AA-52
Encyclopedia : A : AA : AA5 : AA-52
 | |
| AA-52 | |
|---|---|
| Type | Machine gun |
| Nation(s) of origin | France |
| Era | |
| History | |
| Date of design | |
| Production period | |
| Service duration | |
| Operators | France |
| War service | |
| Variants | NF-1 |
| Number built | |
| Specifications | |
| Type | machine gun |
| Caliber | 7.5 mm |
| Ammunition | 7.5 x 54 mm FR |
| Feed system | |
| Firearm action>Action | |
| Length | 1080 mm |
| Gun barrel>Barrel length | 600 mm |
| Weight | 9.75 kg |
| Rate of fire | 900 round/min |
| Muzzle velocity | 830 m/s |
| Effective range | |
The AA-52 (Arme Automatique Transformable Modèle 1952, "Transformable automatic weapon model 1952") is one of the first French produced guns of the post World War II era. Also called "Cinquante-Deux" (French for "52").
The weapon is still used today as a vehicle-mounted weapon; however, it has been phased out for infantry use in favour of the lighter Minimi.
History
The AA 52 machine gun was conceived and developed following the French military's experiences in Indochina during the early 1950's. At that time, the French army was equipped with an assortment of weapons from English and American arsenals, as well as some German weapons from the Second World War.Effective supply of ammunition and replacement parts was an almost insoluble task and the army decided to adopt a standard machine gun. The result was the AA52, conceived for easy production. The construction was of simple welded stamped sheet steel.
The AA 52 was an exception among modern machine guns by its blowback system of operation; the force applied to the cartridge at the time of firing is used to send back the breech and introduce a new cartridge. This system works well with pistol cartridges in sub-machine guns, but for rifle cartridges a more complex mechanism was required for safety reasons. The AA 52 uses a two part breech-block: a control lever amplifier maintains the part before the block while the back part begins to move. When the cam crosses a certain distance, the block is sent to the rear. To facilitate the ejection of the cartridges, the chamber has grooves allowing some gas to be dissipated between the chamber wall and the cartridge. A cartridge fired by an AA 52 can be easily identified by the damage caused during this process.
The AA 52 can be fired from a bipod or a stand. When used with a stand for continuous fire, the gun is fitted with a heavier barrel. In the machine gun version, the AA 52 is a relatively heavy weapon to carry. An unusual detail of the AA 52 is the presence of a strut under the butt to take the weight of the weapon. Another significant difference is in barrel changes, for many weapons this is a simple and quick task but on the AA 52 the bipod is a permanent fixture to the barrel making the process more difficult.
Variants
NF-1
The AA was conceived originally to use 7.5 mm cartridges that were used in the French Machine Gun Model 1929. The general adoption of the 7.62mm NATO cartridge reduced the opportunity for export sales, and the gun was adapted for the 7.62 mm calibre.
References
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