INDEP Lusa A2
Encyclopedia
The Lusa is a compact 9x19mm Parabellum submachine gun
developed by INDEP
of Portugal
in 1983. Its name is derived from Lusitania
, which was the Roman name for the territory that is present day central and southern Portugal
, and although it was originally intended for military use, it was well-suited for law enforcement and ended up being marketed to bodyguard
s, VIP protection and special operations
units.
and HK 21, under license from Heckler & Koch
, by INDEP allowed for the import of German weapon manufacturing machinery and German technical know-how, which stimulated development of new firearms design in Portugal.
The Lusa shared the concept and design layout of the HK MP5
and Uzi submachine gun
. As such, its trigger group is nearly identical to that of the MP5 and the barrel can be quickly changed, as in the Uzi. The bolt and carrier are one integrated unit.
The weapon never reached mass industrial production and work on it ground to a halt in 1992, at a cost of 2.5 million dollars. The MP5 soon replaced this weapon's intended usage in the Portuguese police forces.
In 2004, INDEP
sold all the dies, tooling, fixtures and manufacturing rights to Stan Andrewski, owner of Stan's Gunsmithing in New Hampshire, Jerry Prasser, owner of Recon Ordnance in Wisconsin, and Ralph Dimicco, co-owner of Riley's Gun Shop. The company was named LUSA USA.
The LUSA has been approved by the BATFE (Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives) and is for sale as a semi-automatic firearm to the civilian market. The amount of U.S. manufactured compliant parts has met government requirements.
The selective-fire model is available to law enforcement and government agencies, both foreign and domestic. Class III dealers can obtain a LUSA-A2 for demonstration purposes with the required LE demonstration letter.
, LUSA USA offers conversion kits in both .22 Long Rifle
and .40 S&W
caliber. Another main objective will be a conversion to .45 GAP
. Sight rails and non-retractable stocks are under development as well. Suppressors, manufactured by the well established John's Guns, are available from LUSA USA.
Submachine gun
A submachine gun is an automatic carbine, designed to fire pistol cartridges. It combines the automatic fire of a machine gun with the cartridge of a pistol. The submachine gun was invented during World War I , but the apex of its use was during World War II when millions of the weapon type were...
developed by INDEP
INDEP
INDEP - Indústrias Nacionais de Defesa, EP , originally Fábrica do Braço de Prata , is a defense industry company owned by the Portuguese Government...
of Portugal
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
in 1983. Its name is derived from Lusitania
Lusitania
Lusitania or Hispania Lusitania was an ancient Roman province including approximately all of modern Portugal south of the Douro river and part of modern Spain . It was named after the Lusitani or Lusitanian people...
, which was the Roman name for the territory that is present day central and southern Portugal
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
, and although it was originally intended for military use, it was well-suited for law enforcement and ended up being marketed to bodyguard
Bodyguard
A bodyguard is a type of security operative or government agent who protects a person—usually a famous, wealthy, or politically important figure—from assault, kidnapping, assassination, stalking, loss of confidential information, terrorist attack or other threats.Most important public figures such...
s, VIP protection and special operations
Special operations
Special operations are military operations that are considered "special" .Special operations are typically performed independently or in conjunction with conventional military operations. The primary goal is to achieve a political or military objective where a conventional force requirement does...
units.
Development
In the early 1980s the manufacturing of the HK G3Heckler & Koch G3
The G3 is a 7.62mm battle rifle developed in the 1950s by the German armament manufacturer Heckler & Koch GmbH in collaboration with the Spanish state-owned design and development agency CETME ....
and HK 21, under license from Heckler & Koch
Heckler & Koch
Heckler & Koch GmbH is a German defense manufacturing company that produces various small arms. Some of their products include the SA80, MP5 submachine gun, G3 automatic rifle, the G36 assault rifle, the HK 416, the MP7 personal defense weapon, the USP series of handguns, and the high-precision...
, by INDEP allowed for the import of German weapon manufacturing machinery and German technical know-how, which stimulated development of new firearms design in Portugal.
The Lusa shared the concept and design layout of the HK MP5
Heckler & Koch MP5
The Heckler & Koch MP5 is a 9mm submachine gun of German design, developed in the 1960s by a team of engineers from the German small arms manufacturer Heckler & Koch GmbH of Oberndorf am Neckar....
and Uzi submachine gun
Uzi submachine gun
The Uzi is a family of Israeli open bolt, blowback-operated submachine guns. Smaller variants are considered to be machine pistols. The Uzi was one of the first weapons to use a telescoping bolt design which allows for the magazine to be housed in the pistol grip for a shorter weapon.The first Uzi...
. As such, its trigger group is nearly identical to that of the MP5 and the barrel can be quickly changed, as in the Uzi. The bolt and carrier are one integrated unit.
The weapon never reached mass industrial production and work on it ground to a halt in 1992, at a cost of 2.5 million dollars. The MP5 soon replaced this weapon's intended usage in the Portuguese police forces.
In 2004, INDEP
INDEP
INDEP - Indústrias Nacionais de Defesa, EP , originally Fábrica do Braço de Prata , is a defense industry company owned by the Portuguese Government...
sold all the dies, tooling, fixtures and manufacturing rights to Stan Andrewski, owner of Stan's Gunsmithing in New Hampshire, Jerry Prasser, owner of Recon Ordnance in Wisconsin, and Ralph Dimicco, co-owner of Riley's Gun Shop. The company was named LUSA USA.
The LUSA has been approved by the BATFE (Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives) and is for sale as a semi-automatic firearm to the civilian market. The amount of U.S. manufactured compliant parts has met government requirements.
The selective-fire model is available to law enforcement and government agencies, both foreign and domestic. Class III dealers can obtain a LUSA-A2 for demonstration purposes with the required LE demonstration letter.
, LUSA USA offers conversion kits in both .22 Long Rifle
.22 Long Rifle
The .22 Long Rifle rimfire cartridge is a long established variety of ammunition, and in terms of units sold is still by far the most common in the world today. The cartridge is often referred to simply as .22 LR and various rifles, pistols, revolvers, and even some smoothbore shotguns have...
and .40 S&W
.40 S&W
The .40 S&W is a rimless pistol cartridge developed jointly by major American firearms manufacturers Winchester and Smith & Wesson. The .40 S&W was developed from the ground up as a law enforcement cartridge designed to duplicate performance of the FBI's reduced velocity 10mm cartridge which could...
caliber. Another main objective will be a conversion to .45 GAP
.45 GAP
The .45 G.A.P. pistol cartridge was designed by Ernest Durham, an engineer with CCI/Speer, at the request of firearms manufacturer Glock to provide a cartridge that would equal the power of the .45 ACP but was shorter to fit in a more compact handgun, and with a stronger case head to reduce the...
. Sight rails and non-retractable stocks are under development as well. Suppressors, manufactured by the well established John's Guns, are available from LUSA USA.