Heckler and Koch MP7

The Heckler and Koch MP7 is a German personal defense weapon and submachine gun developed to meet a NATO requirement set in 1989 for a compact weapon capable of defeating body armor, a capability beyond conventional submachine guns firing pistol cartridges such as 9 by 19 millimeter Parabellum. It entered production in 2001 and fires the dedicated 4.6 by 30 millimeter armor piercing cartridge at about 950 rounds per minute out to an effective range of 200 meters. Its compact, lightweight construction relies heavily on polymers and a short stroke piston gas system. It was developed as a direct competitor to the Belgian FN P90, built to the same NATO requirement, and later variants include the MP7A1 and MP7A2. It is used by more than twenty countries in military and law enforcement special operations units.