CETME Ameli
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| Ameli | |
|---|---|
| Type | Light machine gun |
| Place of origin |  Spain |
| Service history | |
| In service | 1982-present |
| Used by | Spain |
| Production history | |
| Designer | CETME |
| Designed | 1974-1981 |
| Manufacturer | General Dynamics Santa Bárbara Sistemas |
| Produced | 1982-present |
| Specifications | |
| Weight | 5.3 kg (11.68 lb) |
| Length | 970 mm (38.2 in) |
| Barrel length | 400 mm (15.7 in) |
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| Cartridge | 5.56x45mm NATO |
| Action | Roller-delayed blowback |
| Rate of fire | 800-1200 rounds/min |
| Muzzle velocity | 875 m/s (2,871 ft/s) (SS109 cartridge) |
| Effective range | 300 to 1,000 m sight adjustments |
| Maximum range | 1650 m |
| Feed system | 100 or 200-round M27 belt |
| Sights | Rear aperture sight and front post, 340 mm (13.4 in) sight radius |
The Ameli (short for Spanish: Ametralladora Ligera or "Light machine gun") is a Spanish 5.56 mm light machine gun. It was designed for the Spanish Army by the nationally-owned and operated Centro de Estudios Técnicos de Materiales Especiales (CETME) research institute (founded by the Spanish government in 1950). Development of the weapon began in 1974 under the supervision of María Jiménez Alfaro (who would later become the director of CETME).[1] The weapon was officially unveiled in 1981 and adopted into service in 1982 as the MG82,[1] and was manufactured at the Empresa Nacional Santa Bárbara (now General Dynamics Santa Bárbara Sistemas) factory in La Coruna.[2]
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[edit] Design details
The Ameli is an automatic weapon and externally resembles the 7.92 mm MG42 machine gun. However, unlike the MG42's roller-locked short recoil system (where the barrel and bolt recoil together a short distance before they unlock), the Ameli uses the delayed blowback method of operation with a fixed barrel and rollers which retard the rearward movement of the bolt head.[1] This operating system was also employed in CETME’s Model A, B, C and Model L series of rifles, and also in the Heckler & Koch G3 battle rifle, HK33 assault rifle and MP5 series of submachine guns.
The heart of this system is the bolt assembly, which consists of a bolt head, locking piece and two symmetrically distributed cylindrical rollers, which upon chambering a round, are displaced outwards by angled surfaces in the forward pressing locking piece and into locking recesses of the barrel extension. The geometry of the locking recess walls and sliding locking piece ensure that once a shot is fired, the bolt head absorbs the recoil impulse from the ignited cartridge through the base of the empty casing and transmits this rearward motion onto the rollers forcing them out of their respective sockets and inward, interacting with inclined planes on the locking piece and propelling it backwards at a speed that is approximately 1.5 times greater than that of the bolt head and increasing the bolt's force of inertia.[1] The relatively short initial rear displacement of the bolt head immediately after firing and the subsequent delay until the bullet has left the barrel and the gas pressures inside the bore have been reduced to a safe level eliminates the probability of a premature case extraction from the chamber (beyond the thick-walled base of the chamber) that would result in the spent casing bursting.[1]
The Ameli fires from an open bolt and uses a striker firing mechanism (in which the bolt and internally-channeled firing pin perform the role of a striker) and a fire-control mechanism that enables fully-automatic fire only.[1] The weapon features a cross bolt-type safety that disables the sear mechanism when pressed into the "safe" position. The machine gun is fed from an open-link disintegrating M27 ammunition belt that can be strung loosely from the feed tray or placed inside a 100 or 200-round plastic container, which is then attached to the left side of the receiver. This ammunition container has a transparent rear wall that allows the gunner to monitor ammunition levels visually. Feeding is carried out with a pawl-type feeding mechanism, which was modeled on the MG42’s feed system.[1] Spent cartridge casings are ejected downward through a chute in the receiver.
The quick-change barrel is equipped with a slotted flash suppressor. It has a chrome-lined bore with 6 right-hand grooves and a 178 mm (1:7 in) rifling twist rate that is optimized for use with heavier SS109 5.56x45mm NATO rounds. A barrel with a 305 mm (1:12 in) twist rate designed specifically to stabilize the lightweight M193 cartridge was also available.[1] The chamber portion of the barrel has flutes that assist in the extraction sequence. A carry handle is also fixed to the barrel and aids in its removal when it becomes too hot.
The Ameli is fitted with a fixed polymer stock, bipod and iron sights that consist of a forward post and rear aperture contained in the carry handle assembly with 300, 600, 800 and 1,000 m range settings. The quick-detachable bipod has a height adjustment feature and is mounted to the barrel heat shroud at the muzzle end.
The light machine gun can be deployed with the bipod or from a stationary tripod mount.
[edit] See also
[edit] Notes
[edit] References
- Gander, Terry J., and Ian Hogg. Jane's Guns Recognition Guide, 4th Ed. New York: HarperCollins Publishers, 2005. ISBN 0007183283.
- (Polish) Woźniak, Ryszard (2001). "p. 140-141", Encyklopedia najnowszej broni palnej - tom 1 A-F. Warsaw, Poland: Bellona. ISBN 83-11-09149-8.
