Fusil ametrallador Oviedo

The Fusil ametrallador Oviedo is a Spanish copy of the ZB vz. 26 and ZB vz. 30 Czechoslovak light machine guns.[1]

FAO
7.92mm FAO
TypeLight machine gun
Place of originCzechoslovakia/Spain
Service history
Used bySpain
Egypt
WarsIfni War
Production history
Designed1951
Produced1951-1958
No. built10,508
Specifications
Mass9.10 kg (20.06 lb)
Length1,180 mm (46.5 in)

Cartridge7.92×57mm Mauser
7.62×51mm NATO
ActionGas-operated, tilting breechblock
Rate of fire600-650 rounds/min
Muzzle velocity850 m/s (2,789 ft/s)
Effective firing range1,000 m (1,100 yd)
Feed system20-round detachable box magazine

History

In 1943, Francoist Spain ordered 7.92×57mm Mauser ZB vz. 30 machine guns to the German-occupied Zbrojovka Brno but received only 100 guns. It was decided to produce a copy in Oviedo. The first prototype was built in 1951 and production began. 10.508 were produced until 1958 and Egypt received 700 of them.[2] Some were modified in 1959 to use a 7.62×51mm NATO 50-round belt loaded in a drum.[3] This modified variant, sometimes used on a tripod, was known as the FAO Model 59.[1]

Service

The FAO was nicknamed Pepito[2] and saw service during the Ifni War against the Moroccan Army of Liberation. It was replaced by the MG 42/59 (MG1).[4]

References

  1. Smith 1969, p. 547.
  2. "Fusil Ametrallador Oviedo (FAO): otro capítulo más de nuestra gloriosa historia armera". arma.es (in Spanish). 24 March 2017.
  3. Smith 1969, p. 548.
  4. Canales Torres, Carlos; del Rey Vicente, Miguel (2010). Breve historia de la Guerra de Ifni-Sáhara (in Spanish). Nowtilus. p. 241. ISBN 9788497639712.


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