Introduced in the early eighties and constructed entirely of plastic and fibreglass the FA MAS (Fusil Automatique
Manufacture d'Armes de St Etienne) is considered to be equivalent to the American M16 A1 rifle. It is lighter than than the
equivalent British weapon and is easily recognised by its long carrying handle.

It is capable of firing single shots, three shot bursts or continuous bursts and can be adjusted to eject spent cases to the left or
right side to accommodate left-handed users. The design of the handle also enables it to be used for firing 500 gram anti-tank
rounds or anti-personnel grenades.

Le FAMAS - 5.56 calibre assault rifle.
(Fusil D'Assault - Manufacture de St.Etienne).
The weapons training that is recieved in basic training will enable you to strip the weapon down, name the parts the weapon, load, unload and make-safe the weapon. You will initially rely on the instructors to clear any Incident de tir (Stoppages). These skills will be taught at a later date. The personal weapon is the FAMAS. This is a 5.56mm short range assault rifle. This is not a weapon that you can throw down in the mud, cock and fire - like the Russian Kalashnikov. It's
soldiering application requirs a high standard of maintanance -  witch is exactly what it gets in the legion. It is a favo

It's a favourite  skill practiced by the Legion to fire from the hip and is practised frequently during basic training. This is known as "Position au genou" - it is very difficult to master and to begin with results in much wasted ammunition. The weapon also has the capabilty to fire rifle grenades. There are two methods of firing a   rifle grenade form the FAMAS and both are practiced in basic training sometimes at some expense and danger to the Legion and its men.

More suited to urban close quarter battle than anything else, the weapon does not foul badly but stoppages will occur in sandy or dusty conditions, such as the Gulf.
Possibly the main design fault is the fact that the piece of plastic which guides the empty case out of the chamber known as the "Appui joue" is held in place by a "clip  on - clip off action". If this piece of plastic is lost or drops off - the weapon cannot be fired without risk of injury to the firer. (The clip on - off action of the Appui-joue is used along with an adjustment to the extractor to facilitate left or right handed firing. A process which takes just a few minutes).

The sling has various applications - not just in stabilising the steadiness during firing but also in various carrying methods. In the base of the hand grip for the trigger hand there exists a compartment for cleaning materials.

It is a favourite of  the  instructors to emphasise the importance of weapon cleaning. When the weapons are cleaned they are each cleaned for about seven or eight hours. In basic training you will not be allowed to sit down whilst cleaning the weapon. There then follows an hour long inspection at the "Position Gardez - Vous" (The attention position).

At the end of the "Le Raid" - after marching over a hundred miles through the Pyrenees, the weapons and equipment are cleaned in just such a manner. Nobody
goes to bed that night. The weapons are at this stage cleaned with pure alcohol to de-grease every working part. Most of this attention to detail is a little un-necessary but continues to instill military discipline. This method of cleaning continues even when at your Regiment. It is not unknown for a Section of legionnaires  to strip down their weapons, load them onto a plastic palette and send them through the dishwasher in the kitchens a few times to remove the worst of the fouling from the working parts. This is done prior to commencing more conventinal cleaning methods. Some would say a good example of modern soldiering initiative.