Often, weapons become associated with the forces that wield them: their role and alignment
help shape their identity.
Lawful good through and through - this is a gun for the good guys:
The MP5.
So, how did it earn its heroic status?
What makes it a perfect fit for a counter-terror role?
And what's the deal with the slap?
The MP5 is a German weapon, manufactured by Heckler & Koch.
H&K were founded in 1949, directly in the wake of World War 2.
The company took its name from two of its three co-founders: all of whom were former
Mauser engineers: Alex Seidel, Edmund Heckler and Theodor Koch.
At first, they manufactured machine tools and precision metal parts - but in 1956 the
West German government put out a tender for a new rifle for the Bundeswehr.
H&K put forward the G3 design, based on a rifle designed by former Mauser engineers
at CETME, a Spanish technical institute.
Their bid proved successful, and H&K developed a number of G3-derived designs to fit different
roles - with the MP5 amongst them.
Originally known as the HK54, work began on the new SMG in 1964.
It fires the 9×19mm Parabellum round, the standard NATO pistol calibre.
Original magazines were straight, but a slight revision in 1977 gave the weapon its distinctive
and slightly curved 30-round mag.
Like its parent G3 design, the MP5 has a roller-delayed blowback mechanism - a simplistic but effective
enough action that has roots in German prototypes made near the end of the war.
There are quite a few MP5 variants available: from the original HK54, also known as the
MP5A1; the fixed stock MP5A2 and A4; retractable stock MP5A3; and sliding stock MP5A5.
The MP5K - or Kurz - is a shortened variant, pared down into the smallest package possible:
The MP5SD variants boast an integral suppressor, for covert use; and there are larger-calibre
variants too: such as the MP5/10, which fires powerful 10mm Auto rounds; and the MP5/40,
which fires .40 Smith & Wesson.
A flexible and configurable weapon, then - and one that has found favour with a large number
of police and special forces units.
In 1980, one event in particular secured the MP5's iconic status: a siege on the Iranian
Embassy in London.
6 terrorists, 26 hostages, a densely-populated urban location and a live television feed:
it was a very tense situation with an awful lot on the line.
On the sixth day of the siege, a hostage was killed.
This prompted immediate action by the British Special Air Service - under the codename Operation
Nimrod.
17 minutes after their first breach, 5 terrorists were killed, the final captured - and all
remaining hostages were rescued.
The mission's success reinforced the SAS's reputation as a deady special operations force:
and these events served as the perfect advertisement for the SMG they used.
Its proven track record, and suitability for the close-range fighting typical of urban
terror operations, make it a fitting choice for any counter-terror role - and a must-have
inclusion for any games that depict such forces.
The SAS' legendary live-fire exercises in the Killing House are depicted in the tutorial
of Call of Duty 4: in which you drill the following mission's plan with plywood simulacrum.
The MP5's presence here is true-to-life, and the game shows a recreation of the real training
exercises that the SAS would have undertaken in preparation for the embassy siege.
The MP5 sees prime placement in the armouries of tactical shooters, then: and it's a flagship
weapon of the Rainbow Six series.
When it comes to tackling a terrorist threat, there's nothing better for the task.
One quirk that crops up during the MP5's reload is the infamous 'HK slap': an open-handed
tap on the cocking lever after inserting a fresh magazine, sending the bolt forward and
chambering a round.
It might seem reckless to smack your weapon, but it's actually recommended procedure: a
softer approach might not drive the bolt home properly.
Besides, the MP5 is a working weapon - and one that can withstand a little rough-housing.
The 'slap' isn't unique to the MP5 - but it's a cool move that has helped to bolster its
iconic identity through fiction as well as fact.
Its distinctive on-screen presence and association with heroic action makes it a prominent choice
in cinema.
The weapon has turned up in hundreds of films - normally seen in the hands of the good guys,
but sometimes revealing a more impetuous side.
With notable appearances in Die Hard 2 and The Matrix, the weapon appears outside its
counter-terror role in games inspired by classic action movies.
Games like Max Payne and Modern Warfare 2 indulge a more brash side of the SMG: far
from the tightly controlled discipline of well-trained special forces, the MP5 can also
employ spray and pray tactics.
It might waste ammunition, but it looks good on screen - and more empty mags mean more
stylish reloads, complete with the slap.
Today, there are a number of more modern SMGs and personal defence weapons vying to replace
the fifty-year-old MP5 design.
H&K themselves even offer two alternatives: the more modern and larger-calibre UMP-45,
and the armour-piercing power of the diminutive MP7: but the classic 9mm SMG still reigns
supreme: well-loved by those who wield it, and with ubiquitous use by police forces worldwide.
A legendary submachine gun that earned its reputation through a baptism by fire.
Always cool under crisis, its the perfect counter-terror weapon:
The MP5.
Confident.
Force for order.
Terrorist's bane.
Thank you very much for watching - Iconic Arms will return: and until next time, farewell.