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Type Assault rifle
Place of origin Argentina
Service history
In service 1984-present
Used by Argentine Army[1]
Production history
Designed 1981
Manufacturer FMAP-DM
Produced 1984-1990
No. built 1193
Weight 3.95 kg (8.71 lb)
Length 1,000 mm (39.4 in)
Barrel length 452 mm (17.8 in)

Cartridge 5.56x45mm NATO
Caliber 5.56mm
Action Gas-operated reloading
Rate of fire 750 rounds/min
Muzzle velocity 980 m/s (3,215 ft/s)
Effective firing range 123 metres (135 yd)
Feed system 30 round detachable box magazine
Sights Iron sights

The FARA 83 (Spanish: Fusil Automático República Argentina; "Argentine Republic Automatic Rifle") or FAA 81, "Argentine Automatic Rifle" (Spanish: Fusil Automático Argentino) was a rifle locally designed and developed for the Argentine Army in the 1980s. It is one of the first indigenously designed assault rifles in the continent.


The FAA project started in the early 1980s, when the government was still controlled by the National Reorganization Process. The DGFM (General Government Directorate for Military Procurements, or Dirección General de Fabricaciones Militares) ordered a replacement be designed for the FMAP FAL, a FN FAL license-built in Argentina. The prototype was completed in 1981, but production didn't start until 1984, and continued until 1990.

By the late 1980s, under Carlos Menem's tenure as president, the country was undergoing economic difficulties. The economic crisis severely limited the production of modern weapons. This factor forced President Menem to cancel several projects, including the Condor I and Condor II, the FARA 83, and SAIA 90. He was also forced to close armament factories, including TAMSE (Tanque Argentino Mediano Sociedad del Estado), which was responsible for the TAM tanks and Domecq Garcia Shipyard (the only submarine-related shipyard). Production of the rifle ground to a halt after 1193 rifles had been completed, however, it was resumed in 1990; it is unknown how many rifles were made, but for the most part the Argentine Armed Forces are still armed with the FAL rifle, while the FARA 83 being a secondary weapon.

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