Commandos of the National Security Guard (NSG) were caught by surprise on Friday afternoon when they were fired at by an MP5 submachine gun. Till then, they were being fired at only by AK47s.
The MP5 is far superior to the AK47 and is only used by the security forces of various countries. This led the NSG to believe that the terrorists were more heavily armed than they had thought. But the mystery was solved when they realised that the terrorists had seized Major Sandeep Unnikrishnan’s weapon after killing him. The NSG feel that the acquisition of this weapon had extended their resistance by a few hours. This is also an indication, said a senior officer, that the terrorists were trained in the use of this sophisticated weapon as well.
The Heckler & Koch (HK) produced series of MP5 (Maschinenpistole or Machine Pistol) is by far the most popular post-war submachine gun. It is featured by a multitude of Special Forces, police and army units the world over and is a favourite because of its compact size, stopping power and reliability.
The base construction of the weapon consists of steel and plastic, with base models featuring only automatic and single-shot firing modes. A selective three-round burst is available as an option, as is a silencer. Scopes and laser sights can be fitted along with the existing standard fixed metal sights.
Overall, the HK MP5 is the weapon of choice for most European forces and the US. More notable users include the United States’s Navy SEAL, the German GSG9 group and the British SAS. It is also used by civil protection forces such as police and special SWAT team units.
d_nikhil@dnaindia.net
