Beretta AR70/90
| Beretta AR70/90 | |
|---|---|
Italian soldiers of San Marco Regiment with the Beretta SC70/90 rifle (Rome, 2007)
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| Type | Assault rifle |
| Place of origin | Italy |
| Service history | |
| In service | 1972–1990 (AR70/90 .223) 1990–present (AR70/90) |
| Used by | See Users |
| Wars | War in Afghanistan, Iraq War |
| Production history | |
| Designer | Beretta |
| Designed | 1972 (AR70/.223) 1985 (AR70/90) |
| Manufacturer | Beretta |
| Variants | See Variants |
| Specifications | |
| Weight | 3.99 kg (8.80 lb) (varies slightly) |
| Length | 998 mm (39.3 in) (varies slightly) |
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| Cartridge | 5.56×45mm NATO |
| Caliber | 5.56mm |
| Action | Gas-operated |
| Rate of fire | 650 RPM (varies slightly) |
| Muzzle velocity | 950 m/s (3,100 ft/s) |
| Effective firing range | 500 m (1,600 ft) |
| Feed system | 30-round STANAG Magazine 100-round C-Mag drum magazine |
| Sights | Iron/grenade sights |
The Beretta AR70/90 is a gas operated self-loading assault rifle chambered for the 5.56×45mm NATO cartridge, and is the standard issue service rifle of the Italian Armed Forces. The weapon is also designed to be fitted with a rifle grenade, and has grenade sights. The AR series comes in many variants such as the AR90, with a wire folding stock, for use by paratroopers. Because the rifle is so reliable, the Alpini mountain troops nicknamed it Excalibur.[citation needed]
Contents
History
The Beretta AR70/90 assault rifle was developed in the 1980s when the Italian Government decided that its military and law enforcement agencies needed a new standard service weapon. It was made to be compatible with other NATO weapons by the adoption of standard 5.56mm STANAG loaders, whereas the AR70/90's predecessor, the BM59, derived from the U.S. M1 Garand, was chambered in 7.62 (.308), another NATO caliber which today is considered suitable mostly for sniper or machine gun use. There is a semi-auto version of the AR-70/90 called the AR 70/90S which lacks a flash hider and bayonet mount.
Description
The AR-70/90 is manufactured according to 1980s standards, i.e. with limited use of polymer plastic parts and using stainless steel whenever possible (a Beretta staple). It weighs approximately 4 kg in standard configuration. It has three firing positions (full auto, three-round burst, and semi-auto) and a safe, and has a carrying handle not unlike the Vietnam-era M16, a long, bulky barrel, and a hollow stock. It is usually fitted with an ACOG or a red dot optic.
Future
As of late 2010 the AR70/90 is supplemented in service by the new Beretta ARX-160, a totally new project which sees a great leap forward in soldier-to-weapon interfacing, several major developments in sighting and firepower such as the integrated (and also detachable) grenade launcher GLX-160, and the "Future Soldier Program" integration.
Variants
| Version | Caliber | Length | Barrel length | Mass | Effective range | Rate of fire |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AR70/223 | 5.56×45mm M193 | 995 mm | 450 mm | 3.8 kg | 400 m | 650 rpm |
| AR70/90, SC70/90 | 5.56×45mm NATO | 998 (756) mm | 450 mm | 4.07 kg | 500 m | 670 rpm |
| SCP70/90 | 5.56×45mm NATO | 908 (663) mm | 360 mm | 3.8 kg | 350 m | 670 rpm |
Users
Burkina Faso Police [1]
Colombia Police [2]
Egypt: Used by Police forces[3]
Honduras: Delivered 1,000 in 2006.[4]
Indonesia: Indonesian Navy (Special Forces) [5]
Italy: Army has 105,000 AR70s and 15,000 SCP70s in service; the weapons are also in service with the Navy, Air Force, Carabinieri, Guardia di Finanza and Polizia di Stato.[6] Those models are going to be decommissioned in favor of ARX-160.
Jordan[1][6]
Lesotho[1]
Malaysia[6]
Malta[citation needed]
Mexico [7]
Morocco[1][8]
Nigeria[1]
Qatar[citation needed]
Paraguay[1]
Zimbabwe[1]
See also
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 Jones, Richard D. Jane's Infantry Weapons 2009/2010. Jane's Information Group; 35th edition (January 27, 2009). ISBN 978-0-7106-2869-5.
- ↑ http://codigosanluis.com/portal/node/13877
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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- ↑ http://i.imgur.com/mE2Cd5k.jpg
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ http://www.unimondo.org/Guide/Guerra-e-Pace/Armi-leggere/Gli-affari-della-Beretta-coi-regimi-repressivi-e-il-Codice-Gheddafi-148444
- ↑ http://l.yimg.com/bt/api/res/1.2/66IR3ood73grgZSS_a.c2A--/YXBwaWQ9eW5ld3M7Zmk9ZmlsbDtoPTcxMDtweW9mZj0wO3E9NzU7dz0xMDcz/http://media.zenfs.com/en_us/News/ap_webfeeds/fc2bd64580e1630a2d0f6a706700ea09.jpg
External links
- Beretta Defence company website
- Beretta Defence catalog
- Modern Firearms
- Video of operation on YouTube
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Beretta Firearms
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| Handguns |
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| Submachine guns | ||
| Rifles & Carbines |
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| Machine guns | ||
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