The AW50 is a
.50 BMG anti-materiel
An anti-materiel rifle (AMR) is a rifle designed for use against military equipment, structures, and other hardware (materiel). Anti-materiel rifles are chambered in significantly larger calibers than conventional rifles and are employed to elimin ...
precision rifle
A sniper rifle is a high-precision, long range shooting, long-range rifle. Requirements include accuracy, reliability, mobility, concealment and optics for anti-personnel weapon, anti-personnel, anti-materiel rifle, anti-materiel and surveillanc ...
designed by
Accuracy International
Accuracy International is a British firearms manufacturer based in Portsmouth, Hampshire, England. The company produces the Accuracy International Arctic Warfare series of precision sniper rifles. The company was established in 1978 by Britis ...
. It is a re-engineered version of the Accuracy International Arctic Warfare
L96
The Accuracy International Arctic Warfare rifle is a bolt-action sniper rifle designed and manufactured by the British company Accuracy International. It has proved popular as a civilian, police, and military rifle since its introduction in th ...
sniper rifle (the standard issue sniper rifle in the British forces).
Overview
The AW50 is intended to engage a variety of targets, including radar installations, light vehicles (including light armoured vehicles), field fortifications, boats and ammunition dumps. The weight of the weapon (15 kg , 33 lbs), combined with a
muzzle brake
A muzzle brake or recoil compensator is a device connected to, or a feature integral to the construction of, the muzzle or barrel of a firearm or cannon that is intended to redirect a portion of propellant gases to counter recoil and unwanted ...
and a hydraulic buffer system in the butt, gives the AW50F relatively low recoil and enhances accuracy. The
Picatinny rail
The Picatinny rail ( or ), or Pic rail for short, also known as a MIL-STD-1913 rail, 1913 rail or STANAG 2324 rail (cancelled), is a military standard rail interface system that provides a mounting platform for firearm accessories. It was o ...
can hold a variety of equipment; the normal sight for the AW50 is the
Schmidt & Bender
Schmidt & Bender (often abbreviated as S&B) is a German company specialized in producing high end telescopic sights for hunting, sports, law enforcement and military arms.
The company was founded in 1957 by instrument maker Helmut Schmidt and mast ...
3-12x50 PM II with Al Mil Dot reticle, 0.2
mrad
The Barrett MRAD (Multi-role Adaptive Design) is a bolt-action sniper rifle designed by Barrett to meet the requirements of the SOCOM PSR. The MRAD is based on the Barrett 98B and includes a number of modifications and improvements. The Barrett ...
clicks and elevation to 1500 m and laser protection.
Night vision device
A night-vision device (NVD), also known as a night optical/observation device (NOD), night-vision goggle (NVG), is an optoelectronic device that allows visualization of images in low levels of light, improving the user's night vision. The dev ...
sights such as the Simrad KN series or Hensoldt NSV 80 can also be fitted.
AW50F
The AW50F is a
folding stock
A gunstock or often simply stock, the back portion of which is also known as a shoulder stock, a buttstock or simply a butt, is a part of a long gun that provides structural support, to which the barrel, action, and firing mechanism are attache ...
variant of the AW50, which fires the multi-purpose
Raufoss Mk 211
The Raufoss Mk 211 is a .50 BMG (12.7×99mm NATO) multi-purpose anti-materiel high-explosive incendiary/armor-piercing ammunition projectile produced by Nammo under the model name ''NM140 MP''. It is commonly referred to as ''multipurpose'' or '' ...
cartridge and other rounds. It has a fully adjustable bipod and buttstock heel rest. Four sling loops allow shoulder and hand carrying of the rifle.
[Jones, Richard D. ''Jane's Infantry Weapons 2009/2010''. Jane's Information Group; 35 edition (January 27, 2009). .] Weighing 15 kilograms (33 pounds), the AW50F rifle is approximately four times the weight of a typical assault rifle. The
Raufoss Mk 211
The Raufoss Mk 211 is a .50 BMG (12.7×99mm NATO) multi-purpose anti-materiel high-explosive incendiary/armor-piercing ammunition projectile produced by Nammo under the model name ''NM140 MP''. It is commonly referred to as ''multipurpose'' or '' ...
(''NM140 MP) .''50 calibre ammunition is also heavy. The weight of the weapon, combined with a
muzzle brake
A muzzle brake or recoil compensator is a device connected to, or a feature integral to the construction of, the muzzle or barrel of a firearm or cannon that is intended to redirect a portion of propellant gases to counter recoil and unwanted ...
on the front end and a hydraulic buffer system in the butt, gives the AW50F a relatively low recoil and enhances accuracy. Most of the rifles are made in the United Kingdom. The barrels are sourced from three different manufacturers: Lothar Walther, Border and Maddco.
Users
* : ''AW50F''.
* : Designated ''G24''.
* : Used by
Indonesian Air Force
The Indonesian Air Force ( id, Tentara Nasional Indonesia Angkatan Udara (TNI-AU), literally "''Indonesian National Military-Air Force''") sometimes shortened as IDAF / IdAF, is the aerial branch of the Indonesian National Armed Forces. The ...
Bravo Detachment 90
The Bravo Detachment 90 is a counter-terrorism unit whose personnel are specialists recruited and chosen from the Indonesian Air Force's Kopasgat. It is the youngest special operations unit of the Indonesian Air Force. The unit specialises in t ...
.
* : Used by
ARW marksmen.
* : Used by
Royal Malaysian Navy
The Royal Malaysian Navy (RMN, ms, Tentera Laut Diraja Malaysia; TLDM; Jawi: ) is the naval arm of the Malaysian Armed Forces. RMN is the main agency responsible for the country's maritime surveillance and defense operations. RMN's area of o ...
PASKAL
The Pasukan Khas Laut (''Naval Special Warfare Forces,'' Jawi: ), commonly abbreviated to PASKAL, is the principal special operations force of the Royal Malaysian Navy.
PASKAL's task is to conduct small-unit maritime military operations that ...
.
* : AW50 is used by
GNR (Republican National Guard).
* : ''AW50F'' Used by
5th Special Operations Regiment.
* : Used by UDT/SEAL.
* : Used by Royal Thai Navy and Royal Thai Navy SEALS.
* Used in limited quantities by EOD units and UKSF
The United Kingdom Special Forces (UKSF) is a directorate comprising the Special Air Service, the Special Boat Service, the Special Reconnaissance Regiment, the Special Forces Support Group, 18 (UKSF) Signal Regiment and the Joint Special Forces ...
.
See also
* Accuracy International AWP
The Accuracy International Arctic Warfare rifle is a bolt-action sniper rifle designed and manufactured by the British company Accuracy International. It has proved popular as a civilian, police, and military rifle since its introduction in the ...
* Accuracy International AWM
The Accuracy International AWM (Arctic Warfare Magnum or AI-Arctic Warfare Magnum) is a bolt-action sniper rifle manufactured by Accuracy International designed for magnum rifle cartridges. The Accuracy International AWM is also unofficially k ...
* Accuracy International AS50
The AS50 is a semi-automatic .50 BMG anti-materiel precision rifle manufactured by British firearms producer Accuracy International. It enables operators to engage targets at very long range with high accuracy using explosive or incendiary amm ...
* Accuracy International AX50
The Accuracy International AX50 is a .50 BMG anti-materiel precision rifle manufactured by British firearms company Accuracy International.
Devised as an upgrade to the AW50 rifle, the AX50 is built to withstand sustained, heavy usage and co ...
References
{{Accuracy International
Bolt-action rifles of the United Kingdom
Sniper rifles of the United Kingdom
.50 BMG sniper rifles
Anti-materiel rifles
ja:アキュラシーインターナショナル AW50