UNION DE LA INDUSTRIA MILITAR Alejandro
MODELNAME: "Alejandro". MANUFACTURER: UIM (Union de la Industria Militar) COUNTRY: Cuba CALIBER: 7'62x54mm-Rimmed CAPACITY: 8 rounds, internal magazine ACTION: Bolt-action repetition TOTAL LENGHT/BARREL LENGHT: Appearently the same of the british ACCURACY INTERNATIONAL L98, of which the ALEJANDRO rifle heavily borrows the external design, with some minor modifications SCOPE: PSO-1, standard (although this rifle is supposed to be fittable with several other scopes, including western models) RANGE: Appearently improved respect of the SVD BACKGROUND: The ALEJANDRO has been developed at the end of 2001/beginning of 2002, and it's now offeder by the UIM state-owned cuban armaments corporation to arm the FAR (FUERZAS ARMADAS REVOLUCIONARIAS, "Revolutionary Armed Forces", Cuban Defence) thus providing them with a newer sniper rifle to replace the old DRAGUNOVs, kept in stock by the Cuban Forces in a very little number, and the aged bolt-action MOSIN-NAGANT that the Cuban Forces extensively employed for sniping-sharpshooting. Not much is known about this rifle; most of the news about this weapon come from "company litterature", the only "western" reporters who have been able to see this rifle in actions (and have been positively impressed by its performances) are the ones from the JANE'S INFORMATION GROUP. Due to the country this rifle comes from, it has seen very little attention from specialized press, generally boycotted by US reporters. The rifle was also supposed to be manufactured to be sold abroad, but after the USA and (unfortunately) the EU have declared a new embargo against Cuba due to the execution in the past months of a group of persons who tried to escape from the island and were accused of "severe terrorism acts" (I can't understand WHY this decision of the cuban government has been so scandalous, since those people were armed with combat knives and AK rifles, they captured a ferry-boat and tried to hijack it, holding hostages the crew and the passengers for several days), the commercial viability of this sniper rifle outside Cuba is in serious jeopardy.
Photo and information from: PIERANGELO TENDAS
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