMP40 _ [42]
Pentagon Force Protection Agency UMP40 _ [43]
Henry County Police Department, Georgia UMP40 _ [44]
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department UMP40 _ [45]
Baltimore City Police Department UMP40 _ [46]

See also

[edit]

Modern closed-bolt blowback submachine guns

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "UMP9". Archived from the original on 2018-06-17. Retrieved 2018-06-17.
  2. ^ a b c d "Heckler & Koch UMP - Info Sheet" (PDF). Heckler & Koch USA. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2022-12-24. Retrieved 2023-08-18.
  3. ^ a b c d e Manual, HK UMP. "HK UMP40 and UMP45 Manual" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 2018-05-16.
  4. ^ "Heckler & Koch – Group Website". Heckler-koch.com. Archived from the original on 2009-05-27. Retrieved 2009-06-26.
  5. ^ "Roller-Delayed Revival: The Heckler & Koch SP5K". American Rifleman. Retrieved 2021-04-04.
  6. ^ Mizokami, Kyle (2018-07-23). "Behold: The 5 Best Pistol Caliber Carbines (PCCs) on the Planet (Heckler & Koch is 1 of Them)". The National Interest. Retrieved 2021-04-04.
  7. ^ "UMP9". HK USA. Retrieved 2021-04-04.
  8. ^ a b McCollum, Ian (2020-03-06). "H&K UMP: An H&K SMG Made for .40 and .45". Forgotten Weapons. Retrieved 2021-04-04.
  9. ^ Gao, Charlie (2019-11-14). "Forget Stealth and Missiles: Meet the Russian Army's Greatest Guns (All in One List)". The National Interest. Retrieved 2021-04-04.
  10. ^ "HK Recalls Firearms". Shooting Industry. General OneFile. April 2000. p. 10.
  11. ^ a b c d e Cutshaw, Charles Q (2011). Tactical Small Arms of the 21st Century: A Complete Guide to Small Arms From Around the World. Iola, Wisconsin: Gun Digest Books. p. 156. ISBN 978-1-4402-2709-7. Archived from the original on 11 June 2016. Retrieved 8 August 2013.
  12. ^ Gao, Charlie (2018-12-08). "Introducing the 5 Worst Guns from Germany". The National Interest. Retrieved 2021-04-04.
  13. ^ a b Dockery, Kevin (2007). Future Weapons. New York: Penguin Group US. pp. 383–385. ISBN 978-1-101-20618-8. Archived from the original on 6 May 2016. Retrieved 8 August 2013.
  14. ^ Peterson, Phillip (19 August 2011). Gun Digest Book of Modern Gun Values. Iola, Wisconsin: Gun Digest Books. p. 324. ISBN 978-1-4402-1833-0. Retrieved 8 August 2013.
  15. ^ Ramage, Ken (2008). Gun Digest 2009: The World's Greatest Gun Book. Iola, Wisconsin: F+W Media, Inc. p. 176. ISBN 978-0-89689-647-5. Archived from the original on 18 June 2018. Retrieved 8 August 2013.
  16. ^ "H&K Discontinues USC Sales - The Firearm Blog". The Firearm Blog. 2 May 2013. Archived from the original on 2015-01-03. Retrieved 2015-01-03.
  17. ^ "Omega Gideon Shadow – UMP Pistol – Atlantic Firearms". 18 October 2017.
  18. ^ Rolfe, Peter (January 1, 2012). "Siege and hold up could be linked". Sunday Herald Sun. Retrieved 2013-11-22. |[dead link]
  19. ^ "Sydney Siege". 8 January 2015.
  20. ^ a b "Novas submetralhadoras 9x19mm para as Forças Especiais". Defesa Aérea & Naval. August 8, 2016. Archived from the original on August 10, 2016. Retrieved 2016-08-10.
  21. ^ Ball, Vincent. "Police give valuable inside look at tactical unit". Brantford Expositor. Archived from the original on 2016-03-04. Retrieved 2013-08-08.
  22. ^ Alain Henry de Frahan (10 July 2018). "Nouveaux pistolets et pistolets mitrailleurs pour les forces de l'ordre françaises". forcesoperations.com..
  23. ^ "Immersion dans l'usine secrète de la police". Le Parisien.fr. 18 March 2017..
  24. ^ "Nouveaux pistolets et pistolets mitrailleurs pour les forces de l'ordre françaises". forcesoperations.com. 10 July 2018..
  25. ^ "Armament of the Georgian Army". Geo-army.ge. Archived from the original on 2012-03-09. Retrieved 2013-09-02.
  26. ^ Shea, Dan (Spring 2009). "SOFEX 2008". Small Arms Defense Journal, p. 29.
  27. ^ Jones, Richard (2009). Jane's Infantry Weapons 2009–2010. Jane's Information Group. p. 898. ISBN 978-0-7106-2869-5.
  28. ^ a b "Annual Report 2011 > Landespolizei" (PDF) (in German). Landespolizei. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2013-05-13. Retrieved 2012-06-18.
  29. ^ "About the Security Corps > Landespolizei" (PDF) (in German). Landespolizei. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2013-05-13. Retrieved 2012-06-18.
  30. ^ Wangguang, Lei (2015-03-21). "Langkawi Airshow / PASKAL─Sea Dragon special warfare/蘭卡威航展／PASKAL─大馬海中特戰蛟龍". Youth Daily News (in Chinese). Archived from the original on 2016-01-07. Retrieved 2015-04-20.
  31. ^ Mohd Husaini Kamal (2011-06-24). "Kursus Pengendalian Senjata Kecil di WILSAR" (in Malay). Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency. Archived from the original on 2012-04-02. Retrieved 2009-11-29.
  32. ^ Montes, Julio A. (July 2009). "Small Arms in Mexico". Small Arms Review. 12 (10): 88.
  33. ^ "wiw_sa_paraguay - worldinventory". 2016-11-24. Archived from the original on 2016-11-24. Retrieved 2023-03-07.
  34. ^ "Uzbrojenie - O Policji" (in Polish). Info.Policja.pl. Archived from the original on 2018-07-12. Retrieved 2018-07-12.
  35. ^ Ferreira, Bryan (8 October 2020). "Portuguese Military – Special Operations and Elite Units". Spec Ops Magazine.
  36. ^ "Press Release". Ministerul Apărării Naționale. 18 September 2012.
  37. ^ "SEAL-ul romanesc se antreneaza in tacere - Romania Libera" (in Romanian). romanialibera.ro. 12 October 2008. Archived from the original on 2017-07-14. Retrieved 2015-12-07.
  38. ^ "Kalibar | Tekst" (in Serbian). Kalibar.rs. Archived from the original on 2016-04-13. Retrieved 2013-09-02.
  39. ^ "5th Regiment of Special Assignment". Archived from the original on 2018-12-15. Retrieved 2009-11-29.
  40. ^ "South African Police Training Overview" (PDF). The Marikana Commission of Inquiry. South African Police Service. p. 78. Archived from the original (PDF) on 13 October 2014. Retrieved 8 October 2014.
  41. ^ "El Ejército de Tierra necesita adquirir fusiles, subfusiles y ametralladoras de H&K por 4,8 millones de euros". Infodefensa.com (in Spanish). 1 September 2009. Archived from the original on 2 February 2016. Retrieved 2 February 2016.
  42. ^ Krieger, Jim (9 March 2010). "Guns of the United States Border Patrol". Archived from the original on 7 May 2010. Retrieved 8 August 2013.
  43. ^ Barry, Dan (14 March 2010). "A Quiet Evening, Waiting for the Next Angry Man". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 31 July 2017. Retrieved 24 February 2017.
  44. ^ FOX 5 Atlanta (2017-09-13), I-Team: Police Shooting Justified Says Henry County District Attorney, archived from the original on 2021-12-21, retrieved 2018-11-09{{citation}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  45. ^ "Our Organization". City of Charlotte Government. Retrieved 2021-04-17.
  46. ^ Driscoll, Kenny (29 December 2022). "Baltimore Police Weapons". Baltimore Police Museum. Retrieved 27 January 2024.
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