Steyr AUG

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Steyr AUG
Steyr AUG A1
Type	Assault rifle
Place of origin	Austria
Service history
In service	1978–present
Used by	Austria, Australia, East Timor, Republic of Ireland, Indonesia, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Oman, Pakistan, Philippines, New Zealand, Saudi Arabia, Tunisia, UK, US
Wars	East Timor, Afghanistan, Iraq
Production history
Designed	1977
Manufacturer	Steyr Mannlicher
Produced	1978—
Variants	See Variants
Specifications
Weight	3.6 kg, empty
Length	790 mm
Barrel length	508 mm

Cartridge	5.56 x 45 mm NATO, 9 x 19 mm (AUG SMG)
Action	Gas-operated, rotating bolt
Rate of fire	650 round/min
Muzzle velocity	992 m/s (3,255 ft/s)
Effective range	450–500 m
Feed system	30 or 42-round magazine

Steyr AUG is a family of firearms, first introduced in 1977 by the Austrian company Steyr Mannlicher. AUG stands for Armee-Universal-Gewehr, meaning "Universal Army Rifle." It is often used to refer to a specific version, especially the initial version which was 5.56 mm NATO bullpup assault rifle, with a distinctive green frame and integrated scope. It has since spawned a variety of related weapons including a submachine gun, a designated marksman rifle, and light machine guns. It has been adopted by a number of armed forces and organizations and is the standard service rifle of Austria, Australia, New Zealand, Luxembourg, Ireland, and at one time Malaysia.

1 Design
2 Users
3 Characteristics
4 Variants
5 See also
6 External links

[edit] Design

The AUG is one of the first rifles to enter service designed on a bullpup principle; this makes it 25% shorter than other rifles with similar barrel lengths, without compromising ballistic performance. Most versions come factory-equipped with a 1.5x magnification optical sight/carrying handle. The AUG is generally regarded as a modern ergonomic design for a combat rifle. Other features are ambidextrous controls and use of clear/translucent plastic magazines, so a soldier can see how much amunition is left.

Barrels of the Steyr AUG can often be changed relatively easily to a different version, such as from a shorter barreled carbine (short rifle) to a longer barrel. There is even a modification kit which allows the Steyr AUG to be converted into a submachine gun. Some versions, like the light machine gun or heavy barrel tend to have more extensive differences and are factory pre-configured with different bolt groups and trigger packs.

[edit] Users

The AUG is said to be well liked by the soldiers who carry it. ^{[citation needed]} It has been used by the British SAS and other organisations in a counter-terror role. It is also currently in use by the U.S. Customs Service. In Austrian service it is designated StG-77 (for Sturmgewehr 77). The Steyr AUG and Steyr AUG HB (HBAR) are used by Luxembourg's army as well. In the Philippines, the elite Scout Rangers use the Steyr AUG as their primary weapon. In Pakistan, the Army and Naval Special Service Groups also use it as their primary assault rifle. The Pakistani ASF (Airports Security Force) is also a user of this weapon. The Tunisian police also use the AUG. The East Timorese police force has adopted the AUG as their standard assault rifle.

There are semi-automatic versions that meet U.S. gun law restrictions; these have met with some popularity as a civilian rifle there.

An AUG family based on the AUG A3 was rumoured to compete for the U.S. Army's OICW Increment 1 competition, a program to replace the M4 carbine, M16, and M249 machine gun.^{[citation needed]} However, the OICW Increment 1 competition was put on hold and eventually cancelled in 2005.

The AUG also has a modified Australian variant, the F-88 Austeyr, which is the standard service rifle of the Australian Defence Force and the New Zealand Defence Force. There is also a shorter carbine variant (with a shorter barrel) which is used primarily by corps operating in vehicles (such as armour, transport and cavalry regiments).

In Australian service the F88 lost out in trials to the M16A2, while the IMI Galil placed third. The decision to adopt the F88 AUSTEYR was made after Colt refused to grant the licence to produce the M16a2 family of rifles under licence at Australian Defence Industries Lithgow^{[citation needed]}

The safety catch on the Australian F-88 Austeyr has had its serviceability called into question on a number of occasions ^{[citation needed]}. The safety catch slides from side to side through the weapon, with one position (pushed fully right) being "safe" and another (pushed fully left) being "full automatic". The middle position sets the weapon to "semi automatic". In the past, however, there has been a tendency for the catch to lose its ability to lock in either of the positions (i.e. the "click" is lost and the safety catch slides freely (or too easily) from side to side) and thereby risk compromising the safety of the weapon. As a result, the Australian Defence Force has improved maintenance schedules and instructs its members to constantly check the condition ("safe" or "fire") of their weapons in a large range of situations (for example, when picking up or putting down the weapon, when handing it to or receiving it from someone, when changing between most degrees of weapon readiness, etc.).

Austrian soldiers with AUG

In the Irish Defence Forces the Steyr AUG was selected after more than two years of exhaustive technical assessment by the Army Ordnance Corps and field trials by units throughout the Defence Forces, to replace the FN FAL that had been in use since the early 1960s. Initially a total of nine weapons (Beretta AR70/90, the Colt M16A2, the Enfield L85A1, the FN FNC, the HK G41, the IMI Galil, the FAMAS, the SIG SG550, and the Steyr AUG) from various countries were evaluated technically in firing trials, each firing thousands of rounds while their accuracy and reliability were gauged. Deliveries of the Steyr AUG to the Irish Defence Forces began in 1988. Today the Steyr is the primary infantry weapon of the Permanent & Reserve elements of Ireland's military forces, although it was not introduced into the Reserve Defence Force until 2001.

It is also used by the Falkland Islands Defence Force.

The Malaysian Armed Forces replaced the Steyr AUG with the M4 Carbine in 2006.

[edit] Characteristics

Manufacturer: Steyr Mannlicher (Austria)
Licensed to: ADI Limited (Australia), SME Ordnance (Malaysia) - [1991-2006]

[edit] Variants

Steyr AUG A2 407 mm

Image:G8HB0566 01.jpg

Steyr AUG A3 with a grenade launcher

Steyr AUG 9 mm

Steyr AUG A1— this is the standard version that was first introduced in 1977. Initially they were only green and had 20" inch barrel.[1]
Steyr AUG A2 — the A2 is very similar to the A1, but the upper sight is removable. In its place, a Mil Std 1913 rail can be placed, or other equipment.[2]
Steyr AUG A3 — this is more heavily modified; the upper rail has an integrated Mil Std 1913 and the front barrel section has short rails as well. Testing in 6.8 mm Remington SPC. [3]
F88 AusSteyr— a modified AUG A1 slightly modified for Australian conditions.
Steyr AUG P— essentially a AUG A1 but with a shorter barrel.
Steyr AUG P Special receiver— same as AUG P but with a raised rail rather than integrated scope on the raised area.
Steyr AUG 9 mm (AUG SMG/AUG Para)— this is a AUG fitted to fire 9 x 19 mm cartridges.[4]
Steyr AUG M203— a AUG modifed for use with the M203 grenade launcher.
Steyr F88— See F88 AusSteyr.
Steyr F88-S— A version of the Australian F88 Austeyr with a picatinny rail in place of the standard optic sight to allow the attachment of various other sights (such as night vision or high-quality long range sights such as the Elcan C79 Wildcat, ACOG or Aimpoint). This version of the Steyr is notorious amongst Australian infantry soldiers because the positioning of its picatinny rail is uncomfortably close to the cocking handle and almost always results in shredded knuckles after prolonged use.
Steyr F88 GLA— Australian Army version with M203. It features an Inter-bar (armourer attached) interface, an R/M Equipment M203PI, and Knight's Armament's quadrant sight assembly to which a Firepoint red dot sight is attached. The bayonet lugs and forward vertical foregrip is removed.
Steyr F88-c— A carbine version of the Australian F88 Austeyr, it has a ten centimetre shorter barrel.
Steyr F88 A4— ADI’s Austeyr F88 A4 will incorporate multiple picatinny rails for the fitting of legacy systems such as the M203 P1 40mm grenade launcher assembly (GLA) as well as both commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) and military off-the-shelf (MOTS) sighting and numerous additional battle enhancement accessories.
Steyr AUG LSW (Light Support Weapon) — a family of light support versions of the AUG
Steyr AUG HBAR (Heavy-Barreled Automatic Rifle [HBAR])— a longer, heavier-barreled version for use as a light machine gun but still firing from a closed bolt.
Steyr AUG LMG (Light Machine Gun)— based on the AUG HBAR, but can fire from an open bolt, has 4X rather than 1.5x scope of regular AUG.
Stey AUG LMG–T— same has LMG, but has rail similar to the AUG P special receiver.
Steyr AUG HBAR–T— a designated marksman rifle based on the HBAR.
Steyr AUG Z— a semi-automatic version somewhat similar to the A2, intended primarily for civilians.[5]
Steyr USR— a Steyr AUG A2 modified to meet BATF regulations
DSTO Advanced Individual Combat Weapon— experimental weapon combining barrel, action and magazine of a Steyr F88 with an enlarged receiver and stock/body that also incorporates a multiple-shot 40 mm grenade launcher.