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Heckler & Koch UMP
The Heckler & Koch UMP45 with a flash suppressor and vertical foregrip
Type	Submachine gun
Place of origin	Germany
Service history
Used by	See Users
Production history
Designed	1990s
Manufacturer	Heckler & Koch
Produced	1999-present
Specifications
Mass	2.3 kg (5 lb) without magazine (UMP45) 2.1 kg (4.6 lb) without magazine (UMP40, UMP9)
Length	450 mm (17.7 in), stock folded 690 mm (27.2 in), stock extended
Barrel length	200 mm (8 in)
Cartridge	.45 ACP (UMP45) .40 S&W (UMP40) 9x19mm Parabellum (UMP9)
Action	Blowback, closed bolt
Rate of fire	650 rounds/min (600 rounds/min for UMP45)
Effective firing range	100 m
Feed system	25-round detachable box magazine (UMP45), 30-round detachable box magazine (UMP40, UMP9)

The UMP (Universale Maschinenpistole, German for "Universal Submachine Gun") is a submachine gun developed and manufactured by Heckler & Koch. The UMP has been adopted by numerous agencies worldwide including the French Gendarmerie Nationale and U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Heckler & Koch developed the UMP as a successor to the MP5 though both remain in production.

Design details

The UMP is a blowback-operated, magazine-fed submachine gun firing from a closed bolt. As originally designed, the UMP is chambered for larger cartridges than other submachine guns like the MP5, to provide more stopping power against unarmored targets (with a slightly lower effective range) than the 9x19mm MP5 provides. A larger cartridge produces more recoil, and makes control more difficult in fully automatic firing. To mitigate this, the cyclic rate of fire was reduced to 650 rounds/min (600 rounds/min for the UMP45), which makes it one of the slower firing submachine guns on the market.

Despite these shortcomings, the UMP is regarded as a reliable and useful submachine gun. Moreover, the UMP9 (the 9x19mm version of the UMP) is almost 0.45 kg (almost 1 lb) lighter than its MP5 counterpart. Its predominantly polymer construction reduces both its weight and the number of parts susceptible to corrosion. These polymers stand up well to wear and tear in the field.

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 standard viewing sights comprise 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 the bottom of the handguard) for the attachment of accessories such as optical sights, flashlights, or laser sights. Vertical foregrips can be attached to the bottom rail for increased controllability during burst and automatic fire.

Variants

There are three versions of the UMP: the UMP45, firing a .45 ACP cartridge; the UMP40, firing a .40 S&W cartridge; and the UMP9, firing a 9x19mm Parabellum cartridge. Apart from the different chambering, all versions feature the same basic design, the most noticeable difference being the curved magazine used on the UMP9 (whereas the UMP40 and UMP45 use a straight magazine). All three versions of the weapon can be converted to any of the available chamberings via replacement of the bolt, barrel, and magazine.

The USC or Universal Self loading Carbine is a semi-automatic version of the UMP that could be owned by private citizens for sporting purposes. It was designed following the Assault Weapons Ban of 1994 in the United States and conforms to those standards. Changes from the original UMP include a "thumbhole" type stock and grip (versus the pistol grip of the UMP), longer barrel, limited 10-round magazine, and semi-automatic only trigger group and action. Originally available in gray, as of early 2007 the USC comes only in an all-black finish.

Users

•  Australia: Used by New South Wales corrective services and police.
•  Croatia:Used by Croatian police and Military
•  France: Used by the Gendarmerie Nationale, (UMP9).
•  Jordan: Employed by Jordanian Special Operations Forces.
•  Latvia: Used by the Speciālo uzdevumu vienība special task force.
•  Mexico: Used by the Mexican Marines
•  Romania: Romanian special operating groups.
•  Slovakia: Used by the Slovak 5th Special Forces Regiment (UMP9).
•  Thailand: Used by the Royal Thai Navy SEALs (UMP9) and Royal Thai Police (UMP45).
•  United States: Used by U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

References

1. "Heckler & Koch - Group Website". Heckler-koch.com. Retrieved 2009-06-26.
2. Modern Firearms - SubMachineGuns - HK UMP Retrieved 27 March 2007.
3. HKPro: The USC
4. Shea, Dan (Spring 2009). "SOFEX 2008". Small Arms Defense Journal, p. 29.
5. Montes, Julio A. (July), "Small Arms in Mexico", Small Arms Review, 12 (10): 88 {{citation}}: Check date values in: |date= and |year= / |date= mismatch (help)

External links

• Official page
• UMP operator's manual
• 2008 Heckler & Koch Military and LE brochure
• The UMP at Modern Firearms
• HKPRO page on UMP
• HKPRO page on the USC
• Nazarian's Gun Recognition Guide - H&K UMP Demonstration (MOV)

• Submachine guns
• Heckler & Koch
• Modern German weapons