FAMAS

The FAMAS is a bullpup-configuration assault rifle developed by the French state arsenal Manufacture d'Armes de Saint-Etienne, with the design work carried out between 1967 and 1971 and the rifle officially adopted by the French armed forces in late 1978, remaining France's standard infantry rifle for nearly four decades afterward. Chambered for the NATO-standard 5.56x45mm cartridge and operating on a lever-delayed blowback mechanism, the F1 version of the rifle weighs about 3.61 kilograms and has a 488 millimeter barrel giving an effective range of roughly 300 to 450 meters depending on ammunition and configuration; French troops nicknamed it Le Clairon, or the Bugle, for its distinctive silhouette. The FAMAS saw combat service with French forces in conflicts from Chad to Afghanistan, and although the French military began replacing it with the HK416F starting in 2017, the FAMAS is expected to remain in limited use with French reserve units until 2028.