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Weapons System

5.56x45mm NATO

Small Arms And Sidearms

The 5.56x45mm NATO is a rimless, bottlenecked, centerfire intermediate rifle cartridge developed in the late 1970s in Belgium by FN Herstal, encompassing the SS109, L110 and SS111 loadings. On 28 October 1980 it was standardized under STANAG 4172 as the second standard service rifle cartridge for NATO forces, and it is also used by many non-NATO countries. The cartridge family was derived from the .223 Remington round designed by Remington Arms in the early 1960s, sharing a near-identical case, though chamber dimensions differ slightly between rifles built for each cartridge. Firing 5.56mm NATO ammunition in a rifle chambered only for .223 Remington can produce unsafe chamber pressures, so the two are not considered interchangeable.

Facts
Weapon Class
Intermediate cartridge 1
Introduced Year
1980 1
Caliber Class
Small Arms 1
Classification
Caliber
5.56x45mm NATO 1
Service Status
In Service 1
Weapon Class
Weapon Class (category)
Rifle 1
Connections

Operated By

Australian Defence Force, Armed Forces and Units
Source Wikipedia: 5.56x45mm NATO
Israeli Defense Forces, Armed Forces and Units
Source Wikipedia: 5.56x45mm NATO
In the Other Atlases

Manufactured By

FN Herstal

Also in Business Atlas: the manufacturer of this subject.

Originated In

Belgium

Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject originated.

Source Wikipedia: 5.56x45mm NATOInfobox: origin
Quote, Infobox: origin
Belgium
Sources
1. Wikipedia: 5.56x45mm NATO
  • Introduction
    intermediate cartridge family
  • Introduction, second sentence
    On 28 October 1980, under STANAG 4172, it was standardized
  • Lead section
    On 28 October 1980, under STANAG 4172, it was standardized as the second standard service rifle cartridge for NATO forces as well as many non-NATO countries.
  • Weapon class classified from the entity's own sourced description text.
  • Infobox: type
    Rifle, carbine, DMR, and LMG
  • Lead and body text
    The 5.56×45mm NATO (official NATO nomenclature 5.56 NATO, commonly pronounced "five-five-six") is a rimless bottlenecked centerfire intermediate cartridge family developed in the late 1970s in Belgium by FN Herstal.
  • Infobox: service
    1980-present
  • Lead section
    The 5.56×45mm NATO (official NATO nomenclature 5.56 NATO, commonly pronounced "five-five-six") is a rimless bottlenecked centerfire intermediate cartridge family developed in the late 1970s in Belgium by FN Herstal. It consists of the SS109, L110, and SS111 cartridges.
  • Operated By: Australian Defence Force, Infobox: used_by
    NATO, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, Australia, Israel, other major non-NATO allies
  • Operated By: Israeli Defense Forces, Infobox: used_by
    NATO, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, Australia, Israel, other major non-NATO allies
View the Source
Wikidata: 5.56x45mm NATO
Wikidata Q238456, class allow-list match (w-wdresolver-0926)View the Source
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