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.