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Fabrique Nationale FN FAL

1953 COLD WAR MODERN VIETNAM WAR

History of the Fabrique Nationale FN FAL

The famous FAL originates from an early design by Fabrique Nationale, the SAFN/Modele 49, a self-loading semi-automatic rifle developed on the eve of World War II (1939-1945) but delayed in service due to the Nazi occupation until 1949. The gun proved to be sturdy and effective, and could be used in a wide variety of artillery pieces, although it still proved to be expensive, and the eventual sale was due to the pre-UK, US, and U.S.

And the influx of Soviet guns, the fighting in World War II was limited to a few great powers.

Design work on what would later become the FAL began before the war, and the first prototype was introduced in 1946. At the time, the gun was chambered for the German 7.92x33mm Kurz ("short") cartridge, which was heavily used by the German Army during World War II. The rifle then appeared in a more complete form in 1950, with follow-up orders first fulfilled in 1953. Political factors and growing market demand for assault rifles ensured that the FN FAL would become a Cold War staple, modeled on the American M16 and Soviet AK-47.

The rifle in finished form holds the widely used 7.62x51mm NATO cartridge.

The FN FAL was produced from 1953 to 1988, when more than 2,000,000 units were produced. These services serve more than 90 countries worldwide, including (among others) Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Canada (referred to as "C2A1"), Greece, India, Israel, Mexico, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia Arab and South African, Turkish, British, Venezuelan and West German. This range has also spurred local licensed production of the weapon, as is the case in Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, India, Mexico, Nigeria (as "NR-1"), South Africa (as "R1") and Venezuela. British Army L1A1 is exactly FN FAL and modified according to British requirements.

The Austrian Assault Rifle 58 (StG 58) is an FN FAL, although manufactured under license from Steyr-Daimler-Puch (now replaced by the Steyr AUG line).

The breadth of users meant that the FN FAL gained significant operational use in a very short period of time. The rifle was used in the Suez Crisis (1956), the Malayan Emergency (1948-1960), the Vietnam War (1955-1975), the Bay of Pigs Invasion (1961), the Rhodesian Bush War (1964-1979), the South African Border War (1966-1990), Cambodian Civil War (1967-1975), Six Day War (1967), Yom Kippur War (1973), Gulf War (1990-1991), Rwanda Civil War (1990-1993), Balkan War (1991) 1999), the Libyan Civil War (2011) and the Syrian Civil War (since 2011), among many other regional and local conflicts.

While many top powers have stopped using their FALs, this weapon is still favored today (2014) in the stockpiles of some national armouries and in the hands of rebel/guerrilla fighters and terrorist groups.

Fabrique Nationale directed the production of several notable variant shapes based on the original FAL. These include minor variations on the base model, such as the FAL 50.61 (folding stock) versus the FAL 50.62 (folding stock with a shorter barrel). An unsupported FAL design was tested in 1951.

Armtech in the Netherlands produced the L1A1 SAS, a carbine version of the British full-length L1A1 SLR. The Brazilian IMBEL MD rifle is based on the Belgian FAL.