Russian special operations forces, often referred to collectively as SSO, were recently seen sporting an Italian Beretta ARX160 assault rifle.
Military experts identified the Italian ARX160 carbine in use by Russian Commandos at a photo released on social media.
Previously, there was no information in open sources about the purchase of the newest Italian-made assault rifles do the Russian Armed Forces.
The ARX160 is a modular assault rifle manufactured by famed Italian gun-maker Beretta.
As noted by the company, the ARX160 is built to be durable and super-tough, being constructed of superior steel and technopolymer. It is chambered in either 5.56×45mm NATO or 7.62×39mm cartridge. Feeding is through STANAG magazines for the 5.56×45mm NATO configuration and AK-47 or AKM magazines for the 7.62×39mm configuration. Other calibres, including 5.45×39mm and 6.8mm Remington SPC were planned.
The ARX160 features a standard back-up iron sights that are made of the same polymer as the weapon’s receiver. The front sight post is adjustable for windage and elevation and the rear peep sight has six positions to fire in increments from 100–600 meters.