Indian Military

FN FAL
The original FAL 50.64 with side-folding shoulder stock
Type	Battle rifle
Place of origin	Belgium
Service history
In service	1953–1994
Used by	See Users
Wars	Vietnam War Cambodian Civil War Six-Day War Portuguese Colonial War South African Border War Northern Ireland Troubles Rhodesian Bush War Falklands War Gulf War Balkan Wars Cenepa War Sierra Leone Civil War Yom Kippur War Rwandan Civil War
Production history
Designer	Dieudonné Saive, Ernest Vervier
Designed	1947–1953
Manufacturer	Fabrique Nationale (FN)
Produced	1953–1993
Variants	See Variants
Specifications
Weight	FAL 50.00: 4.3 kg (9.48 lb) FAL 50.61: 3.90 kg (8.6 lb) FAL 50.63: 3.79 kg (8.4 lb) FAL 50.41: 5.95 kg (13.1 lb)
Length	FAL 50.00 (fixed stock): 1,090 mm (42.9 in) FAL 50.61 (stock extended): 1,095 mm (43.1 in) FAL 50.61 (stock folded): 845 mm (33.3 in) FAL 50.63 (stock extended): 998 mm (39.3 in) FAL 50.63 (stock folded): 748 mm (29.4 in) FAL 50.41 (fixed stock): 1,125 mm (44.3 in)
Barrel length	FAL 50.00: 533 mm (21.0 in) FAL 50.61: 533 mm (21.0 in) FAL 50.63: 436 mm (17.2 in) FAL 50.41: 533 mm (21.0 in)
Cartridge	7.62x51mm NATO
Action	Gas-operated, tilting breechblock
Rate of fire	650–700 rounds/min
Muzzle velocity	FAL 50.00: 840 m/s (2,756 ft/s) FAL 50.61: 840 m/s (2,755.9 ft/s) FAL 50.63: 810 m/s (2,657.5 ft/s) FAL 50.41: 840 m/s (2,755.9 ft/s)
Effective range	200–600 m sight adjustments
Feed system	20 or 30-round detachable box magazine
Sights	Aperture rear sight, post front sight 553 mm (21.8 in) sight radius (FAL 50.00, FAL 50.41) 549 mm (21.6 in) sight radius (FAL 50.61, FAL 50.63)

The Fusil Automatique Léger ("Light Automatic Rifle") or FAL is a self-loading, selective fire battle rifle produced by the Belgian armaments manufacturer Fabrique Nationale de Herstal (FN). During the Cold War it was adopted by many North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) countries, with the notable exception of the United States. It is one of the most widely used rifles in history, having been used by over 90 countries.

The FAL was predominantly chambered for the 7.62x51mm NATO round, and because of its prevalence and widespread use among the armed forces of many NATO countries during the Cold War it was nicknamed "the right arm of the Free World".

History

In 1947, the first FN FAL prototype was completed. It was designed to fire the intermediate 7.92x33mm Kurz cartridge developed and used by the forces of Nazi Germany during World War II (see StG44 assault rifle). After testing this prototype in 1948, the British Army urged FN to build additional prototypes, including one in bullpup configuration, chambered for their new .280 British caliber intermediate cartridge. After evaluating the single bullpup prototype, FN decided to return instead to their original, conventional design for future production.

In 1950, the United Kingdom presented the redesigned FN rifle and the British EM-2, both in .280 British calibre, to the United States for comparison testing against the favoured United States Army design of the time - Earle Harvey's T25. It was hoped that a common cartridge and rifle could be standardized for issue to the armies of all NATO member countries. After this testing was completed, U.S. Army officials suggested that FN should redesign their rifle to fire the U.S. prototype '.30 Light Rifle' cartridge. FN decided to hedge their bets with the U.S., given that the UK appeared to be favouring their own EM-2.

The United Kingdom developed its own variant of the FN FAL, designating it the L1A1 Self Loading Rifle (SLR). While in production it was manufactured by the Royal Small Arms Factory Enfield, Birmingham Small Arms and the Royal Ordnance Factory. Replacement components were made by Parker Hale Limited. The SLR was fitted with a lug so that it could facilitate a bayonet, and a rifle grenade launcher. The L1A1 SLR served the British Armed Forces from 1954 until 1985, being replaced by the L85A1.

The British SLR was graduated using Imperial measurements and included several changes from the original Belgian FN FAL. The most prominent change from the original FAL, was that the L1A1 operated in the semi-automatic mode only. Other changes included the introduction of a fold-flat cocking handle, an enclosed flash suppressor and a folding rear sight. Minor changes included sand-clearing modifications to the body, breechblock and the breechblock carrier, a gas regulator, an integral fold-away trigger guard and pistol grip, strengthened butt-stock and an enlarged fire selector and magazine catch along with a modified take-down release lever to prevent unintended activation and top-cover retainer tabs to prevent forward movement.

Later production SLRs were produced with synthetic handguards, such as the pistol grip, forward hand grip, carrying handle and buttstock. The synthetic material was produced from Maranyl pastic, a nylon 6-6 and fiberglass composite. The SLR's synthetic furniture was of an anti-slip texture, and the buttstock included the feature of a replaceable butt-pad, depending on an individual user's "length of pull". The wooden furniture was present in early production SLRs, and was available in two different patterns of forward hand grip, the first being solid wood similar to the Belgian original with flat faces and two oval shaped cooling apertures, with the second having two and of a more rounded profile. Some of the modifications reflected those on the Canadian C1 and C2 Rifle, Australian L1A1 and L2A1, and to a lesser extent the Indian 1A SLR.

In 1951, FN even made a deal with the U.S. that they could produce the FAL royalty-free in the U.S. This decision appeared to be correct when the British Army decided to adopt the EM-2 and .280 British cartridge in the very same month. This decision was later rescinded after the Labour Party lost the General Election, was ousted from control of Parliament and Winston Churchill returned as Prime Minister. It is believed that there was a quid pro quo agreement between Churchill and U.S. President Harry Truman in 1952 that the British accept the .30 Light Rifle cartridge as NATO standard in return for U.S. acceptance of the FN FAL as NATO standard. The .30 Light Rifle cartridge was in fact later standardized as the 7.62 mm NATO; however, the U.S. insisted on continued rifle tests. The FAL chambered for the .30 Light Rifle went up against the redesigned T25 (now redesignated as the T47), and an M1 Garand variant, the T44. Eventually, the T44 won out, becoming the M14. However, in the meantime, most other NATO countries were evaluating and selecting the FAL.

FN created what is possibly the classic post-war battle rifle. Formally introduced by its designers Dieudonne Saive and Ernest Vervier in 1951, and produced two years later, it has been described as the "right arm of the Free World." The FAL battle rifle has its Warsaw Pact counterpart in the AK-47, each being fielded by dozens of countries and produced in many of them. A few, such as India, Israel and South Africa, manufactured and issued both designs at various times. 

Design details

The FAL operates by means of a gas-operated action very similar to that of the Russian SVT-40. The gas system is driven by a short-stroke, spring-loaded piston housed above the barrel, and the locking mechanism is what is known as a tilting breechblock. To lock, it drops down into a solid shoulder of metal in the heavy receiver much like the bolts of the Russian SKS carbine and French MAS-49 series of semi-automatic rifles. The gas system is fitted with a gas regulator behind the front sight base, allowing adjustment of the gas system in response to environmental conditions, and can be closed completely to allow for the firing of rifle grenades. The FAL's magazine capacity ranges from 5 to 30 rounds, with most magazines holding 20 rounds. In fixed stock versions of the FAL, the recoil spring is housed in the stock, while in folding-stock versions it is housed in the receiver cover, necessitating a slightly different receiver cover, recoil spring, and bolt carrier, and a modified lower receiver for the stock.

FAL rifles have also been manufactured in both light and heavy-barrel configurations, with the heavy barrel intended for automatic fire as a section or squad light support weapon. Most heavy barrel FALs are equipped with bipods, although some light barrel models were equipped with bipods, such as the Austrian StG58 and the German G1, and a bipod was later made available as an accessory.

Among other 7.62x51mm NATO battle rifles at the time, the FN FAL had relatively light recoil, due to the gas system being able to be tuned via regulator in fore-end of the rifle, which allowed for excess gas which would simply increase recoil to bleed off. In fully-automatic mode, however, the shooter receives considerable abuse from recoil, and the weapon climbs off-target quickly, making automatic fire only of marginal effectiveness. Many military forces using the FAL eventually eliminated full-automatic firearms training in the light-barrel FAL.

Variants

FN Production Variants

FAL 50.41 & 50.42

• Also known as FALO as an abbreviation from the French Fusil Automatique Lourd;
• Heavy barrel for sustained fire with 30-round magazine as a squad automatic weapon;
• Known in Canada as the C2A1, it was their primary squad automatic weapon until it was phased out during the 1980s in favor of the C9, which has better accuracy and better ammunition capacity than the C2;
• Known to the Australian Army as the L2A1, it was replaced by the FN Minimi. The L2A1 or 'heavy barrel' FAL was used by several Commonwealth nations and was found to frequently experience a failure to feed after firing two rounds from a full magazine when in automatic mode.
• The 50.41 is fitted with a plastic buttstock, while the 50.42's buttstock is made from wood.

FAL 50.61

• Folding-stock, standard barrel length

FAL 50.63

• Folding-stock, shorter-barrel paratrooper version; standard metric charging handle and carry handle.
• Two variants with differing barrel lengths: 458 mm versus 436 mm. The shorter version was requested by Belgian paratroopers. This allowed the folded-stock rifle to fit through the doorway of their C-119 Flying Boxcar when worn horizontally across the chest.

FAL 50.64

• Folding-stock, standard barrel length, 'Hiduminium' aluminum alloy lower receiver, upper receiver was not cut for a carry handle, the charging handle on the 50:64 was a folding model similar to the L1A1 rifles.

Users

•  Angola
•  Argentina
•  Austria: The Austrian Army adopted a variant of the FAL under the designation Sturmgewehr 58 (StG 58) until it was replaced by the Steyr AUG in 1977. Produced locally by Steyr Mannlicher, the StG 58 was outwardly similar to the German G1, featuring the same slimmer horizontally-ribbed sheet metal handguard and bipod, but using a different combination flash suppressor/grenade launcher spigot that is ribbed and longer than the Argentine and Belgian type.
•  Bahrain
•  Bangladesh
•  Barbados
•  Belgium: Adopted both the FAL and FALO (heavy barrel FAL) for its armed forces in the 1950s. Both rifles were kept in service until the FN FNC was introduced into combat units in the late 1980s. The FAL finally disappeared from inventory around 1995.
•  Belize
•  Bolivia
•  Botswana
•  Brazil
•  Burundi
•  Cambodia
•  Cameroon
•  Chad
•  Chile
•  Colombia
•  Congo
•  Costa Rica
•  Cyprus
•  Democratic Republic of Congo
•  Djibouti
•  Dominican Republic
•  Ecuador
•  Fiji
•  Gambia
•  Ghana
•  Greece: Adopted the FAL and FALO under license by the Pyrkal factories before using Hellenic Arms Industry-made G3A3s. This move was due to lack of support by the Greek government on Pyrkal. It was in use with the Greek special forces and the IV Army Corps in the Evros region from 1973 to 1999. The FAL was replaced in 2000.
•  Guyana
•  Honduras
•  India: Since the late 1950s, the Indian armed forces had been equipped with a FAL variant alleged to be reverse-engineered, which is designated the 1A SLR (Self Loading Rifle). This copy is considered to be a distinct weapon (although certainly not an original design) which has features from both Commonwealth inch-dimensioned versions as well as metric FALs. It was the mainstay rifle of the Indian Army for almost 45 years, and first saw combat use during the 1965 war with Pakistan. The variant manufactured in India is restricted to semi-automatic fire. The replacement for the 1A is the INSAS family of rifles, carbines and light machine guns - partially derived from the SLR but also with AK features, but in 5.56 mm. Considerable number of SLRs continue to be used by paramilitary, constabulary and police forces of India.
•  Ireland: Used as the main rifle of the Irish Defence Forces from the early 1960s (starting with UN service in the Congo) until 1988 when it was replaced. Its usual furniture consisted of a timber stock and black synthetic handguard and pistol grip.
•  Israel
•  Jamaica
•  Kenya
•  Kuwait
•  Lebanon
•  Liberia
•  Libya
•  Luxembourg
•  Malawi
•  Malaysia
•  Malta
•  Mexico
•  Morocco
•  Mozambique
•  Myanmar
•  Nepal
•  Netherlands: The Royal Netherlands Army adopted the rifle with bipod and no fully-automatic capability in 1961, being called Het licht automatisch geweer, but usually known as the 'FAL' in Dutch service. They had unique sights (hooded at the front) and the German style sheet metal front handguard. A sniper version, Geweer Lange Afstand, also existed and was standard with a scope of Dutch origin produced by the Artillerie Inrichtingen and without the bipod. The scope was introduced as Kijker Richt Recht AI 62. The heavy-barrel FAL 50.42 version was also adopted later as a squad automatic weapon as the Het zwaar automatisch geweer. This rifle was replaced in the 1990s.
•  Nigeria: Licensed by DICON (Defence Industries Corporation of Nigeria) in Nigeria as the NR-1.
•  Oman
•  Panama
•  Papua New Guinea
•  Paraguay
•  Peru
•  Philippines: Moro National Liberation Front and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front received over 1000 FN FAL rifles from Libya.
•  Portugal In 1960, the Army issued quantities of light-barrel FN and West German G1 FAL rifles to several of its elite commando forces, including the Companhias de Caçadores Especiais (Special Hunter [Ranger] companies). The latter often expressed a preference for the lighter FAL over the Portuguese-manufactured version of the H&K G3 rifle when on ambush or patrol. In Portuguese service, the FN FAL was designated Espingarda Automática 7,62 mm FN m/962.
•  Rwanda
•  Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
•  South Africa: After a competition between the German G3 rifle, the Armalite AR-10, and the FN FAL, the South African Defence Force adopted three variants of the FAL: a rifle with the designation R1, a "lightweight" variant of the FN FAL 50.64 fabricated locally under the designation R2, and a model designed for police use not capable of automatic fire under the designation R3. The R2 was built by Lyttleton Engineering Works and Armscor. The FN FAL also formed the basis of the 7.62 mm LMG, with a heavy barrel and hence unanimously known as the "swaarloop". The R1 rifle in South African service was replaced around the mid-1980s.
•  Sri Lanka: The Sri Lankan Army adopted the L1A1 SLR rifle in the 1970s to replace the bolt action Lee Enfield rifle and Sten sub-machinegun. It was widely used in the early stages of the Sri Lankan Civil War before being replaced by the AK 47 and Type 56 assault rifles.
•  Suriname
•  Swaziland
•  Syria
•  Tanzania
•  Thailand: Used by Royal Thai Police since the 1960s, designated "Rifle Type 05" (1962).
•  Togo
•  Trinidad and Tobago
•  Tunisia
•  Turkey: Used by the armed forces until the late 1960s, when it was replaced. However, the FAL remains in use as a training rifle.
•  Uganda
•  United Arab Emirates
•  Uruguay
•  Venezuela
•  Yemen
•  Zambia
•  Zimbabwe