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| AR-M1 | |
|---|---|
 An Arsenal AR in 7.62x39mm | |
| Type | Assault Rifle |
| Place of origin | Bulgaria |
| Service history | |
| In service | 2000–present |
| Used by | SeeUsers |
| Wars | Insurgency in Jammu and Kashmir 2001 insurgency in Macedonia War in Afghanistan (2001–2021) Iraq War Russo-Georgian war Syrian Civil War Libyan Civil War Yemeni Civil War (2014-present) |
| Production history | |
| Manufacturer | Arsenal AD |
| Produced | 1998 - present |
| Variants | SeeVariants |
| Specifications | |
| Mass | (without magazine) 3.62 kg (7.98 lb)[1] |
| Length | 930 mm (36.6 in)[1] |
| Cartridge | 5.56×45mm NATO and7.62×39mm |
| Action | Gas-operated reloading |
| Rate of fire | 600–700 rounds/min[2][3] |
| Muzzle velocity | 910 m/s (2,986 ft/s)[1] |
| Effective firing range | 600m[3] |
| Maximum firing range | 1,350 m[1] |
| Feed system | 30-round detachablebox magazine[3] |
| Sights | 370 mm (14.6 in) sight radius[1] |
TheAR-M1 is aBulgarian assault rifle designed primarily for export. It is a modernized derivative of theAK-47 (specifically the Type 3 variant).[4]
There are two versions of the AR-M1. One chambered in5.56×45mm NATO, and the other in the Soviet7.62×39mm cartridge.
During the late 1950s, theBulgarian People's Army was equipped withAK-47s imported from the Soviet Union. However, by the early 1960s, the Bulgarian government became interested in producing the AK assault rifle domestically.[4] Assembly of AKs, initially from imported Soviet parts, began at theArsenal AD state arsenal inKazanlak.[4] By the mid 1960s, the Kazanlak facility was equipped to begin licensed production of the weapon type and its associated parts. Kalashnikov rifles assembled and later manufactured in Kazanlak received the designationAKK.[4] A derivative with a folding stock was also produced under license as theAKKS.[4]
After the dissolution of thePeople's Republic of Bulgaria in the early 1990s, the Kazanlak factory became ajoint-stock company known asArsenal AD.[4] Arsenal offered several modernized variants of the AKK for export, which were rebranded as theAR series.[4] TheAR pattern rifles are AKKs with different furniture and a few unique features, such as polymer stocks and handguards, as well as several external parts copied directly from theAK-74 including new flash hiders, sights, gas blocks, bayonet mountings and bayonets.[4] AR-M1 receivers are milled, rather than stamped (unlike theAKM), and are virtually indistinguishable from those of the early pattern Soviet AKs.[4]
A derivative of the AKKS is also offered for export as theARF.[4]
The following are/were manufacted by Arsenal AD.[5]
Azerbaijan[14]
Bulgaria: AR-M14SF used by the Military Police.[citation needed]
Burundi[15]
Cameroon: AR-M4SF used by thePolice.[16]
Egypt[17]
Georgia: 3500 5.45mm AR-M1 rifles imported[18]
Honduras: 5.56mm AR-M4SF used by thePolice.[6]
India:Railway Protection Force,[19]Central Armed Police Forces.[20]
Indonesia: AR-M1F used byTontaipur.[21][22]
Iraq: 751 5.56mm AR-M1F rifles,[3] also AR-M1s[23]
Ivory Coast[24]
Libya: 11thLightning Battalion uses AR-M9s.[7]
Niger: Special forces using AR-M52T rifles.[25]
Philippines: AR-M52F used by First Special Forces Regiment, Philippine Army.[26]
Serbia: Arsenal AR.[27]
Somalia: Used by DANAB Brigade.[28][29]
Sudan: AR-M9s[30]
Uganda: AR-9F used by Ugandan Army.[31]
United Arab Emirates: AR-M9s[30]
United Kingdom: AR-M9Fs in 5.56mm NATO, bought as part ofOperation Interflex.[32][33]
United States: AR-M1s in 5.56mm NATO, used by the 1st Battalion,4th Infantry Regiment in their role as theopposing force at theJoint Multinational Readiness Center.[34]
Yemen: AR-M9s[30]