The FN Fusil Automatique Leger (light automatic rifle) is a battle rifle produced after the Second World War by the Belgian armaments manufacturer Fabrique Nationale de Herstal ("FN") and adopted by many nations for their armies. The word caliber (American English) or calibre (British English) comes from the Italian calibro, itself from the Arabic quâlib, meaning mould. ... The gas-operated system for implementing automatic reloading of a firearm is one of five such systems, the others being recoil-operated, gatling, chain, and blowback. ... A battle rifle or main battle rifle is a military longarm firing a full sized rifle cartridge. ... Fabrique Nationale de Herstal, more often known as Fabrique Nationale and abbreviated simply as FN, is a well-known firearm manufacturer that originated in the Belgian city of Herstal, near Liège. ...

History

The FN FAL was originally designed to fire the 7.92mm Kurz patrone ("short cartridge") developed and used by the Germans during World War II (see Stg44 assault rifle). With the adoption of the 7.62mm x 51mm (.308 Winchester) caliber as the NATO standard, FN rebuilt their rifle for the new cartridge and created what is possibly the classic post-war battle rifle. Introduced in 1951, and produced two years later, it has been described as the "right arm of the free world." World War II was a truly global conflict with many facets: immense human suffering, fierce indoctrinations, and the use of new, extremely devastating weapons like the atom bomb. ... Sturmgewehr 44 Nationality Germany Type Assault rifle Inventor Gustloff Date of design 1943 Service duration July 1944 - May 1945 Cartridge 7. ... M16A2 (U.S.). This version was adopted in 1982 An assault rifle is a type of automatic weapon. ... NATO 7. ... The flag of NATO NATO 2002 Summit The North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO), sometimes called North Atlantic Alliance, Atlantic Alliance or the Western Alliance, is an international organisation for defence collaboration established in 1949, in support of the North Atlantic Treaty signed in Washington, D.C., on April 4, 1949. ... A rifle is any long gun which has a rifled barrel. ... 1951 was a common year starting on Monday; see its calendar. ...

The FAL operates by means of a gas-operated action firearm action very similar to that of the American Browning Automatic Rifle. The gas system is driven by a short-stroke, spring-loaded piston housed above the barrel, and the locking mechanism is what is known as a tilting bolt, as to lock, it hinges down into a solid shoulder of metal in the receiver like the bolts of the Russian SKS carbine and French MAS-49 series of semiautomatic rifles. FAL magazine capacity ranges from 5-30 rounds, with most magazines holding 20 rounds. In firearms terminology, an action is the system of operation that the firearm employs to seal the breech (in a breech-loading firearm), and to load consecutive rounds. ... Browning Automatic Rifle Type automatic rifle Nationality US Era post-World War I History Date of design 1918 Production period 1918 to 1940s Service duration 1918 to 1950s Operators US War service WW1, WW2, Korea Specifications Type select-fire Calibre . ... SKS The SKS is a Russian semi-automatic rifle, designed in 1945 by Sergei Gavrilovich Simonov. ... The MAS 49 is a French designed semiautomatic rifle that was intended to replace the motley collection of aging French bolt-action rifles and captured German rifles after the end of WWII. The MAS (which stands for Manufacture dArmes St. ...

The FAL battle rifle was NATO's answer to the AK-47, in terms of the sheer number of countries that adopted it (over 70). Unlike the Russian AK-47 assault rifle, the FAL utilized a full-power rifle cartridge. A battle rifle or main battle rifle is a military longarm firing a full sized rifle cartridge. ... The flag of NATO NATO 2002 Summit The North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO), sometimes called North Atlantic Alliance, Atlantic Alliance or the Western Alliance, is an international organisation for defence collaboration established in 1949, in support of the North Atlantic Treaty signed in Washington, D.C., on April 4, 1949. ... Avtomat Kalashnikova model 1947 g. ... A rifle is any long gun which has a rifled barrel. ... Rimmed, centerfire . ...

Production and use

The FAL was made by Fabrique Nationale de Herstal (FN) in Liege and under license in a number of countries, including the United Kingdom, South Africa (where it was known as the R1), Brazil, Australia, Canada, Israel, Austria and Argentina. India manufactured FALs without license from FN. Mexico assembled FN-made components into complete rifles at its national arsenal in Mexico City. Fabrique Nationale de Herstal, more often known as Fabrique Nationale and abbreviated simply as FN, is a well-known firearm manufacturer that originated in the Belgian city of Herstal, near Liège. ... Mexico City (Spanish: Ciudad de México) is the name of a megacity located in the Valley of Mexico (Valle de México), a large valley in the high plateaus (altiplano) at the center of Mexico, about 2,240 metres (7,349 feet) above sea-level, surrounded on most sides...

Germany

A number of FALs were made for West Germany and designated the G-1 before the adoption of the G-3 series of battle rifles, based upon the Spanish CETME battle rifle. Gewehr 3 Nationality Germany Type selective-fire rifle Inventor CETME/Mauser/H&K Date of design 1950s Service duration 1958 - 1997 (DE) Cartridge NATO 7. ... CETME CETME cutaway The name CETME is an acronym for Centro de Estudios Técnicos de Materiales Especiales, a Spanish government design and development establishment. ...

UK

Great Britain adopted its own variant of the FAL in 1957 as the L1A1 SLR ( Self-Loading Rifle). . It was manufactured in Imperial measurements and minor changes were incorporated including folding a cocking handle, prong shaped flash eliminator, folding rear sight, sand removing cuts in the slide, and strengthened magazine catch. The UK variant, and many others, is semi-automatic only while the original Belgian version and other metric variants are selective fire. Most parts on the British "inch" version are not interchangeable with those built on a metric pattern. The L1A1 was replaced in the early 1980s by the Enfield SA80. 1957 was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Imperial units are an irregularly standardized system of units that have been used in the United Kingdom and its former colonies, including the Commonwealth countries. ... A selective fire weapon can be fired in either of at least two modes, depending on the position of the selector switch. ... L85 IW (SA80) Type assault rifle Nationality UK Era Modern History Date of design Production period 1985 - 1994 Service duration 1985 - present Operators UK, Zimbabwe, Jamaica War service Gulf War, 2003 invasion of Iraq Specifications Type Calibre 5. ...

Canada

The Canadian version was the C1A1. It served as Canada's standard battle rifle from the early 1950s to 1984, when it was phased out in favor of the lighter, more maneuverable C7. Danish soldier shooting with a C8A2 Carbine, in Iraq. ...

Australia

The Australian Army used the British L1A1 SLR (Imperial) until it was supplanted by the Steyr AUG in the 1990s. Many Australian soldiers used the rifle during the Vietnam War despite its unsuitability for close jungle combat. In fact, many Australian soldiers preferred the larger calibre weapon over the American M-16 simply because they could trust the 7.62mm x 51 round to kill an enemy soldier outright. By contrast, the 5.56 x 45 mm NATO round fired by the M-16 could not always be relied upon - especially when firing over longer ranges. Australian jungle warfare tactics during the Vietnam War, which were far more conservative than those employed by US troops, were determined in part by both the strengths and limitations of the SLR. Because of financial constraints, soldiers were forbidden to discard empty magazines - which they refilled when given the opportunity. Steyr AUG Type Assault rifle Nationality Austria Era Modern History Date of design 1977 Production period 1978 to present Service duration Operators Austria, Australia, New Zealand, UK, United States, Luxembourg War service Specifications Type Assault rifle Calibre 5. ... The Vietnam War or Second Indochina War (Vietnamese Chiến Tranh Chống Mỹ Cứu Nước, War Against the Americans to Save the Nation) was a conflict between the Democratic Republic of Vietnam (DRVN, or North Vietnam), allied with the National Liberation Front (NLF, or Viet Cong) against... M16 Type Assault rifle Nationality United States Era Vietnam, modern History Date of design 1957 Production period 1960 to present Service duration 1960 to present Operators NATO War service Vietnam War, Gulf War, 2003_invasion_of_Iraq Specifications Type Assault Rifle Calibre 5. ... U.S. Military 5. ...

South Africa and others

The R1 rifle in South African service had been superseded around mid 1980s with the locally built R4 assault rifle, a license-built copy of the Israeli Galil which Israel had replaced their FALs with around 1975 as had the Dutch. The USA had tested the FAL as the T48 in the late 1950s, but chose to adopt its competitor, the T44, which became the M-14 rifle, a modified version of the earlier M-1 Garand rifle. R4. ... The Galil is one of the standard assault rifles used by the Israel Defense Forces. ... Caliber: 7. ... M1 Garand Nationality United States Type Semi-automatic rifle Inventor John Garand Date of design 1924 Service duration 1936 - 1957 Cartridge . ...

Variants

FAL 50.41

• Also known as FALO
• Heavy barrel for sustained fire with 30 round magazine Squad Automatic Weapon (Light machine gun)
• Used by Canada as the C2A1 as their primary squad automatic weapon until it was phased out during the 1980s in favor of the lighter C9
• Used by the Australian Army as the L2A1 until it was replaced by the FN Minimi.

A Home Army (Polish resistance) soldier equipped with an Brno ZB26 LMG during the Warsaw Uprising of 1944. ... C9 is the Canadian designation of the Fabrique Nationale Minimi. ...

FAL 50.63

• Folding-stock, shorter-barrel paratrooper version.

An American Paratrooper using a T-10C series parachute Paratroopers are soldiers trained in parachuting and formed into an airborne force. ...

External links

• Additional information, including pictures at Modern Firearms
• Remtek - FN FAL Info