Galil ACE

The Galil ACE is an assault rifle developed and manufactured by IWI. and also manufactured by Indumil. The ACE family assault rifles are based upon the mechanism of the Galil assault rifle. The ACE incorporates enhanced human engineering and ergonomics claimed to meet the demands of the modern battlefield.

The ACE family claims to offer a solution to current warfare requirements for high accuracy whilst maintaining reliability. The ACE assault rifles have been tested under harsh conditions, as is standard for most firearm manufacturers.

The ACE family assault rifles are versatile weapons with multiple Picatinny rails which serves as a platform in order to mount Picatinny mountable optics and accessories. The ACE is designed to be user friendly and simple to maintain.

Development
The Galil ACE rifle is a gas operated, selective-fire weapon. It uses long-stroke gas operated action with a gas piston located above the barrel. Locking is achieved by a rotating bolt with dual locking lugs. The receiver is machined from steel, with a polymer magazine housing / pistol grip unit attached below. The detachable stamped steel receiver cover houses an integral Picatinny rail and rear sight base. The charging handle is located on the left side of the receiver and is attached directly to the bolt carrier. To provide maximum protection from dust and dirt at all times, the charging handle slot is covered with spring-loaded dust cover which opens and closes after each shot automatically. The safety / fire mode selector is duplicated at both sides of the weapon, and has a more ergonomic shape when compared to predecessors.

Since the deployment of the Galil by Israel Weapon Industries (IWI) as an assault rifle and standard issue rifle, there had been ideas of creating another weapon with the Galil mechanism adapted to the specific needs of the Colombian Army; in various studies it was demonstrated that the best option was to create another rifle with the technology available to replace and/or improve aspects of its predecessor, in this case those are:
 * ACEs are lighter than the IMI Galil.
 * ACEs have lower recoil than the IMI Galil.
 * Greater multitasking capabilities (theoretically can be used as a designated marksman's rifle or squad support weapon and have various accessories).
 * The use of NATO standard caliber and the capability of changing it relatively easily (from 5.56x45mm NATO to 7.62x51mm NATO or 7.62x39mm with as few additions and modifications as possible) and supports 35 round Galil or 30 round Kalashnikov magazines. The ACE 52 & 53 use standard 7.62x51mm NATO magazines.

Manufacture and design
In the creation of the Galil ACE many techniques and modern materials were used; the total weight of the ACE was improved on by replacing and redesigning stamped steel parts with more modern composite materials (e.g. the folding stock and sights) making it easier for the soldier to adapt it to his or her preferences. In addition, five Picatinny rails were built into the frame to be able to increase the performance of the weapon for the soldier in comparison with its predecessor, and recoil has been reduced thanks to a more ergonomic stock.

Variants
The Galil ACE is available in three calibers with multiple barrel lengths for each type:

Users

 * 🇨🇴 Colombia
 * 🇲🇽 Mexico - Used by certain personnel of the Mexican Federal Police
 * 🇵🇪 Peru
 * 🇬🇹 Guatemala - 3,000 Model 31 versions used by Guatemala National Civil Police.
 * 🇸🇻 El Salvador
 * 🇭🇳 Honduras - Model 21 used by the army and air force

Potential users

 * 🇮🇳 India - Testing as a replacement for the INSAS rifle.