Beretta AR70/90
Fabbrica d'Armi Pietro Beretta · Assault Rifle · Discontinued · 1990
Also known as: AR70/90, Fucile d'Assalto AR70/90, Beretta AR 70/90
Overview
The Beretta AR70/90 is an Italian gas-operated, select-fire assault rifle chambered in 5.56x45mm NATO, adopted as the standard service rifle of the Italian Army in 1990. It is a comprehensive redesign of the earlier stamped-receiver AR70/223, replacing that rifle's sheet-metal housing with a far stronger forged-and-machined steel receiver to cure the flexing that had plagued sustained automatic fire. The action uses a long-stroke gas piston driving a front-locking rotating bolt that locks directly into a barrel extension, allowing the receiver to carry the firing loads rather than the housing itself. The rifle accepts standard STANAG 4179 (M16-pattern) magazines, and its selector offers safe, semi-automatic, three-round burst and full-automatic settings at a cyclic rate of roughly 670 rounds per minute. Standard equipment includes a fixed shoulder stock, an integrated carrying handle with fixed and folding sights, a NATO-pattern flash hider that doubles as a 22mm rifle-grenade launcher, and a bayonet lug. The platform spawned a family of variants sharing the same receiver: the folding-stock SC70/90 carbine, the short-barrelled SCS70/90, the paratrooper SCP70/90, and a heavy-barrel light-machine-gun model. The AR70/90 served as Italy's frontline rifle through the 1990s and 2000s before being progressively replaced by the Beretta ARX-160.
Specifications
| Weight (empty) | 3990 g (140.7 oz) |
| Weight (loaded) | 4500 g (158.7 oz) |
| Overall Length | 998 mm (39.29") |
| Barrel Length | 450 mm (17.72") |
| Action Type | Gas Operated |
| Firing Mechanism | Hammer Fired |
| Trigger Type | Single Stage |
| Magazine Capacity | 30 rounds |
| Magazine Type | Detachable Box |
| Muzzle Velocity | 950 m/s (3117 fps) |
| Muzzle Energy | 1804 J (1331 ft·lbf) |
| Effective Range | 500 m (547 yd) |
| Maximum Range | 2700 m (2953 yd) |
| Rate of Fire | 670 rpm |
| Barrel Rifling | Right Hand |
| Rifling Twist | 178 mm (7.01") |
| Number of Grooves | 6 |
| Frame Material | Steel |
| Barrel Material | Steel |
| Stock Material | Polymer |
| Finish | Phosphate |
Calibers
- 5.56x45mm NATO · primary · 5.56x45mm NATO — also known as 5.56 NATO, .223 Remington, 5.56x45mm SS109, 5.56x45mm M855
Features
- Firing modes: Semi Automatic, Burst 3, Full Automatic
- Feed systems: Detachable Box Magazine
- Safety mechanisms: Manual Safety Selector, Fire Selector
- Features: Select Fire, Three Round Burst, Rotating Bolt, Forged Steel Receiver, Stanag Magazine Well, Fixed Stock, Integrated Carrying Handle, Flash Hider, Rifle Grenade Capable, Bayonet Mount, Scope Mount Compatible, Ambidextrous Controls
Variants
- Beretta SC70/90 (folding-stock carbine, 450 mm barrel) — Folding Stock Carbine
- Beretta SCS70/90 (folding-stock short carbine, 360 mm barrel) — Short Carbine
- Beretta SCP70/90 (paratrooper short carbine, no grenade launcher) — Paratrooper Carbine
- Beretta AR70/90 LMG (heavy-barrel squad automatic variant) — Light Machine Gun
Service history
Operators
- Italian Army (Esercito Italiano) · adopted 1990 · as Fucile d'Assalto AR70/90
- Italian Carabinieri · as AR70/90
- Italian special forces (Folgore, Col Moschin) · as SCP70/90
- Malaysian Armed Forces
- Jordanian Armed Forces
Conflicts
- War in Afghanistan (Italian ISAF contingent) (2001-2014)
- Iraq War (Italian contingent, Operation Antica Babilonia) (2003-2006)
Production
Production years: 1985-2010s
Developed from the mid-1980s and adopted by the Italian Army in 1990. Produced in large numbers as Italy's general-issue service rifle and exported to several countries; exact production totals are not officially disclosed. Gradually replaced in Italian service by the Beretta ARX-160.
Origin
Country of origin: Italy
Designer: Beretta design team
Notes
Two distinct rifles share the AR70 name. This entry covers the redesigned AR70/90 (1990), the forged-receiver, STANAG-magazine, three-round-burst standard Italian service rifle; the separate beretta-ar70 entry covers the original stamped-receiver AR70/223 (1972). Weight is variously cited at 3.99-4.0 kg empty and overall length at 998 mm. Barrel twist is the fast 1-in-7 in (178 mm) rate optimised for the heavier SS109/M855 projectile. The SCS70/90 uses a 360 mm barrel; the SCP70/90 paratrooper model omits the grenade-launcher flash hider. The AR70/90 was gradually superseded in Italian service by the Beretta ARX-160 from the late 2000s onward.
Background
The AR70/90 was Beretta's answer to the hard lesson of the original AR70/223, whose light stamped receiver flexed and cracked under sustained full-auto fire. Rather than patch the old gun, Beretta rebuilt the entire platform around a forged steel receiver and a front-locking bolt, then won the Italian Army's competition to replace the venerable BM59. The result armed Italian soldiers from the Balkans to Afghanistan before the modular ARX-160 took its place.