Notes: These are versions of the Galil AR and ARM (in both 7.62mm NATO and 5.56mm NATO), with a longer, heavier 21.1-inch barrel and heavy-duty bipod. It can be equipped with many different sights. The 50-round drums were designed specifically for use with the Galil ARM. They are otherwise essentially identical to the Galil AR and ARM. 7.62mm versions of the Galil LMG are more common than the 5.56mm version, though neither is used in any great numbers in Israel or anywhere else. The South Africans are known to use a few examples of what is essentially a Galil LMG (though theirs is actually a variant of the R-4), and their examples are generally in 5.56mm instead of 7.62mm. Many Galil LMGs are actually being used more as sharpshooters’ weapons rather than SAWs. In general, however, the Galil LMG is a design that is considered to never have really lived up to the promises the designers made.

Ta’as Negev

Notes: Standard automatic rifle of Israel, the Negev was developed by Ta’as Industries when a heavy-barreled version of the Galil proved inadequate. The Israelis quickly adopted the highly-adaptable Negev, and several countries are also interested, including the South Africans and the Indians (the Indians have reportedly already received several Negevs, due to delays and inadequacies of the INSAS LMG.

The standard Negev uses a quick-change 18.1-inch barrel tipped with a long flash suppressor, a folding bipod whifh is adjustable for height and to a limited extent, cant, and also incorporated a wire-cutter. The Negev is gas-operated using a rotating bolt, and fires from an open bolt to help stop overheating of the chamber. The gas system also has a gas regulator which can be changed easily by the operator; this gas regulator can be used to compensate for fouling, dirt, or barrel heating, or the gas vent may be closed off entirely, allowing the Negev to use old-style rifle grenades and certain other rifle grenades. A savvy operator can also use the gas regulator to vary the cyclic rate of automatic fire from 700-1000 rpm. The fire selector also allows for semiautomatic fire. Feed is from the right, with case and link ejection to the left; belts are normally held in plastic drums or canvas bags lined with cardboard, mounted under the receiver. Standard Galil and Galil LMG magazines and drums may also be used, and if so, they feed from under the receiver. M-16-type magazines can also be used by the Negev if a special adapter is added. The receiver is topped with a MIL-STD-1913 rail, allowing the use of a wide variety of optics and accessories. The pistol grip is hollow and has a hinged cover at the bottom, allowing for the storage of a cleaning kit or batteries for the devices it has mounted on the MIL-STD-1913 rail. Standard iron sights consist of a front protected adjustable post, and a rear folding adjustable aperture sight. Both sights are equipped with tritium inlays for night use. The polymer handguard is equipped with a folding foregrip; this foregrip may locked to either side or the bottom when it is extended. The helicopter pintle mount has also been developed for the standard Negev for use as a door gun; when it is used in such a manner, the Negev is fed from either 380-round or 750-round drums (or standard Negev belts and magazines).

The Assault Negev is a much smaller version of the Negev (sometimes called the Negev Assault Rifle) with a 13-inch barrel and no bipod (though an M-16-style scissors bipod may be clipped on). Essentially, this turns the Negev into a belt-fed assault rifle with a quick-change barrel. Whether the Assault Negev is a small SAW or a large, belt-fed assault rifle is open to question, but except for the calibration of the sights, it is otherwise identical to the standard Negev.

Twilight 2000 Notes: The Indians did not get any of these weapons, though the South Africans did, and it was in limited use by US forces in the Middle East.

Merc 2000 Notes: The Negev saw lots of sales to the Indians, South Africans, and some Central and South American countries. Hollywood also liked the look of the Negev, especially the Assault Negev, and bought many that were converted to fire blanks only and used in many B-movies and TV series.