ArmaLite AR-5

The ArmaLite AR-5 was a lightweight bolt-action takedown rifle chambered for the .22 Hornet cartridge, developed in 1954 by ArmaLite, a division of the Fairchild Engine and Airplane Corporation, and adopted by the United States Air Force as the MA-1 aircrew survival rifle in 1956. The Air Force wanted a compact, accurate rifle for the survival kits of the crew of the planned XB-70 bomber, because the earlier M4 and M6 survival weapons were out of production. Made largely from plastics and aluminum alloys, the rifle could be disassembled and stowed with a basic survival kit inside its 14 inch stock, and it floated in water either way. After the XB-70 fleet was cancelled the Air Force never funded more than the original 12 test models, but the adoption established ArmaLite as a recognized firearms company and its tooling led to the AR-7 survival rifle and later the AR-10 and AR-15.