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LAPA FA-03 (Fusil de Assalto Modele 03)

1985 COLD WAR

History

LAPA FA-03 (Fusil de Assalto Modelo 03) is a private company owned by the Brazilian group Labpratorio de Pesquisa de Armamento Automatico (LAPA) to develop and eventually sell Brazils military and security forces. - The most advanced automatic assault rifle weapons. The design of the FA-03 is credited to Nelmo Suzano, and project work lasted from 1978 to 1983, when a working prototype was provided. A period of formal testing followed, with the goal of starting production as early as 1985.

However, government support for the product never materialized as expected, and the competent FA-03 design was forgotten. It is possible that some examples managed to see active duty service in selected Brazilian police forces, although fewer than 500 units were ever produced.

The main design feature of the FA-03 is its stockless configuration, with the launcher and magazine mounted in an extended fixed stock located behind the trigger group. During the Cold War, Bulldogs were rarely developed into viable forms and until recently have become mainstream alternatives accepted by gun manufacturers as traditional designs such as the American M16 and the Soviet AK-47/AK-74. The Bullpup has the inherent advantage of being able to fit a full-length barrel in a more compact overall design (a strong quality for urban warfare). The operator also commented that the close range is more accurate because the weapon is close to the body and most of its weight is behind the center of gravity and close to the operator.

Due to the short overall design, the operator must of course be careful not to go over the barrel with the support hand when firing the weapon. The most famous bullpup assault rifle is the 1979 Austrian Steyr AUG.

The FA-03 has a molded plastic receiver that is lighter than the metal design. The carrying handle is integrated in the receiver and the charging handle is set in the handle ring. This allows the weapon to be cocked deftly and can be manipulated from either side of the weapon. The pistol grip sits under the receiver in a traditional fashion, and the one-piece trigger guard surrounds the curved trigger assembly. The front end of the receiver is nicely shaped and perforated for most of its length, with a row of cooling slots at the top and bottom, and then the receiver tapers off at the very front end.

The barrel extends a short distance in front of the receiver, most of which is hidden by the plastic body. A perforated muzzle compensator/flash suppressor is mounted in front of a fixed rear sight. The rear sight is embedded in the handle and can be adjusted as needed.

A bayonet can be installed under the barrel in the normal way. The weapon has a total weight of nearly 7.7 pounds and a 29-inch barrel with a 19-inch barrel.

The LAPA design is centred on the ubiquitous US 5.56x45mm NATO cartridge, powered by a conventional gas system operating a rotating bolt. The rifle employs a unique system that puts it into double-action mode, with the weapon loaded and ready to fire, while still being safely restrained - simply pull the trigger for a long time to operate.

Single-action mode makes operation consistent with other typical automatic weapons (single-shot or fully automatic - no traditional manual safety options). The FA-03 is fed from a 20- or 30-round detachable magazine located under the shoulder rest.

While the weapon was tested using the M16 STANAG magazine, the final production model is intended to use the LAPA-designed lightweight 30- or 40-round plastic box magazine.

The FA-03 has been tested with a rate of fire of 650 rounds per minute. Muzzle velocity is listed as 3,200 feet per second, giving the weapon good range penetration. Depending on conditions, the effective range is about 600 yards.