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Steyr AUGs of the Falkland Islands Defense Force (Ad-free)
🕑 Added 2025-01-08 12:00:05 +0000 UTCThe Falkland Islands Defense Force is a small organization independent of the British military, run directly by the Falkland Islands government. When it decided to update its small arms form the L1A1 SLR (aka British FAL) in the early 1990s, the British assumed they would purchase the new L85A1 rifles. However, by that time the flaws in the L85 were pretty well known, and the Islanders exercised their independence and chose to adopt something different. After investigating a number of different options they chose to use the Steyr AUG. At this time the AUG was in service with a number of other nations including the Australians and New Zealanders, and Steyr offered good terms and good support for the FIDF.
The FIDF purchased about 160 AUG rifles in total, including a small number of carbines and heavy-barreled LMGs. The carbines were particularly useful in a maritime role, which was part of the FIDF mission at the time (fisheries patrol). The LMG version, fitted with an Elcan C79 4x optic, was intended to supplant the FN MAG as a support weapon, but was found unfit for that role. Instead, most of the LMGs were converted to standard rifles via simple barrel swap. In addition, the Elcan optics proved prove to breakage, and were eventually replaced with British SUSATs. Indeed, some of the standard AUGs had their factory scopes replaced with SUSATs as well.
The AUG remained the standard rifle for the FIDF until recently, when the service received L85A3 rifles from the British. The AUG was not configured to use the bullet-trap blank adapters that the British used, and the L85s were intended to allow better integrated training between the two forces. A formal replacement for the AUG has not yet been determined, as it remains a bit unclear what the British military will decide to do to replace the L85 in the coming years.
Many thanks to the FIDF for giving me access to their armory to dig out these rifles to film for you! They remain today a small but quite well-equipped all-volunteer force dedicated to maintaining the security of the Falkland Islands.
Comments
Philipp HintermΓΌller
there is an excellent video on youtube by "ninehole reviews" about the advantage of the longer LMG/HBAR-version of the AUG bringing a noticeable higher muzzle velocity an therefore a much straighter trajectory with plain 55gr ammo - that could be even stepped up by using 62gr or even 75/77gr ammo! it makes it much easier for a an army of volunteers/conscripts to aim/hit at longer ranges!
Fiachra Molloy
Is the standard AUG sight not 1.5x?
Rick Notkin
I prefer my AUG to an AR platform. /roast me. π
Guido Schriewer
why the ks1? what's wrong about a ks4 or at least a ks2?
Sonny Hughes
HK, because you suck and we hate you. What the heck is up with no support from H&K?? You'd think they would be happy to have another, if albeit small, customer.
Guido Schriewer
would love an aug as I'd an elcan but MAN that is mounted unbelievable bad! how to aim with that? in that sort of terrain I wonder why they went 556 at all. yeah small force ammo per guy. great. get it. one would need the extra ammo missing a lot with high winds too. it sounds such open ground that.. 7,62 for range and a bit less wind sensitive.
