Beretta ARX-160

Beretta ARX-160 History

The Beretta ARX-160 is a new addition to the field of modular automatic weapons designed for military and security/law enforcement applications. The weapon was designed and developed as part of the Italian Army's "Soldier of the Future" program and has since been adopted by special forces who have used the weapon in Afghanistan.

The ARX-160 is essentially a modular system, essentially a series of related weapons modified from the base assault model, which includes a compact tactical carbine and a Designated Marksman Rifle (DMR)/Battle Rifle form.

By design, the ARX-160 has a very robust yet manageable appearance and uses as much polymer shielding as possible. The receiver consists of a lower and upper unit with a complete handguard that wraps most of the barrel. The handguard is extensively vented to help cool the barrel, and the polymer attachment provides the toughness needed to make lighter weapons. The grip is angled back as usual and mounted under the rear of the receiver for easy trigger access.

The magazine well is usually located in front of the trigger unit. The stock is sturdy and foldable, and folds over the right side of the receiver for a more compact footprint without blocking the ejection port. The barrel protrudes a short distance in front of the polymer body and is capped with a multi-slotted flash suppressor/compensator. A bayonet mount can be seen above the barrel.

Iron edges are standard, including front and rear pairings. Portions of the Picatinny rail can be seen along the top of the receiver (running the length of the weapon), the sides of the handguard, and a small section below the handguard towards the muzzle end.

Using these attachment points, the weapon can accept a variety of optics, sights, and tactical gear depending on the operator's needs.

Beretta understands that the operator of their weapons is key and that modularity is a clear selling point for military and law enforcement units around the world. As such, the weapon is marketed as a highly customizable system that includes left or right ejection ports and charging grips, as well as ambidextrous controls for use with the aforementioned accessory support.

The tool-less "quick change" barrel feature helps prevent the barrel from overheating during continuous firing operations, and its chrome-plated condition extends life. The GLX-160 series 40mm grenade launcher can be mounted under the handguard to extend the tactical range of the ARX-160 Warfighter.

The key to the success of the ARX-160 is its short-stroke piston feature, which takes advantage of a fairly long 2 inches of travel. The action relies on a tried and tested gas drive with a rotating bolt. The rate of fire is specified at 700 rounds per minute, and the range is up to 600 meters with iron sights. The ARX-160 is suitable for the NATO standard 5.56x45mm cartridge, with plans to eventually support the Soviet 5.45x39mm and 7.62x39mm cartridges, as well as a few others.

The ARX-160 uses a 30-round STANAG detachable magazine in its primary 5.56x45mm magazine form. The weapon is also fed from a 100-round C-Mag drum magazine when heavy suppression service is a routine task.

The ARX-160 is followed by the ARX-100, a civilian variant of the ARX-160 form limited to semi-automatic fire, for obvious reasons.

Operators that have accepted the ARX-160 include the Albanian Special Forces, the Egyptian Navy, the Italian Army, the Kazakh Special Forces, the Mexican Federal Police and Turkmenistan. Several other militaries, including India and Argentina, have also become interested in the upcoming and promising Italian ARX-160.

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