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  • 21 Aug, 2019

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IWI Galil ACE
The IWI Galil ACE, also marketed as IWI ACE (or simply ACE), is a series of assault rifles and battle rifles originally developed and manufactured by Israel Weapon Industries (IWI). It is produced in three different calibres: 5.56×45mm NATO, 7.62×39mm and 7.62×51mm NATO.

IWI US also produced semi-automatic only variants of the Galil ACE. In 2020, a limited edition of the Galil ACE in 5.45×39mm was produced. IW US later introduced the Gen II line which introduced a free-floating M-LOK handguard and M4-style compatible buttstock in 2023.

The IWI Galil ACE series is based upon the original design of the IMI Galil, but instead utilises a modern design to increase its accuracy and lower its weight, while maintaining the original Galil's ergonomics, ease of maintenance and reliability under battle conditions. In the design, emphasis was particularly placed on increasing the reliability and accuracy under adverse battlefield conditions.

The IWI Galil ACE has been adopted as a service rifle in multiple countries, such as the Chilean Army and People's Army of Vietnam. The Galil ACE is also manufactured under license by Indumil, FAMAE, RPC Fort and Z111 Factory.

Design details

Weight reduction

The original Galil was built with a machined solid steel billet action in order to increase the structural integrity and survivability of the weapon. Unfortunately this resulted in a weight of up to 9.6 lb (4.4 kg), depending on its variant, which was one of the primary criticisms from the Israel Defense Forces.

The Galil ACE has a significantly reduced weight. IWI redesigned the action to integrate the steel with polymer, which is much lighter than the fully steel receiver of the original Galil. While the upper receiver is machined steel and the receiver top features a MIL-STD-1913 Picatinny rail, polymer has been introduced to the lower receiver of the weapon to reduce the gun's weight.

Accuracy

According to American Rifleman: "Although this rifle is clearly based on the AK design, it demonstrated a superior level of accuracy potential compared to several of its cousins. The best single group of [5 rounds at 100 yards] of 0.83″ and five-group average of 0.98″ was produced using the Federal Premium 123-gr. [8.0 g] Power-Shok soft-point load" (testing done using 7.62×39mm 16-inch barrelled variant).

Trigger

The Galil ACE adopts the Galil Sniper trigger instead of the original Galil trigger, in order to improve accuracy compared to the standard Galil. This is a two-stage trigger, which IWI have modelled on the two-stage trigger of the M1 Garand.

According to American Rifleman, the two-stage trigger is "clean and smooth with a 4 lb. 13 oz. [4.8 lbf, 21.4 N] trigger pull according to a Lyman digital trigger gauge".

Gas tube

The gas tube, unlike the AK-47 system, is mounted on the rifle via a dovetailed slide machined on the receiver upper-front block. This avoids any movement of the gas block influencing barrel vibration, which would degrade accuracy.

Long-stroke piston system

The rifle uses the Galil's long-stroke piston system. The long-stroke system is found in the M1 Garand, AK-47 (upon which the Galil's internal mechanism design borrowed heavily) and more recently in the IWI Tavor.

Barrel

The barrel is chrome-lined, cold hammer-forged, with a 1:7″ twist for 5.56×45mm NATO, 1:7.5″ for 5.45×39mm, 1:9.5″ for 7.62×39mm, and 1:12″ for 7.62×51mm NATO.

Sights

The Galil ACE has a fully adjustable iron sights with tritium front post and two dot tritium rear aperture. It also features a Picatinny rail for mounting various optical sight.

Stock

Soldier from the Haitian military with a Galil ACE 21 during a training exercise in Santiago, Chile

The standard buttstock found on the Galil ACE is a six-position telescopic stock that can be fitted with an optional cheek-piece to improve the sighting of the weapon when using an optical sight. An optional right folding version of the standard buttstock is also available.

Vietnamese-assembled Galil ACE 32 with a folding stock.

The forearm consists of MIL-STD-1913 Picatinny rails on the bottom and both sides for mounting accessories such as aiming optics. The side forearm rails have central grooves to provide routing channels for electric wiring used by pressure switch activated accessories. The forearm comes with quick detachable polymer covering panels that can be mounted to protect the rails when a side or bottom rail has no accessories mounted to it. The gas tube above the barrel also has a Picatinny rail mounted on top that is aligned with the rail mounted on the cover over the receiver.

Last round bolt catch

Another addition by IWI to the original Galil is the last round bolt catch (for variants of the ACE in 5.56×45mm NATO only). The bolt hold-open feature is a common request of military customers, to reduce reloading times during combat.

Variants

Variant Calibre Barrel length Length (extended) Length (retracted) Weight (unloaded) Feed system Muzzle velocity Range Cyclic rate of fire
ACE 21 5.56×45mm NATO 216 mm (8.5 in) 730 mm (29 in) 650 mm (26 in) 3.00 kg (6.61 lb) 35-round Galil magazine 710 m/s (2,300 ft/s) 300 m (330 yd) 680–880 rounds/min
ACE-N 21 5.56×45mm NATO 216 mm (8.5 in) 730 mm (29 in) 650 mm (26 in) 3.05 kg (6.7 lb) 30-round NATO magazine 710 m/s (2,300 ft/s) 300 m (330 yd) 680–880 rounds/min
ACE 22 5.56×45mm NATO 335 mm (13.2 in) 847 mm (33.3 in) 767 mm (30.2 in) 3.40 kg (7.5 lb) 35-round Galil magazine 850 m/s (2,800 ft/s) — 680–880 rounds/min
ACE-N 22 5.56×45mm NATO 335 mm (13.2 in) 847 mm (33.3 in) 767 mm (30.2 in) 3.45 kg (7.6 lb) 30-round NATO magazine 850 m/s (2,800 ft/s) — 680–880 rounds/min
ACE 23 5.56×45mm NATO 463 mm (18.2 in) 976 mm (38.4 in) 896 mm (35.3 in) 3.60 kg (7.9 lb) 35-round Galil magazine 915 m/s (3,000 ft/s) 500 m (550 yd) 680–880 rounds/min
ACE 31 7.62×39mm 216 mm (8.5 in) 730 mm (29 in) 650 mm (26 in) 3.00 kg (6.61 lb) 30-round AK-47 magazine 600 m/s (2,000 ft/s) — 680–880 rounds/min
ACE 32 7.62×39mm 409 mm (16.1 in) 927 mm (36.5 in) 847 mm (33.3 in) 3.50 kg (7.7 lb) 30-round AK-47 magazine 680 m/s (2,200 ft/s) — 680–880 rounds/min
ACE 52 7.62×51mm NATO 409 mm (16.1 in) 954 mm (37.6 in) 874 mm (34.4 in) 3.60 kg (7.9 lb) 25-round 7.62mm Galil magazine 800 m/s (2,600 ft/s) — 620–680 rounds/min
ACE-N 52 7.62×51mm NATO 409 mm (16.1 in) 954 mm (37.6 in) — 3.60 kg (7.9 lb) SR-25 pattern magazine — — 620–680 rounds/min
ACE 53 7.62×51mm NATO 511 mm (20.1 in) 1,055 mm (41.5 in) 963 mm (37.9 in) 3.8 kg (8.4 lb) 25-round 7.62mm Galil magazine 860 m/s (2,800 ft/s) — 620–680 rounds/min

Civilian variants

In October 2020, IWI US began production of an "extremely limited edition" 5.45×39mm variant of the Galil ACE, available with a 16 in (410 mm) or 8.3 in (210 mm) barrel, producing a total of 545 rifles in each size. They are compatible with AK-74 magazines.

Foreign variants

Galil Córdova

Main article: Galil Córdova

STV Rifles

Main article: STV Rifles

Users

The Colombian Police armed with a Galil ACE 22
Soldier from the Philippine military with a Galil ACE-N 22
The STV-380, a Vietnamese localized equivalence to the ACE 32
A map with IWI Galil Ace users in blue
  •  Cameroon: In service with Battalion d'intervention rapide.
  •  Chad
  •  Chile: Selected as the Chilean Army's new 5.56 mm standard-issue rifle. In 2014, the ACE began to be deployed in the Chilean Army.
  •  Colombia: Manufactured by an agreement between Indumil and IWI.
  •  El Salvador
  •  Guatemala: 3,000 ACE 31s used by the Guatemalan Police.
  •  Haiti: Used by certain Haitian police officers.
  •  Honduras
  •  Laos: Laos received Vietnamese-made Galil ACEs in January 2019.
  •  Ivory Coast
  •  Mexico: Used by the Federal Police.
  •  Nigeria
  •  Peru: The Peruvian government has plans to produce the ACE under license, establishing a factory to produce up to 2,000 rifles per month.
  •  Philippines: Philippine National Police uses the ACE 22N as one of its major assault rifles as of 2018. The Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency use both the ACE-21N and ACE-22N. The Philippine Coast Guard received more than 4,000 units of ACE 21N in March 2020.
  •  South Sudan: Used by the South Sudanese Armed Forces. Chambered in 7.62×39mm.
  •  Uganda: Galil ACE chambered in 7.62×39mm.
  •  Thailand:
  •  Ukraine: Produced under license since August 2014 by RPC Fort; ACE 22 as the "Fort-227", ACE 31 as the "Fort-228", and ACE 52 as the "Fort-229".
  •  Vietnam: ACE 31 and 32 were selected as the standard-issue assault rifles in the People's Army of Vietnam (PAVN), to gradually replace their current AK-47-derived weapons. IWI has established a $100 million factory in Vietnam, to produce an unspecified number of Galil ACE assault rifles for the PAVN. All ACEs used in Vietnam have the charging handles located at the right side of the rifle and replaced the Galil ACE handguards with traditional Galil-style handguards with Picatinny rail on top, replaced standard ACE buttstock with FN-FAL Paratrooper stocks, with modifications for simpler production and ease of use, the original fire selector replaced with AK-style fire selector. The new rifle has its new designations STV-215 and STV-380, the number indicated barrel length.
  •  Zambia: Used by the Zambian Army.

See also

References

  1. ^ Ortenzi, Paolo (29 May 2013). "Galil Ace 5.56". Small Arms Defense Journal. Volume 5. p. 1.
  2. ^ "Israel Weapon Industries (IWI) Ltd, Carbine". 13 July 2010. Archived from the original on 13 July 2010. Retrieved 17 March 2021.
  3. ^ "Chile quita poderosa arma al Perú". 27 June 2014. Archived from the original on 25 October 2014.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  4. ^ "Штурмовая винтовка "Форт-227"". официальный сайт НПО "Форт" (in Russian). Archived from the original on 17 July 2014.
  5. ^ "Israel Weapon Industries to begin assault rifle production in Vietnam - IHS Jane's 360". www.janes.com. Archived from the original on 23 February 2014.
  6. ^ Ortenzi, Paolo (29 May 2013). "Galil Ace 5.56". Small Arms Defense Journal. Volume 5. p. 2.
  7. ^ Horman, B. Gil (19 January 2015). "IWI Galil ACE Semi-Automatic Rifle".
  8. ^ Johnson, Steve (24 August 2010). "Galil Ace Rifle". The Firearm Blog.
  9. ^ Kokalis, Peter G. (2001). Weapons Tests and Evaluations: The Best of Soldier of Fortune. Boulder, Colorado: Paladin Press. p. 253. ISBN 978-1581601220.
  10. ^ Tilstra, Russell C. (21 March 2014). The Battle Rifle: Development and Use Since World War II. McFarland. p. 98. ISBN 978-0786473212.
  11. ^ "IWI announces the launch of a new ACE-N 52". IWI. 13 October 2021. Retrieved 15 October 2021.
  12. ^ B, Eric (16 October 2020). "Extremely Limited Edition – Galil Ace in 5.45×39". The Firearm Blog.
  13. ^ Binnie, Jeremy; de Cherisey, Erwan (2017). "New-model African armies" (PDF). Jane's. Archived from the original (PDF) on 22 June 2017.
  14. ^ "FIDAE: Chilean Army Selects Galil ACE as New Standard Rifle". Defense News. 26 March 2014. Archived from the original on 26 March 2014.
  15. ^ "El Ejército de Chile comienza a desplegar el nuevo fusil Galil ACE" [The Chilean Army begins to deploy the new Galil ACE rifle]. defensa.com (in Spanish). 24 September 2014.
  16. ^ "IWI Galil ACE 5.56 mm assault rifle (Israel), Rifles". Jane's Information Group. Archived from the original on 17 September 2012. Retrieved 17 August 2010.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  17. ^ Shea, Dan. "Expodefensa 2015". Small Arms Defense Journal. Retrieved 13 April 2021.
  18. ^ Johnson, Steve (11 January 2012). "El Salvador also to buy Galil Ace". The Firearm Blog.
  19. ^ Johnson, Steve (16 February 2011). "IWI Galil ACE rifle adopted by Guatemala National Civil Police". The Firearm Blog.
  20. ^ Nathaniel F. (30 April 2014). "Haitian Police Spotted with Galil ACE, T65 Rifles". The Firearm Blog. Retrieved 16 November 2014.
  21. ^ "¡Así Vamos!" (PDF). Indumil (in Spanish).
  22. ^ "Việt Nam cung cấp súng trường Galil cho Lào". baodatviet.vn. 15 January 2019. Archived from the original on 3 August 2019. Retrieved 17 March 2021.
  23. ^ Johnson, Steve (13 February 2014). "IWI Galil ACE Spotted In South Sudan and Mexico". The Firearm Blog. Retrieved 16 November 2014.
  24. ^ Johnson, Steve (30 November 2010). "Peru licenses the new Galil ACE rifle". The Firearm Blog. Retrieved 16 November 2014.
  25. ^ "Inauguran Planta de Producción de Fusiles Galil". Ejército del Perú (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 28 July 2012.
  26. ^ https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1046262
  27. ^ "PDEA PRESENTS PROCURED HIGH POWERED FIREARMS, PROTECTIVE AND IT EQUIPMENT". Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency. PDEA. Retrieved 9 June 2018.
  28. ^ https://www.israeldefense.co.il/en/node/43061
  29. ^ "Amid genocide allegations, Israel mum on halting arms sales to Myanmar". Times of Israel.
  30. ^ "SMALL ARMS". Royal Thai Army. 4 February 2023. Archived from the original on 5 November 2021. Retrieved 4 February 2023.
  31. ^ "Штурмовая винтовка "Форт-228"". официальный сайт НПО "Форт" (in Russian). Archived from the original on 13 September 2014. Retrieved 13 September 2014.
  32. ^ "Штурмовая винтовка "Форт-229"". официальный сайт НПО "Форт" (in Russian). Archived from the original on 3 April 2015. Retrieved 19 September 2015.
  33. ^ "Israeli IWI Galil ACE 31 and ACE 32 assault rifles to replace Russian AK-47 in the Vietnamese Army". Army Recognition. 2 February 2014. Archived from the original on 28 January 2023. Retrieved 16 November 2014.
  34. ^ Grevatt, Jon (3 February 2014). "Israel Weapon Industries to begin assault rifle production in Vietnam". Jane's Information Group. Archived from the original on 6 October 2014. Retrieved 16 November 2014.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  35. ^ "[Indo Defense 2018] Vietnamese Small Arms Part Two: Grenade Launcher's, Galil ACE's, and OSV-96's -". 29 November 2018.
  36. ^ "Lần đầu thử nghiệm súng trường bộ binh mới của quân đội Việt Nam". Kienthuc.net.vn. 1 June 2020. Retrieved 17 March 2021.
  37. ^ "Zambian military parades new equipment". Janes.com.
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