FN FAL - All Users

All Users

  • Angola
  • Argentina: Produced under license.
  • Australia: Produced under license, replaced by Steyr AUG. Currently still issued as a drill weapon to members of the ceremonial Federation Guard.
  • Austria: Produced under license.
  • Bahrain
  • Bangladesh
  • Barbados
  • Belgium
  • Belize
  • Bolivia
  • Botswana
  • Brazil: Produced under license.
  • Burundi
  • Cambodia
  • Cameroon
  • Canada: Produced under license.
  • Chad
  • Chile Former user
  • Colombia
  • Congo
  • Costa Rica
  • Cuba
  • Cyprus
  • Democratic Republic of Congo
  • Djibouti
  • Dominican Republic
  • Ecuador
  • Fiji
  • Gambia
  • Ghana
  • Greece: FN FAL rifles produced in Belgium and under licensed license by PYRKAL (ΠΥΡΚΑΛ) factory were adopted by the Greek Army and the Greek Coast Guard before the adoption of HK G3A3s produced under license by Hellenic Arms Industry(ΕΒΟ). FN FAL and FALO rifles were in use by Greek Army Special Forces and IV Army Corps from 1973 till 1999. FN FAL rifles are still in use by Greek Coast Guard.
  • Guyana
  • Honduras
  • India: Manufactured a reverse engineering of the UK L1A1 self-loading rifle. The Indian 1A1 differs from the UK SLR in that the wooden butt-stock uses the butt-plate from the Lee-Enfield with trap for oil bottle and cleaning pull-through. A fully automatic version of the rifle (known as the 1C) is also available.
  • Ireland: Used as the main rifle of the Irish Defence Forces from the early 1960s (starting with UN service in the Congo) until 1988 when it was replaced by the Steyr AUG. From 2012, the Irish Army is re-introducing an upgraded version of the FN FAL as a sniper support weapon.
  • Israel: Produced under license., officially replaced by IMI Galil and M16.
  • Jamaica
  • Kenya
  • Kuwait
  • Lebanon
  • Liberia
  • Libyan Arab Jamahiriya/ Anti-Gaddafi forces
  • Luxembourg Used Belgian FALs from 1957 to 1996, replaced by Steyr AUG.
  • Malawi
  • Malaysia
  • Malta
  • Mexico: Produced under license.
  • Morocco
  • Mozambique
  • Myanmar
  • Nepal
  • Netherlands: The Royal Netherlands Army adopted the rifle with a bipod and in semi-automatic form, in 1961. In service it was called Het licht automatisch geweer, but usually known as the 'FAL'. The rifles had unique sights (hooded at the front) and the German style sheet metal front handguard. A sniper version, Geweer Lange Afstand, was also used standard with a scope of Dutch origin produced by the Artillerie Inrichtingen, and without the bipod. The scope was designated Kijker Richt Recht AI 62. The heavy-barrel FAL 50.42 version was also adopted later as a squad automatic weapon as the Het zwaar automatisch geweer.
  • New Zealand: Used Australian built L1A1 from 1960, replaced by Steyr AUG in 1988.
  • Nigeria: Licensed by DICON (Defence Industries Corporation of Nigeria) in Nigeria as the NR-1.
  • Oman
  • Pakistan
  • Panama
  • Papua New Guinea Used Australian built L1A1.
  • Paraguay
  • Peru
  • Portugal In 1960, the Army issued quantities of light-barrel FN and West German G1 FAL rifles to several of its elite commando forces, including the Companhias de Caçadores Especiais (Special Hunter companies). The latter often expressed a preference for the lighter FAL over the Portuguese-manufactured version of the H&K G3 rifle when on ambush or patrol. In Portuguese service, the FN FAL was designated Espingarda Automática 7,62 mm FN m/962.
  • Qatar
  • Rhodesia: Adopted in the 1960s.
  • Rwanda
  • Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
  • Saudi Arabia
  • Sierra Leone
  • South Africa: Produced under license by ARMSCOR. After a competition between the German G3 rifle, the Armalite AR-10, and the FN FAL, the South African Defence Force adopted three main variants of the FAL: a rifle with the designation R1, a "lightweight" variant of the FN FAL 50.64 with folding butt, fabricated locally under the designation R2, and a model designed for police use not capable of automatic fire under the designation R3. ( 200,000 were destroyed in UN-sponsored "Operation Mouflon" in 2001). A number of other variants of the R1 were built, the R1 HB, which had a heavy barrel and bipod, the R1 Sniper, which could be fitted with a scope and the R1 Para Carbine, which used a Single Point IR sight and had a shorter barrel.
  • South Sudan: Used in Armed Forces of South Sudan.
  • Sri Lanka: The Sri Lankan Army adopted the L1A1 SLR rifle in the 1970s to replace the bolt action Lee-Enfield rifle and Sten sub-machinegun. It was widely used in the early stages of the Sri Lankan Civil War before being replaced by the AK-47 and Type 56 assault rifles.
  • Suriname
  • Swaziland
  • Syria
  • Tanzania
  • Thailand: Used by Royal Thai Police since the 1960s, designated "Rifle Type 05" (1962).
  • Togo
  • Trinidad and Tobago
  • Tunisia
  • Turkey: Used by the armed forces until the late 1960s, when it was replaced. However, the FAL remains in use as a training rifle.
  • Uganda
  • United Arab Emirates
  • United Kingdom: L1A1 version used by the British Army until 1987, then replaced by the L85A1. The rifle has since been phased out of service from the British Army.
  • Uruguay
  • Venezuela: Produced under license.
  • West Germany
  • Yemen
  • Zambia
  • Zimbabwe

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