SALW Guide

Global distribution and visual

identification

IWI Tavor TAR-21

Fact sheet
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IWI Tavor TAR-21 SALW Guide

IWI Tavor TAR-21

The IWI Tavor-21 assault rifle was
designed to replace the different M16
variants within the Israel Defense Forces
(IDF). In 2009, it was selected as the new
standard issue weapon of the Israeli
infantry. It is also in service in several
other countries, such as India, Thailand
and Turkey. Different models have been
developed for Special Forces or sporting. Nevertheless, the TAR-21 has not caught up to the
M16’s success due to its higher price. The bullpup rifle can be either fired in semi-automatic
or full automatic fire mode.

Technical Specifications
Category Assault Rifles

Operating system gas, selective-fire

Cartridge 5.56 x 45mm / .223 Remington

Length 725 mm

Feeding box magazine

Global distribution map

The data on global distribution and production is provided primarily by the BwVC1, but also
from national and regional focal points on SALW control; data published by think tanks,
international organizations and experts; and/or data provided by individual researchers on
SALW. It is not exhaustive. If you would like to add to or amend the data, please use the
website's feedback function.

1. Bundeswehr Verification Center

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SALW Guide IWI Tavor TAR-21

Global distribution list

The IWI Tavor TAR-21 is found in 27 countries according to our data.

Angola (AGO) G Mexico (MEX) G

Azerbaijan (AZE) G Nepal (NPL) G

Brazil (BRA) G Nigeria (NGA) G

Cameroon (CMR) G Peru (PER) G

Chad (TCD) G Philippines (PHL) G

Chile (CHL) G Poland (POL) G

Colombia (COL) G Portugal (PRT) G

Ethiopia (ETH) G Rwanda (RWA) G

Former Yugoslav Republic of G Thailand (THA) G

Macedonia (MKD)
Turkey (TUR) G
Georgia (GEO) G
Ukraine (UKR) G
Guatemala (GTM) G
United States (USA) G
Honduras (HND) G
Vietnam (VNM) G
India (IND) G

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IWI Tavor TAR-21 SALW Guide

Israel (ISR) G

Explanation of symbols
Country of origin

Licensed production

Production without a licence

G Government: Sources indicate that this type of weapon is held by Governmental agencies.

N Non-Government: Sources indicate that this type of weapon is held by non-Governmental armed
groups.

U Unspecified: Sources indicate that this type of weapon is found in the country, but do not specify
whether it is held by Governmental agencies or non-Governmental armed groups.

It is entirely possible to have a combination of tags beside each country. For example, if
country X is tagged with a G and a U, it means that at least one source of data identifies
Governmental agencies as holders of weapon type Y, and at least one other source confirms
the presence of the weapon in country X without specifying who holds it.

Note: This application is a living, non-comprehensive database, relying to a great extent on

active contributions (provision and/or validation of data and information) by either SALW
experts from the military and international renowned think tanks or by national and regional
focal points of small arms control entities.

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SALW Guide IWI Tavor TAR-21

Visual Identification
Characteristics Markings

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IWI Tavor TAR-21 SALW Guide

Ammunition
The following ammunition can be used by the IWI Tavor TAR-21.

5.56 x 45mm / .223 Remington

Bullet diameter 5.7 mm

Case length 44.7 mm

Overall length 57.4 mm

No information available.

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SALW Guide Annex

Annex
Tagging of Sources
We believe that our Guide should be as transparent as possible without endangering the
confidentiality of our sources. Rather than name the exact source for each unit of data, we
have created tags so that users can at least know whether the data comes from a primary
or secondary source, and by which medium it can or has been found. All incoming data is
validated and then tagged by the project team at BICC before it enters our database.

Sources are tagged according to the following criteria:

1. Primary Sources:
These are presentations of facts. They are proof of an SALW event (e.g. a transfer, sighting,
misuse, etc.) because the source was created at the time of the event itself. Primary
sources as usually original documents such as transfer authorizations, firearms legislation,
or academic journals presenting results of a study on SALW holdings in a particular country,
for example. However, they can also be information offered by a person with direct
knowledge of an SALW event or who has documented an SALW event at the time that it
happened.

2. Secondary Sources:
These are interpretations or evaluation of facts. Secondary sources contain commentary
and analysis of SALW events that are documented in primary sources.

Sources are also tagged according to the dominant medium of delivery:

A. Written - the source is based on written words.

B. Oral - the source is based on spoken words.
C. Visual - the source is based on seen events or optical images.

These criteria make our tags two-dimensional. While the process of classifying sources is a
primarily subjective one, the project team at BICC has developed the following table to
serve as an example of possible sources within each category.

Table: Examples of sources on SALW distribution

Primary Secondary

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Annex SALW Guide

Written • Fact books • Wikipedia

• Weapons Transfer • Literature reviews
authorizations • Training or safety manuals
• End-user certificates on gun control, ammunition,
• Transcripts of interviews, legal physical stockpile security
proceedings, speeches/ management)
presentations, meetings, • Minutes of meetings,
conferences or symposia conferences, symposia
• Newspaper articles • Indexes (e.g. Global
• Written correspondence (e.g. Militarization Index)
letters, emails, text messages, • Newspaper articles
etc.)
Etc.
• Blogs
• Peer-reviewed journal articles
• Treaties, constitution, laws
• Records of organizations (e.g.
annual reports)
• Surveys, questionnaires

Etc...

Oral • Interviews with experts, • Speeches, panel

including radio or telephone presentations, etc. on data
• Legal proceedings provided by experts
• Speeches or interventions by
Etc...
experts or national
representatives in government
or international meetings

Etc ...

Visual • Artifacts (e.g. the weapons • PowerPoint presentations on

themselves, ammunition) results found by experts
• Photographs of weapons,
Etc...
ammunition, etc.
• Videos (e.g. YouTube, those
recorded by mobile phone)
• Television documentaries, news
reports

Etc ...

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SALW Guide About the Guide

Table: Example tags

Source (sample) Type of Medium of

source delivery

IHS Jane’s Weapons Infantry (2015-2016) primary written

Panel discussion of weapons use of non-state secondary oral

armed groups

Documentary on paramilitaries in Colombia primary visual

About the Guide

The Interactive Guide on Small Arms and Light Weapons is an open access tool,
designed to build knowledge on how to identify different types, makes and models of
commonly used SALW in organized violence; to collect data on the global and country-
specific spread of these SALW; and to describe some of their visual and technical
specifications.

The guide is not an exhaustive list of all SALW that are used around the world.

Global SALW control relies on, among other things, data and knowledge of the weapons
themselves. Our aim is that the Guide will be used to support national reporting duties on
SALW holdings; facilitate and ameliorate the collection of data on SALW; and increase
general knowledge of global distribution of SALW.

The interactive Guide was developed by BICC in close cooperation with the Bundeswehr
Verification Center (BwVC), and with the generous support of the Federal Foreign Office,
Germany.

Contact
Internationales Konversionszentrum Bonn -
Bonn International Center for Conversion (BICC) GmbH
Lars Wirkus
Head of Data & Geomatics
Pfarrer-Byns-Str. 1
53121 Bonn

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Overall project coordination SALW Guide

Germany
E-Mail: wirkus@bicc.de
Internet: www.bicc.de

Zentrum für Verifikationsaufgaben der Bundeswehr (ZVBw) - Bundeswehr

Verification Center (BwVC)
Global Arms- and Proliferation Control Division
Captain Laurentius Wedeniwski
Selfkant-Kaserne
Rue de Quimperle 100
52511 Geilenkirchen
E-Mail: LaurentiusWedeniwski@bundeswehr.org

Overall project coordination

Lars Wirkus
Head of Data & Geomatics
Bonn International Center for Conversion (BICC)

Responsible for all content (including photos):

Zentrum für Verifikationsaufgaben der Bundeswehr (ZVBw) - Bundeswehr Verification

Center.
Captain Laurentius Wedeniwski: Small Arms and Light Weapons Guide (2016).

Responsible for design, editorial and technical implementation:

Internationales Konversionszentrum Bonn - Bonn International Center for Conversion (BICC)

GmbH.
Technical management: Lars Wirkus
Programming: Rolf Alberth

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