St. Etienne FA-MAS
Notes: The
FA-MAS F1 (or FAMAS F1) was one of the first bullpup-design rifles issued in
large numbers to any army. It was
designed in the 1970s because the French military was then equipped with a
combination of MAS-49 rifles (a post-World War 2 weapon) and a hodgepodge of
foreign weapons, and the French wanted a thoroughly modern weapon that could
replace both their rifles and submachineguns.
The magazine of
the F1 was designed specifically for it; it is steel with holes drilled in the
sides at intervals so that the user can easily determine how much ammunition is
left. The barrel is designed to
easily use NATO rifle grenades, whether of the BTU variety or requiring a
special adapter. The standard
FA-MAS F1 is for right-handed shooters, but the extractor and case ejector are
reversible, and the receiver is already designed for left or right-handed
operation. The barrel of the FA-MAS
F1 is of steel, while the receiver is light alloy.
The stock itself is of polymer, and is equipped with a rubber recoil pad;
early models of the F1 used a neoprene-covered cheekpiece, but late-production
F1s (and the newer G2 model) use a removable molded polymer cheekpiece.
The cheekpiece is reversible, and covers the unused ejection port
(depending whether the FA-MAS is set up for a left- or right-handed shooter).
The carrying handle is of high-impact plastic and protects both the
sights and the charging handle underneath it.
The standard-issue sling is designed to be highly-adjustable, with two
sling swivels on the stock and two sling swivels on the front attached to the
swivel pins holding the bipod on the rifle.
The 19.21-inch barrel is contained for the most part within the foregrip
and stock. The exposed section of
barrel has a set of raised rings behind the flash suppressor; this aids in
securing rifle grenades to the end of the barrel, as the FA-MAS was designed
from the start to use a wide variety of rifle grenades.
(The FA-MAS is issued with special one-round magazines designed to
contain a ballistite cartridge, when one is required for firing older rifle
grenades.)
There are
several variants of the F1, including an export/police version that fires only
on semiautomatic, a civilian model with a longer barrel and chambered for .222
Remington ammunition to comply with French law, a training model that fires .22
Long Rifle ammunition, and a short-barreled Commando version (see below).
In addition to French use, the F1 is used by Djibouti, Gabon, the United
Arab Emirates, and Senegal. The
most common nickname given to the FA-MAS by its soldiers is “Le Clarion” (the
Bugle), due to its unusual shape.
One of the most
unusual versions of the FA-MAS F1 is the Commando; this variant was designed in
the early 1980s for use by special operations units.
The main difference between it and the standard F1 is the barrel,
shortened by 83mm to 405mm. The
Commando was not produced or adopted in large numbers; the standard F1 is
already so compact as to render a smaller version rather superfluous, and the
Commando also loses the ability to fire rifle grenades.
Whether it was actually produced, issued, or used is unknown.
The FA-MAS
The
An experimental
enhanced version called the FELIN was in limited production starting in 2000.
The FELIN is used primarily to test new optics or other devices.
The most notable differences between the FELIN and the standard
Two other
limited-production versions of FA-MAS G2 were introduced in 2000, though they
too are officially considered testbed weapons, and it is unknown if any have
seen operational or combat testing.
They are, however, considered more likely to see service, either as the weapons
they are as newer versions of the FA-MAS incorporating their improvements. The
first of these versions is the Low-Profile FA-MAS; this is very much like the
standard G2, but incorporates numerous improvements including a new bipod which
is not only lighter (it actually looks rather spindly, but is said to be
stronger than a standard F1/G2 bipod),but can be adjusted to a limited extent
for height and cant. What gives the
rifle its “Low-Profile” moniker is its redesigned carrying handle and upper
receiver; it is less than half the height of a standard FA-MAS carrying handle,
and topped with a MIL-STD-1913 rail for the primary optics and is also equipped
with folding backup sights. The Low-Profile FA-MAS also has folding grenade
sights on the side of the carrying handle (these sights may be moved for left-
or right-handed shooters), for use when rifle grenades are being fired or a
grenade launcher is mounted.
The Upgraded
FA-MAS builds on the Low-Profile FA-MAS.
The carrying handle is eliminated completely, with a MIL-STD-1913 rail
being mounted directly on a slow raised block atop the receiver.
The Upgraded FA-MAS is equipped with an optical sight that gives the
shooter 4x magnification with an illuminated reticule, a small reflex-type
sight, and a laser aiming module able to function in IR or visible beam mode.
Along with these are the same backup iron sights and grenade sights as
the Low-Profile FA-MAS. (Weight
stats below for the Low-Profile FA-MAS and Upgraded FA-MAS are estimates only.)
Twilight 2000
Notes: For the most part, this was the weapon that the forces of the above
countries’ militaries went to war with.
In addition, an emergency order was made by Luxembourg shortly after the
Twilight War started (though given the size of Luxembourg’s military, this was
still a very small order); when the French made their unsuccessful invasion of
Luxembourg, those F1s were used against French troops.
In addition, examples of the F1 were sometimes found in the hands of
captured or killed troops of Iraq’s Republican Guard, though when or if the
French sold those weapons to the Iraqis is unknown.
The FA-MAS Commando was used exclusively by French special operations
units, including the Foreign Legion’s 2nd REP.
The
Merc 2000 Notes:
As France became more and more involved in world politics and peacekeeping
missions, the FA-MAS became familiar all over the globe.
In particular, the interests of US civilians was piqued by the unusual
look of the FA-MAS, and bought many of the Civilian or Export/Police versions.
The FELIN is found in larger numbers and is undergoing extensive field
and combat testing by French special ops units.
Weapon |
Ammunition |
Weight |
Magazines |
Price |
FA-MAS F1 |
5.56mm NATO |
3.61 kg |
25 |
$1210 |
FA-MAS Export/Police |
5.56mm NATO |
3.61 kg |
10, 25 |
$638 |
FA-MAS Civil |
.222 Remington |
3.72 kg |
10, 25 |
$599 |
FA-MAS Trainer |
.22 Long Rifle |
3.61 kg |
25 |
$697 |
FA-MAS F1 Commando |
5.56mm NATO |
3.43 kg |
25 |
$727 |
FA-MAS |
5.56mm NATO |
3.59 kg |
20, 30 |
$1210 |
FA-MAS |
5.56mm NATO |
3.28 kg |
20, 30 |
$725 |
FA-MAS |
5.56mm NATO |
3.12 kg |
20, 30 |
$736 |
FA-MAS |
5.56mm NATO |
3.88 kg |
20, 30 |
$1217 |
Low-Profile FA-MAS |
5.56mm NATO |
3.49 kg |
20, 30 |
$1224 |
Upgraded FA-MAS |
5.56mm NATO |
3.6 kg |
20, 30 |
$1830 |
Weapon |
ROF |
Damage |
Pen |
Bulk |
SS |
Burst |
Range |
FA-MAS F1 |
3/10 |
3 |
1-Nil |
5 |
2 |
4/12 |
47 |
(With Bipod) |
3/10 |
3 |
1-Nil |
5 |
1 |
2/6 |
61 |
FA-MAS Export/Police |
SA |
3 |
1-Nil |
5 |
2 |
Nil |
47 |
(With Bipod) |
SA |
3 |
1-Nil |
5 |
1 |
Nil |
61 |
FA-MAS Civil |
SA |
3 |
1-Nil |
5 |
2 |
Nil |
59 |
FA-MAS Trainer |
3/10 |
1 |
Nil |
5 |
1 |
1/3 |
36 |
(With Bipod) |
3/10 |
1 |
Nil |
5 |
1 |
1/1 |
46 |
FA-MAS F1 Commando |
3/10 |
3 |
1-Nil |
4 |
2 |
3/11 |
36 |
FA-MAS |
3/10 |
3 |
1-Nil |
5 |
2 |
4/12 |
47 |
(With Bipod) |
3/10 |
3 |
1-Nil |
5 |
1 |
2/6 |
61 |
FA-MAS
|
3/10 |
3 |
1-Nil |
4 |
2 |
4/12 |
36 |
FA-MAS
|
3/10 |
3 |
1-Nil |
4 |
2 |
3/9 |
25 |
FA-MAS
|
SA |
3 |
1-Nil |
6 |
2 |
Nil |
65 |
(With Bipod) |
SA |
3 |
1-Nil |
6 |
1 |
Nil |
85 |
Low-Profile FA-MAS |
3/10 |
3 |
1-Nil |
5 |
2 |
4/12 |
47 |
(With Bipod) |
3/10 |
3 |
1-Nil |
5 |
1 |
2/6 |
61 |
Upgraded FA-MAS |
3/10 |
3 |
1-Nil |
5 |
2 |
4/12 |
47 |
(With Bipod) |
3/10 |
3 |
1-Nil |
5 |
1 |
2/6 |
61 |
PAPOP Weapon System
Notes: Similar
in concept to the American OICW, the PAPOP is a two-part weapon system
consisting of a 5.56N rifle unit and a 35mm grenade launcher.
The grenade launcher feeds through a three-round tubular magazine, and
grenades can be set to either a standard burst or proximity fused lateral burst
pattern, allowing limited capability against targets in foxholes and the like.
A special gas ventilation system prevents injury to the user when firing
the grenade launcher. In addition,
the weapon has a video sight mounted on the business end with a small adjustable
LCD screen on the back, allowing a soldier to look around corners and even
firing the rifle without exposing himself.
Note that the PAPOP does not have the advanced optics that the OICW has.
As of 2003, this weapon was still in testing, and is probably not yet in
its final form. Like US soldiers
and the OICW, French troops tend to the find the PAPOP awkward and clumsy.
Twilight 2000
Notes: Though a few PAPOPs may be floating around here and there, it is largely
a nonexistent weapon in the Twilight 2000 World.
If any are around at all, the grenade launcher ammunition may be
difficult or impossible to find.
Merc 2000 Notes:
Though a few of these were combat tested as early as the Second Persian Gulf
War, and more in other, less-known conflicts or actions, the PAPOP is still
mostly an experimental weapon instead of an issue weapon.
Even the French government finds the PAPOP’s price almost prohibitive.
Weapon |
Ammunition |
Weight |
Magazines |
Price |
PAPOP |
5.56mm NATO |
7 kg |
(Rifle) 20, 25, 30; (GL) 3-I |
$1625 |
Weapon |
ROF |
Damage |
Pen |
Bulk |
SS |
Burst |
Range |
PAPOP (Rifle) |
3/10 |
3 |
1-Nil |
5 |
1 |
2/7 |
35 |
PAPOP (GL, HE) |
SA |
C3 B12 |
Nil |
5 |
2 |
Nil |
(DF) 120, (IF) 730 |
PAPOP (GL, HEDP) |
SA |
C3 B12 |
4C |
5 |
2 |
Nil |
(DF) 120, (IF) 730 |
PAPOP (GL, HEAT) |
SA |
C2 B10 |
35C |
5 |
2 |
Nil |
(DF) 120, (IF) 730 |