Firearms / Machine guns / CETME Ameli
CETME Ameli
General Facts
- TYPE
Machine gun - ORIGIN
Spain - NICKNAMES
MG82 (Spanish military designation) - DESIGNED
1974 - 1981 - DESIGNER
CETME - PRODUCTION
1982 - present - PRODUCERS Spain - Empresa Nacional Santa Bárbara
- QUANTITY
Only several hundred produced. - UNIT COST
Unknown - CHARACTERISTICS
Limited size and weight
Reliability issues
Expensive
Introduction
The Ameli is a machine gun of Spanish origin. It was developed in the 1970's and adopted in the early 1980's. Ameli is short for Ametralladora ligera, which is Spanish for light machine gun.
Design
The Ameli looks like the MG3 from the outside, but is very different internally. It uses the roller delayed blowback mechanism that is also employed in the Model 58 and Model L rifles. Belt boxes can be attached to the weapon and feature a translucent rear cover to indicate the remaining amount of ammunition.
Firepower
The Ameli fires the 5.56x45mm NATO round from 100 or 200 round disintegrating link belts. The only setting is fully automatic fire at 900 rpm.
Users
The Ameli is the standard light machine gun of the Spanish military. It has been exported to Mexico and saw some other limited sales.
Ameli
The Ameli is a light machine gun that fires the 5.56x45mm NATO round from linked belts. The Ameli uses the roller locked delayed blowback system that is also used in the Spanish CETME Model 58 and German Heckler & Koch G3 battle rifles.
- Specifications:
- Ameli
| Type | Machine gun |
|---|---|
| Caliber | 5.56x45mm NATO (or M193) |
| Magazine | Belt fed, 100 or 200 rounds |
| Operation | Gas operated, roller delayed blowback |
| Fire selector | 0-F |
| Rate of fire | 900 rpm |
| Barrel length | 400 mm |
|---|---|
| Rifling | 6 grooves, 178 mm (or 305 mm) right hand twist |
| Muzzle velocity | 875 m/s |
| Stock | Fixed |
| Length | 900 mm |
| Width | ? |
| Height | ? |
|---|---|
| Weight | 5.3 kg empty |
| Sights | Iron sights, post front and notch rear, 300 to 1.000 m gradations, 340 mm sight radius |
| Remarks | Fixed foldable bipod |
5.56x45mm NATO
The Ameli fires the 5.56x45mm NATO round and may fire the older M193 round if required.
MG3
The Ameli bears a visual resemblance to the German MG3 machine gun, yet is a very different weapon internally.