| Caliber 5.56 mm, CAR 816 | |
|---|---|
 CAR 816 assault rifle with mounted aiming optic andvertical forward grip | |
| Type | Assault rifle Carbine Personal defense weapon |
| Place of origin | United Arab Emirates |
| Service history | |
| In service | 2014–present |
| Used by | SeeUsers below |
| Wars | Saudi-led intervention in Yemen |
| Production history | |
| Manufacturer | Caracal International |
| Produced | 2014–present |
| Specifications | |
| Mass | 3.4 kg (7.50 lb) 406 mm barrel 3.3 kg (7.3 lb) 368 mm barrel 3.05 kg (6.7 lb) 267 mm barrel 2.92 kg (6.4 lb) 191 mm barrel |
| Length | 925–840 mm (36.42–33.07 in) 406 mm barrel 887–802 mm (34.9–31.6 in) 368 mm barrel 778–694 mm (30.6–27.3 in) 267 mm barrel 709–627 mm (27.9–24.7 in) 191 mm barrel |
| Barrel length | 406 mm (16.0 in) 368 mm (14.5 in) 267 mm (10.5 in) 191 mm (7.5 in) |
| Cartridge | 5.56×45mm NATO |
| Caliber | 5.56 mm (.223 in) |
| Barrels | 1 |
| Action | Short-stroke piston,rotating bolt |
| Rate of fire | 800 rounds/minute |
| Muzzle velocity | 850 m/s (2,789 ft/s) 406 mm barrel |
| Effective firing range | 550 m (601 yd) 406 mm barrel |
| Feed system | 30-round detachableSTANAG magazine |
| Sights | Iron sights or various optics |
| References | [1] |
TheCAR 816, also calledCaracal Sultan or simplySultan, is a5.56×45mm NATO,gas-operated, magazine-fedassault rifle that is produced byCaracal International inAbu Dhabi,United Arab Emirates.
The Caracal CAR 816 shares lineage to the Heckler & KochHK416. The principal firearms engineers for the CAR 816 were Robert Hirt and Chris Sirois.
Hirt was instrumental in the development of the HK416. Following his time with Heckler & Koch, Hirt was recruited bySIG Sauer to work with then SIG engineer Chris Sirois on an improved version of the HK416: theSIG Sauer SIG516 (they later designed the SIG716 andSIG MCX/SIG MPX).
Hirt and Sirois were later recruited by Caracal to develop a new rifle iteration that was superior to both the HK416 and SIG516 series. From this, the CAR 816 series was created.[when?][2][3][4][5]
In 2020, the CAR 816 was considered by Dasan Machineries for South Korean "Special Operations Submachine Gun Type-I" program as a candidate to replace theDaewoo Precision Industries K1 used by theRepublic of Korea Army Special Warfare Command.[6] Instead, they submitted theDSAR-15PC as a domestic design became a tender requirement.[7][8][9]
On 5 March 2021, Caracal International LLC andPT Pindad Indonesia signed a partnership for joint-production of CAR 816 for the Indonesian military.[10] The assault rifle designated as PC 816 V1 (Pindad Caracal 816 Version 1), firstly introduced by Pindad in 2022.[11][12]
On February 18, 2025, at NAVDEX 2025 in Abu Dhabi, the UAE's EDGE Group and CARACAL, its small arms subsidiary, signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Malaysia's Ketech Asia for local assembly and production of the CAR 816 assault rifle.[13][14][15]
The CAR 816 is based on theAR-15 platform ergonomic architecture, but uses ashort-stroke gas piston operating system (unlike theAR-15's piston-operated gas impingement system) with a user-adjustable gas system.
The CAR 816 features aDraft STANAG 4179 compliant magazine well and is fed with STANAG magazines with a standard capacity of 30 rounds.
Other STANAG compatible box and drum magazines can be used.[1]
The CAR 816 uses a proprietary bolt carrier and a special tungsten granules containing buffer to manage bolt carrier bounce and soften recoil.
The CAR 816's chamber is modified, so the rifle is over-the-beach capable to let the rifle fire safely as quickly as possible after being submerged in water.[16]
With the help of the three position regulator (normal, adverse conditions andsuppressor/silencer settings), the gas system can be adjusted to function reliably with various propellant, projectile, fouling, operating environment and configuration specific pressure behavior.
The CAR 816 uses a mil-spec direct trigger.[1] The selector settings are: safe, semi-automatic fire and automatic fire.[1]
The CAR 816handguard features fourPicatinny rails, allowing direct accessory attachment onto the mounting points, and can be removed without tools.[1]
The CAR 816 basic version features rail mounted flip up rear and frontiron sights. The integrated rail on the upper receiver and its continuation on the handguard at the 12 o'clock position allows for the adaptation of various aiming optics.[1]
The shoulder stock is a telescoping 6 position type stock which is adjustable for length of pull.
The CAR 816 shares most components with theM4 arms family, with a few exceptions.
The M4 carbine profile hammer forged chrome lined barrel has a 178 mm (7.0 in)twist rate and features a standard A2-styleflash suppressor at its muzzle end. All lower receiver components are interchangeable with the M4 arms family.
The amount of movement between the upper and lower receiver is minimized by a tension tube.[5]
Due to their complete manufacture in the United Arab Emirates, the arms are not subject to United States’ imposedInternational Traffic in Arms Regulations, whilst sharing most components with theM4 arms family extensively used by theUS Armed Forces.
The weapon is available in semi-automatic and select-fire configurations with four barrel lengths and differing manufacturer stated effective ranges:[17]
PDW variant with a 191 mm (7.5 in) barrel; effective range 200 m (219 yd)
Compact variant with a 267 mm (10.5 in) barrel; effective range 300 m (328 yd)
Carbine variant with a 368 mm (14.5 in) barrel; effective range 480 m (525 yd)
Assault rifle variant with a 406 mm (16.0 in) barrel; effective range 550 m (601 yd).[18][1]
The rifles supplied to the UAE armed forces bears an engraving honoring ColonelSultan Mohammed Ali al-Kitbi[19] who waskilled in action inSaudi-led intervention in Yemen.[19]
The Caracal CAR816 A2 is a semi-automatic only export version produced in the United States by Caracal USA.
It is built to exceed the NATO test protocols; “Bore Obstruction” and “Over the Beach” testing.
It features some minor alterations (M-LOK rails at 3, 6, and 9 o’clock on the handguard and a button cut andQPQ treated steel modified M4 contour barrel) to better meet civilian market preferences in the United States.[20][21][22]
The CAR 816 is joint-produced in Indonesia withPT Pindad as thePC 816 V1 (Pindad Caracal 816 Version 1).[10][11][12]
Ethiopia - carbine variant used by theRepublican Guard.[23]
Indonesia -PC 816 V1 in used withKopassus,[24]Kostrad[25][26] and theIndonesian Marine Corps[27][28]
United Arab Emirates - 80,000 assault rifles for theUnited Arab Emirates Armed Forces[29]
India: 93,895 carbines ordered in September 2018. The order was cancelled in September 2020 in favour of domestically developed carbines under theAtmanirbhar Bharat initiative.[30] Later that month Caracal offered to manufacture the weapons in India.[31][32] In 2022, Caracal responded to atender for procurement of 4.25 lakh carbines for Indian Armed Forces.[33][34]
South Korea - Considered by Dasan Machineries as a candidate to replace theDaewoo Precision Industries K1 used by theRepublic of Korea Army Special Warfare Command.[35] Instead, Dasan Machineries submitted theDSAR-15PC as a domestic design became a tender requirement.[36][37][9]