TAR-21

The Israeli Military Industries TAR-21 is a weapon featured in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2. It is an Israeli bullpup assault rifle chambered for 5.56x45mm NATO ammunition with a selective fire system. The name "T.A.R. 21" stands for "Tavor Assault Rifle - 21st Century". IMI made this weapon to have the same overall power of an M16, but in a more compact and innovative design. It is the standard issued weapon of the Givati Brigade (since August 2006) and Golani Brigade (since August 2008), with the Nahal Brigade receiving it in 2010. The TAR 21 was selected as the future assault rifle of the Israeli Defense Forces, and within the next few years it will become the standard Israeli infantry weapon.



Singleplayer
In the campaign, it is used heavily by the Russian military in the United States. This is inaccurate, however, considering that Russian Military exclusively uses Kalashnikov-style weapons or, in the case of the Spetsnaz, the OTs-14 Groza which is also a bullpup weapon. The weapon is currently manufactured in Georgia and Ukraine, so it is plausible that the Ultranationalists took over their factories or stockpiles. On the other hand, the developers likely thought that it would be redundant to have every Russian soldier using an AK-47 or having to make many similar Kalashnikov-type weapons.

In the Singleplayer Campaign and Special ops, this weapon is always seen with optics attached. This is accurate as the TAR-21 posseses no built-in sights and relies on rail mounted optics, like those seen in game.

Multiplayer
This weapon is unlocked at Level 20. The TAR-21 carries 30-round magazines, deals 30-40 damage per shot and fires at 750 RPM, making it one of the highest damage-output weapons in the game. The weapon also possesses moderate recoil, making it difficult to use in the hands of an unskilled player at long ranges without short, controlled bursts of fire, especially with the use of an ACOG Scope. Using a silencer mitigates the recoil significantly. In hardcore, the weapon's recoil is not as big an issue due to the fact that it can down any player in one shot at any range, unless firing through cover or at a player using painkiller.

The TAR-21 also possesses a unique tinted Red Dot Sight called the MARS Sight, which offers a slightly smaller, circular viewing space versus standard Red Dot attachments on other weapons. One of the advantages of this sight is that when using Bling with a Heartbeat Sensor, the Sensor is still visible while aiming down the sights. However, many players dislike the MARS sight due to its smaller size than a normal Red Dot Sight, and the fact that it reflects the in-game light, sometimes making it difficult to aim through. Because of this, many players will choose to use the Holographic Sight after unlocking it, as it is larger than the MARS sight, has a thinner frame, and does not glare as much while reflecting light.

Although the TAR-21's recoil makes it somewhat difficult to use at longer ranges (though this can be mostly negated with controlled bursts), its high damage per second makes it extremely effective at close and medium range. The TAR-21 is one of the only assault rifles that will be competitive with SMGs at close range. Due to the above traits, this gun can be a very effective stealth/ambush weapon if used with a silencer and heartbeat sensor.

In hardcore mode the TAR-21 is capable of a one shot kill without stopping power. This combined with an ACOG sight and barely pressing the trigger to only fire one bullet can make this a very good anti-sniper or long distance support weapon. The same effect can be achieved with a thermal sight. This can also be useful if you want to snipe but without a ghillie suit.

The Mars sight seems to have slightly more of a zoom effect then regular red dot sights but aiming with it is harder because the sight takes up a lot of space on the screen and it is slightly blurry.

Weapon Attachments

 * Grenade Launcher
 * Red Dot Sight (Only available in campaign)
 * MARS Sight (More common version of RDS, standard on multiplayer)
 * Silencer
 * ACOG Scope
 * FMJ
 * Shotgun
 * Holographic Sight
 * Heartbeat Sensor
 * Thermal scope
 * Extended Magazines

Trivia



 * When aiming down the sights with the MARS sight the Heartbeat Sensor is still easily visible making it an excellent attachment on this weapon. The only other known weapons to have this quality are the AA-12 (which can only be found in Special Ops with this attachment), the L86 LSW, the RPD, and the FAL.


 * In 'The Gulag', three TAR-21s w/Red Dot Sight can be found on the weapons rack


 * The empty reload animation differs slightly with the Heartbeat Sensor attachment.


 * Much like the M4 Carbine in Call of Duty 4, the right side of the TAR-21 is not rendered when in first-person mode.


 * It is possible to acquire an TAR-21 with an actual Red Dot Sight instead of the standard MARS Sight by using the Three Weapons Glitch on Second Sun. (Confirmed).


 * The AI in the game reload TAR-21 like it is a non-bullpup assault rifle.


 * When the grenade launcher is equipped and the player is prone, you can clearly see that the iron sights has the writings "Intensity Fire".