FX-05 Xiuhcoatl
The FX-05 Xiuhcoatl ("Fire Serpent",[6] literally "Turquoise-Serpent" in Classical Nahuatl,[6]) is a Mexican assault rifle, designed and built by the Dirección General de Industria Militar del Ejército (General Directorate of Military Industry of the Army) through the Fabricas Militares (Military Factory).[7][8] The rifle was officially presented in the military parade on September 16, 2006, in the hands of the Special Forces Airmobile Group, GAFE (Grupo Aeromóvil de Fuerzas Especiales).[8]
| FX-05 Xiuhcoatl | |
|---|---|
Second-generation FX-05 assault rifle. | |
| Type | Assault rifle Carbine |
| Place of origin | Mexico |
| Service history | |
| In service | 2008–present |
| Used by | Mexican Armed Forces |
| Wars | Mexican Drug War |
| Production history | |
| Designed | 2005 |
| Manufacturer | Dirección General de Industria Militar del Ejército |
| Unit cost | 10,000 Pesos ($USD 520 - 2019)[1] |
| Produced | 2005–present |
| No. built | 44,000 (2005)[2] 111,000 (2014)[2] 121,000 (by 2018)[3] |
| Variants | Assault rifle Carbine Short Carbine |
| Specifications | |
| Mass | 3.89 kg (8.6 lb) (Assault rifle) 3.22 kg (7.1 lb) kg (Carbine) |
| Length | 1,087 mm (42.8 in) stock extended / 887 mm (34.9 in) stock folded Assault Rifle 980 mm (38.6 in) stock extended / 780 mm (30.7 in) mm stock folded Carbine |
| Barrel length | 480 mm (18.9 in) |
| Width | 56 mm (2.2 in) |
| Cartridge | 5.56×45mm NATO |
| Action | Gas-operated, rotating bolt |
| Rate of fire | 750 rounds/min cyclic[4] |
| Muzzle velocity | 956 m/s (3,136 ft/s) |
| Effective firing range | 200–600 m approx with sight adjustment |
| Feed system | 30-round detachable box magazine |
| Sights | Iron sights Picatinny rail for mounting aiming optics on receiver[5] Removable integrated optical sight/carry handle |
The design was coordinated by the Centro de Investigación Aplicada y Desarrollo Tecnológico de la Industria Militar or CIADTIM (Center of Applied Research and Technology Development Military Industry) and SEDENA and all of its parts are built in Mexico.[9] According to the director of the DGIM, Otilio Ramírez Serrano, by July 2019 approximately 155,000 rifles have been produced.[10] The FX-05 is distributed among the Mexican Armed Forces, and the military industry is aiming to produce 30,000 per year.[11]
Development edit
The development of the FX-05 began as a 16-month research in 2005 with CIADTIM as part of research efforts to replace the HK G3A3 rifles that were in service with the Mexican military.[5] Originally the HK G36 was supposed to become the Mexican military's standard rifle as plans were already drawn to transfer technology and equipment to Mexico to initially build 30,000 rifles at a cost of €63,016,125 as part of Mexico's military modernization program. The Mexican government ultimately decided that they wanted a more cost effective alternative to the G36, which resulted in the decision to end the project before any technology or equipment could be transferred and the FX-05 project was undertaken.[12]
A Mexican report states that up to December 2006, $84,000,000 Mexican Pesos (€5,855,698 at the December 2006 exchange rate) were invested in the FX-05 project, including raw materials and using only national equipment and technology.[13] Leading the FX-05 project was General Alfredo Oropeza Garnica with Brigadier General Jose Antonio Landeros.[14] In 2015, it was revealed that due to budget cuts, SEDENA would not be able to meet the production rate of 121,000 FX-05s by 2018.[15]
On September 16, 2016, the Mexican military unveiled a new variant of the FX-05 known as the Xihucóatl Submachine Gun alongside an indigenous underbarrel grenade launcher made for it.[16]
On April 2, 2019, a new variant known as the PAX-100 is due to begin production.[1]
The rifle is used by police forces in several Mexican cities and towns.
Design details edit
The design of the weapon is compatible with telescopic, red-dot and mechanical sights and has a folding, adjustable butt stock. The barrel is hammer forged, and the weapon is capable of semi-automatic, three round burst and full auto fire. It has a cyclic rate of fire of 750 rounds per minute. Most of the rifle's receiver is constructed of a polymer reinforced with carbon-fiber with an underlying titanium frame and comes in black,[17] dark-green[17] and desert-tan[17] colors as well as the SEDENA digital camouflage patterns used by the Mexican army. The charging handle can be installed on either side of the rifle with gas piston located above the barrel, which operates under a multi-lugged rotary bolt system.[18] Safety/fire mode selectors are located above the pistol grip on both sides of the FX-05.[18] It can accept NATO-standard as well as specific transparent magazines.[19] In 2017, it was announced that a Mexican-made grip pod was in development.[20]
The internal mechanism and barrel are made of advanced corrosion-resistant stainless steel. An indigenous programmable air-burst grenade launcher is currently under development for the FX-05,[12] which will be able to fire standard NATO munitions in addition to Mexico's new RSE-7 fuel-air grenade round. The FX-05 is also compatible with the AG36 grenade launcher as used on the G36, which is in use until the proprietary design is finalized.[12] In 2017, a Mexican-made UBGL was also demonstrated.[20]
The FX-05 is one of the world's few assault rifles featuring polygonal rifling, which eliminates the normal grooves of a weapons barrel replacing them with a system of "hills and valleys" in a rounded polygonal pattern. The optical sight is an integrated one with a carry handle attached as standard.[12]
There has been some criticism that the barrel has reliability issues and a short operating life, blamed on low-quality materials.[21]
The FX-05 is available in several configurations optimized for differing use, including: assault rifle (Fusil de asalto), carbine (Carabina), compact (Carabina corta, literally "short carbine"),[18][22] light machine gun (Ametralladora) and sharpshooter (Francotirador) variants.[12] The variants are all essentially identical, excepting the short carbine having a shortened fore-end[23] and the sharpshooter being equipped with a fixed adjustable stock rather than the standard folding stock.
| FX-05 Xiuhcoatl[17] | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Type | Barrel Length | Length (Stock Extended) | Length (Stock Folded) | Weight (Empty) | ||
| Assault Rifle | 18.9 inches [480 mm] | 42.8 inches [1,087 mm] | 34.9 inches [887 mm] | 8.6 lbs. [3.89 kg] | ||
| Carbine | 15.5 inches [393 mm] | 38.6 inches [980 mm] | 30.7 inches [780 mm] | 7.1 lbs. [3.22 kg] | ||
| Short Carbine | ? | ? | ? | ? | ||
| Sharpshooter | ? | 47.4 inches [1,204 mm] | -- | 8.9 lbs. [4.02 kg] | ||
| LMG | ? | 49.0 inches [1,244 mm ] | 41.1 in [1,044 mm] | 9.3 lbs. [4.23 kg.] | ||
Legal dispute with Heckler & Koch edit
On February 1, 2007, representatives of the SEDENA (Secretaría de la Defensa Nacional) and Heckler & Koch met in Mexico City to address accusations of patent infringement from the German firm.[24] They claimed that the Army "replicated" the design of the HK G36 assault rifle. After an exhibition of detailed models of the FX-05, the HK representatives were convinced that, despite the similarities between the two rifles, there was not a patent infringement, therefore bringing an end to the disagreement.[24][25] In the end, the German firm stated that they would not sue on the basis that even though the rifle looks similar it is internally different with a different mechanism.[25]
The report concluded that while externally the FX-05 bears obvious design elements there are several notable differences. The receiver which was styled after the G36 is in fact coupled with a long stroke gas piston similar in operation to an AK type rifle. While the more advanced parts of the rifle were found to be independently Mexican produced, Heckler & Koch officials still questioned the DGIM (the manufacturer of the FX-05) regarding the issue of the rifles receiver system which is identical to the G36's.
It's believed that the receiver was made to be as similar to the G36 to maximize commonality between the two weapons as many of Mexico's police forces are issued with the G36. Either way it appears that the newer post lawsuit versions of the FX-05 feature a different newly designed receiver,[12] as the newer FX-05 come with a four position fire selection (safe, single shot, three round burst, full auto) whereas the original FX-05 came with only three firing selections (safe, single shot, full auto). This theory is also reinforced by the fact the new black FX-05 models feature a visible metal protrusion before the magazine ejector and the receiver is noticeably smaller.
Gallery edit
- Fusil FX-05 family
- FX-05 Collapsible stock
- FX-05 Lower receiver
- Closeup of the FX-05's receiver in the hands of a Mexican Army soldier
- FX-05 Upper receiver
- FX-05 Upper receiver
- FX-05 Front handrail
See also edit
References edit
- ^ a b "Military working on 10 weapons projects, including automatic pistol". 2 April 2019.
- ^ a b . Archived from the original on 2 January 2014. Retrieved 6 Jul 2014.
- ^ . Archived from the original on 2017-01-23.
- ^ "Fusil FX-05 Xiuhcoatl: el brazo armado del Ejército mexicano" (in Spanish). 2008-01-23. Retrieved 2009-05-23.
- ^ a b James Dunnigan (March 2007). "Theft Resistant Assault Rifle". bahia de Banderas news. Retrieved 2009-05-23.
- ^ a b . Archived from the original on 2020-05-27.
- ^ Defence Industry Bulletin - October 2014 (#3), Page 3.
- ^ a b Daniel Watters. . Archived from the original on 2011-08-07. Retrieved 2009-05-23.
- ^ "Fusil Xiuhcóatl 2005: The New Mexican Fx05 Military Rifle". February 2007.
- ^ (July 2019). Mexico has already produced 155,000 FX and has 5 New Configurations on the Way 2020-01-14 at the Wayback Machine (in Spanish). (Mexico). Retrieved 14 January 2020
- ^ (December 2019). The National Guard and Gun Control, this is how the Year passed in Mexico (in Spanish). (Mexico). Retrieved 14 January 2020
- ^ a b c d e f "Fusil FX-05 (Xiuhcoatl) Assault Rifle (2008)". Retrieved 2013-03-14.
- ^ (in Spanish). 2006-12-15. Archived from the original on 2011-06-05. Retrieved 2009-05-23.
- ^ Daniel Watters. . Archived from the original on 2008-10-10. Retrieved 2009-05-23.
- ^ . 27 March 2017. Archived from the original on 2019-09-15.
- ^ . Archived from the original on 2016-09-21.
- ^ a b c d . Archived from the original on 2014-05-21.
- ^ a b c Max Popenker (27 October 2010). . Archived from the original on 2017-07-06. Retrieved 2012-02-08.
- ^ "Updated: The Assault Rifles of the Near Future". 28 February 2014.
- ^ a b "Mexico Unveils 40MM UBGL, Grip Pod, Updates on FX05 -". 16 August 2017.
- ^ "Analysis: Mexican defence industry - Shephard Media".
- ^ "VIDEO: Así es el rifle FX-05, la "serpiente de fuego" de la Guardia Nacional".
- ^ military-today.com FX-05 Xiuhcoatl
- ^ a b Allan Wall (March 2007). "The Mexican Army and its Controversial New Rifle". bahia de Banderas news. Retrieved 2009-05-23.
- ^ a b (PDF). Small Arms Survey 2007. p. 7. Archived from the original (PDF) on June 3, 2012. Retrieved 2012-02-08.