who created the galil

The Galil assault rifle was created by Yisrael Galili, originally named Yisrael Balashnikov. He designed it together with Yakov Lior in the late 1960s. The Galil rifle was inspired heavily by the Finnish RK 62 rifle, which itself was a derivation of the AK-47. Galili changed his last name to better suit his Jewish heritage. The Galil became the standard-issue rifle of the Israeli Defense Forces after thorough testing, officially adopted in the early 1970s. Yisrael Galili is also known for helping to create the Uzi submachine gun. Yisrael Galili is often nicknamed the "Father of the Rifle" in Israeli military circles and received the Israel Defense Prize in 1973 for the Galil’s development and adoption.