FARA 83
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| FARA 83 | |
|---|---|
 FARA 83 rifle |
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| Type | Assault rifle |
| Place of origin |  Argentina |
| Service history | |
| Used by | Argentina, Venezuela |
| Production history | |
| Designed | 1981 |
| Manufacturer | Fabrica Militar de Armas Portatiles Domingo Matheu |
| Produced | 1984-1990 |
| Number built | ~1200 |
| Specifications | |
| Weight | 3.95 kg (8.71 lb) |
| Length | 1,000 mm (39.4 in) stock extended / 745 mm (29.3 in) stock folded |
| Barrel length | 452 mm (17.8 in) |
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| Cartridge | 5.56x45mm NATO |
| Action | Gas-operated, rotating bolt |
| Rate of fire | 750 rounds/min |
| Muzzle velocity | 980 m/s (3,215 ft/s) |
| Effective range | 300-500 m |
| Feed system | 30-round detachable box magazine |
The FARA 83 (Spanish: Fusíl Automático República Argentina; "Argentine Republic Automatic Rifle") or FAA 81, "Argentine Automatic Rifle" (Spanish: Fusil Automático Argentino) was a rifle locally designed and developed for the Argentine Army in the 1980s.
[edit] History
The FAA project started in the mid-1980s, when the government was still controlled by the National Reorganization Process. The DGFM (General Government Directorate for Military Procurements, or Direccion General de las Fabricaciones Militares) ordered a replacement be designed for the FMAP FSL, an FN FAL license-built in Argentina. The prototype was completed in 1981, but production didn't start until 1984, and continued until 1990.
By the late 1980s, under Carlos Menem's tenure as president, the country was undergoing economic difficulties. The United Kingdom had closed its military market to Argentina and prohibited the production of modern weapons. These two factors forced President Menem to cancel several projects, including the Condor I and Condor II, the FARA 83, and SAIA 90. He was also forced to close armament factories, including the TAMSE, which was responsible for the TAM tanks and Astilleros Domecq Garcia - the primary submarine shipyard. Production of the rifle ground to a halt after 1193 rifles had been completed, however, it was resumed in 1990; it is unknown how many rifles were made, but the most of the Argentine Armed Forces are still armed with the FSL-FAL rifle as the main rifle, while the FARA 83 remains a secondary weapon.
[edit] Main characteristics
The FARA-83 was mostly inspired by the HK33 for the internal function, and externally by the Israeli Galil. Features include a folding buttstock and tritium sights for aiming in low light conditions; the rifle uses a proprietary 30-round magazine, very similar to HK magazines, and has a trigger group that enables semi-automatic and fully-automatic fire.
