The UMP is a modern sub machine gun of German origin. The UMP was developed by Heckler & Koch in the 1990's and supplements the famous MP5 in their lineup. Although the MP5 is considered very reliable and highly accurate it is also rather heavy, very costly and it is difficult to mount accessories, although many are available. The UMP is lighter, less costly, more modular and available in various calibers. The name UMP stands for Universale Machinenpistole, which is German for Universal Machine Pistol.

Together with the G36 the UMP is H&K's departure from the famous roller locked delayed blowback mechanism. The UMP is blowback operated and available in three calibers and can be converted by replacing bolt, barrel and magazine. Except from the internal mechanism and barrel the UMP is fully made out of high strength polymer, resulting in a low weight weapon. The controls are fully ambidextrous and various trigger groups are available. Picatinny rails allow a wide variety of optics and accessories to be fitted.

The UMP is available in 9x19mm NATO, .40 S&W and .45 APC. In 9mm and .40 it uses 30 round magazines, while the .45 magazines hold 25 rounds. The rate of fire varies per caliber and is roughly 700 rpm in 9mm and in .45 it is 600 rpm. The limited rate of fire makes the UMP controllable, even when firing the more powerful types of ammunition. The effective range is quoted to be about 100 meters.

The UMP is used by police and counter terrorist units world wide and also is in limited military use. The UMP is often used alongside the MP5 it supplements. All three calibers are in common use, although the heavier calibers are more common in the USA and the UMP9 is more common in Europe.