BERETTA AR70/90-GL
The BERETTA AR-70/90 assault rifle, along with all the BERETTA 70/90 assault weapons system (featuring the AR assault rifle with fixed stock and the SC assault rifle with folding stock, the SCS paratroop and APC troops carbine and the SCP special-purpose carbine for Special Operations) was developed at the end of the '80s, when the italian Armed Forces and Law Enforcement Agencies decided that the BERETTA BM59 battle rifle (italian .7'62mm version of the M1 GARAND, reduced in lenght and able of full-auto fire) was long in the tooth for modern uses, and even the BERETTA AR-70/.223, the first italian assault rifle in .5'56mm, had enough service life, even thought that it had NO STANAG features and so was NOT compatible with all the other modern NATO weapons. At the beginning of the '90s, the AR-70/90 started to replace the BM59 between most of the italian infantry and special units (Raiders, SEALs, counter-terror teams, all the "elected" units which had the AR70 almost 15 years ago) AND in the Law Enforcement. Today, it is the standard assault rifle for the infantry and the Law Enforcement (specialized army units like better the SC-70/90 version with folding buttstock, and the Special Operations Teams have the SCS and SCP short carbines, if they're not gone for the H&K and STEYR products). Its working system is inspired to the AK47, and the external look has similarities with the AR15-M16. The AR-70/90 can fit most of the STANAG options, including optics and scopes, 30 rounds and BETA-C magazines, and so on; it still can't fit easily the M203 underbarrel integrated grenade launcher. Actually, the M203 grenade launcher is used in small quantities by the Italian Armed Forces attached to an assault rifle called BERNARDELLI VB-SR, made in the '80s and copied to the israeli Galil. However, most Tactical Support Groups of the Italian Armed Forces, and obviously the Law Enforcement, most like the AR70/90-GL. The AR70/90-GL is an AR-70/90 assault rifle fitted with a singaporean-made CIS 40-GL grenade launcher, which is commonly known to being usable as a stand-alone weapon or to be attached to most ARs simply removing the buttstock and adding a mount similar to the one of the M203-PI. It can be both slide-opening and side-opening, this making it able to feed and fire not only 40mm grenades but also longer shells; making of it a perfect weapon for riot control, in situations where lethal gunpower is not necessary but may became (during Riot Control Operations, italian LE officers using the AR70/90-GL are not authorized to carry the rifle with a .5'56mm magazine inserted, unless they don't get the order or are not subject to lethal gunshots or so). Please note that, during the '80s, the CIS 40GL grenade launcher was license-made in Italy as the FRANCHI GLF-40. --- TECHNICAL SPECS (Rifle) CALIBER: 5'56x45mm-NATO CAPACITY: 30 rounds TOTAL LENGHT: 1 Meter BARREL LENGHT: 465 mm WEIGHT: 5,34 Kgs RIFLING: 6 Grooves, RH RATE OF FIRE: 800 Rounds Per Minute -- TECHNICAL SPECS (Grenade Launcher) CALIBER: 40mm or other anti-riot, less-than-lethal shells CAPACITY: Single-shot TOTAL LENGHT (Stand-alone configuration): 655 mm TOTAL LENGHT (Buttstock removed): 305 mm WEIGHT: 4,01 Kgs RIFLING: Smoothbore MUZZLE VELOCITY OF THE GRENADE: 71 Meters per second
Photo and information from: PIERANGELO TENDAS