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Small Arms History of the Falkland Islands Defense Force (Ad-Free)
🕑 Added 2025-02-12 12:00:01 +0000 UTCVarious militias existed on the Falkland Islands since its earliest settlement, but the Falkland Islands Defense Force of today traces its roots to the 1892 Falkland Islands Volunteer Corps. This force was equipped with Martini Henry rifles. With the outbreak of World War One, the Falklands were a strategically important naval station, and the FIDF grew significantly in size and was fitted out with more modern arms. They expanded again in World War Two, with Lee Enfield rifles, Sten MkV SMGs, and Bren, Lewis's and Vickers machine guns. Eventually in 1972 the force modernized, acquiring British L1A1 SLR rifles, L2A3 Sterling SMGs, and GPMGs (FALs and FN MAGs) and updating its Bren guns to 7.62mm. These were the standard arms at hand during the Argentine invasion in 1982, although the FIDF was not really an active participant in the resistance to the invasion. In fact, the British Marine party on the island was in the middle of being replaced when the invasion happened and twice the normal number of Marines were present. They armed themselves with most of the FIDF SLRs, leaving the FIDF with mostly just SMLE rifles.
After the war, the FIDF was reconstituted. It kept its SLRs until the early 1990s when they were replaced with 5.56mm rifles. Instead of adopted the British L85A1, the FIDF opted to purchase Steyr AUGs. The intention was to replace the GPMG with the heavy-barreled AUG, but this did not work out in practice. Instead, the GPMGs remained in service and the heavy-barreled AUGs were converted to standard rifles. In the post-war years the FIDF also began to acquire more specialty arms, starting with a Parker-Hale M85, a couple of Steyr HS-50s, and ultimately a batch of LMT 7.62mm rifles. They remain a small but quite well-equipped for today, offering valuable reconnaissance and local knowledge to the British Army garrison should conflict break out again.
Many thanks to the FIDF for giving me access to their armory to dig out these arms to film for you!
Specific videos on some of the arms featured here:
B&T GL-06 Grenade Launcher: https://youtu.be/Z6qf9872KLQ
FN MAG / GPMG: https://youtu.be/rFmPZIm2Hk8
FIDF AUGs: https://youtu.be/FXtDvLBJp0s
Parker Hale M85: https://youtu.be/D9TmL9Cdbyo
Comments
Guido Schriewer
yeah... that is a way to start a video with some 303 in sight. well they weren't equipped poorly. FIDF sounds like= brits figured continental american minutemen were an awesome idea. those guys run steyr pistols?! wow... didn't expected that. would like to try one of those next to the sights that forced grip angle should take care of a lot of recoil. REAL high grip low bore axis, too.
Forgotten Weapons
I stand corrected- thanks!
Mustafa's Fleas
My early Steyr M9 has that unique inside the trigger guard safety and was purchased here in the USA early 2003.
Ripberger
They went with the AUG, but, alas not the FAMAS. That would've been an interesting choice.
Jeffrey Hartman
It's episodes like this that make me happy I'm one of your patrons.
