AAT Mod.52
Summary
| Country | 🇫🇷 France |
| Category | Light machine gun |
| Manufacturer | Manufacture d’Armes de St-Etienne |
Technical specifications
| AAT Mod.52 | |
|---|---|
| Fire Rate | 900 rounds/min. |
| Caliber | 7,62 x 51 mm OTAN |
| Magazine | belt of 50 - 200 rounds |
| Length | 1080 mm (42.5 in) |
| Weight | 23.0 kg (50.7 lb) |
| Range | 600 m (1969 ft) |
Description
The AA-52 (Arme Automatique Transformable Modèle 1952) is among the first firearms produced in France after World War II. It was manufactured by the government-owned MAS company. Developed following the French military's experiences in the First Indochina War, the AA-52 addressed the need to standardize weaponry from diverse British, American, and German sources. The design prioritized ease of production, using simple welded stamped sheet steel construction. The weapon was partially withdrawn from French Army service in 2008 and replaced by FN MAG general-purpose machine guns starting in the 2010s.
The AA-52 operates using a lever-delayed blowback mechanism. Rearward pressure on the case head creates an impulse on a cam, driving the bolt carrier backward. A link, acting as the firing pin, then pulls the bolt head rearward to extract the spent case. Due to the absence of primary extraction, the chamber is fluted to allow propellant gases to flow back and aid in separating the case from the chamber walls. The feed and trigger systems incorporate elements from the German MG 42 machine gun. The AA-52 can be configured as a light machine gun with a bipod or a heavy machine gun on a tripod, with the latter using a heavier barrel for sustained fire. It is relatively light in the light machine gun configuration. The weapon can be fired from the shoulder, although the handle placement is somewhat awkward; the bipod can function as a handguard when folded. Barrel changes are done by pressing a latch and rotating the barrel a quarter turn. It is compatible with the APX(SOM) telescopic sight, also used on the MAS-49 rifle and FR-F1 sniper rifle, as well as infrared night sights.
Two variants are known:
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The NF-1 (AANF-1 or ANF-1), a modification of the original AA-52 chambered for the 7.5×54mm French cartridge, adapted to use the 7.62×51mm NATO cartridge to facilitate potential export sales.
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The MAC-58, a prototype version of the AA-52 chambered in .50 BMG. Prototypes were tested, but it did not enter production because of existing quantities of US M2 Browning machine guns in French service.
The AA-52 remains in use, especially as a vehicle-mounted weapon. It has been superseded in the helicopter role by the FN MAG, starting with aircraft like the EC 725 Caracal. While largely phased out for infantry use in favor of the lighter FN Minimi, the AA-52 continues in other roles. Examples of operational use include twin AA-52 machine guns in Argentine Fouga Magister attack aircraft, the use of the ANF1 variant by Georgian forces to protect Camp Warehouse in Afghanistan under French command, the mounting of AAT-F1 variants on Indonesian AMX-10 PAC 90 vehicles, twin 7.62mm AA-52 machine guns on Irish Panhard AML armored cars, and mounting on Lebanese VAB Mephisto vehicles.
Users include Argentina, Belgium, Benin, Bolivia, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Comoros, Côte d'Ivoire, Djibouti, Dominican Republic, France, Gabon, Georgia, Indonesia, Ireland, Ivory Coast, Lebanon, Madagascar, Mali, Mauritania, Morocco, Niger, Senegal, Seychelles, Somalia, Togo, Tunisia, and Ukraine.