KL-56
| KL-56 | |
|---|---|
 KL-56 rifle | |
| Type | Assault rifle |
| Place of origin |  Aquitayne |
| Service history | |
| In service | 1981-2004 |
| Used by | See Users |
| Production history | |
| Designer | Koch & Lite Armaments |
| Designed | 1978-1980 |
| Manufacturer | Koch & Lite Armaments |
| Produced | 1981-Present |
| No. built | 2,600,000 |
| Variants | See Variants |
| Specifications | |
| Weight | 3.26 kg (7.2 lb) |
| Length | 980 mm (39 in) (extended) 730 mm (29 in) (folded) |
| Barrel length | 465 mm (18.3 in) |
| Cartridge | 5.56×45mm NATO |
| Action | Gas-operated, rotating bolt direct impingement |
| Rate of fire | 750 RPM |
| Muzzle velocity | 920 m/s (3,000 ft/s) (K100) |
| Effective firing range | 600 m (K100) |
| Maximum firing range | 2,400 m |
| Feed system | 30-round STANAG magazines |
| Sights | Iron |
The KL-56 Rifle was an assault rifle designed for the Aquitaynian Armed Services by Koch & Lite Armaments. The rifle was intended to become the standard issue rifle of the military, and for a period of 23 years, from 1981 to 2004, it was. The rifle came to be known by many names to the soldiers that used it, notably 'the buzz saw' during the early days of its production when the fully automatic feature was staple. The rifle underwent various changes from the time it was originally designed to the point where it was decommissioned in favor of the foreign Anemonian AR5R2 Rifle, which remains the standard issue rifle in the Aquitaynian military today.
Development
The design of the KL-56 assault rifle began in Cern, Aquitayne, at the Koch & Lite company headquarters. The Aquitaynian Ministry of Defense contacted the company to develop a concept design that would improve the operational capabilities of the military's soldiers at all levels. The idea behind the compact nature of the KL-56 and its versatility to engage targets at reaches of anywhere up to 2,400 meters, and all the while retaining the ability to contract into a suitable vehicle-born weapons platform is what made the rifle so popular, especially among the various Special Operations Forces, such as GROM.
Design
The design of the KL-56 is relatively simple. It is a Gas-operated rifle with a rotating bolt and direct gas impingement. It was developed off of the very common AR-15 platform, and as the Aquitaynian military had been using the 5.56x45mm round as its standard munition, it seemed the logical choice. The original KL-56 had a polymer forearm and pistol-grip, and until 2010 had a folding polymer stock. There is no traditional buffer tube in the back of the rifle, rather large springs inside the bolt carrier group absorb much of the energy thrown back by firing the weapon. The bolt carrier group itself is an almost identical copy of the American M16, as it was determined to be the best reference for soldiers to learn from when issuing the weapon in the early '80s.
The KL-56 not only uses very notable aspects of American rifles, but it also uses the gas system of the Russian AK47. The combination of the reliability found in the gas system of the Russian AK-47 and the familiarity of the American M16 made the perfect combination when designing the internal nature of the KL-56. The KL-56 also has slots on the underside of the hand guard, and post-2010 on picatinny rails, for various weapon-mounted accessories. Until the late 1990's, the rifle was only capable of holding a 40mm grenade launcher and bayonet. After the advent of picatinny rails and their adoption by the Special Operations Forces of the country, the range of accessories mounted to the rifles were almost limitless.
The KL-56 is traditionally milled with an 18 inch barrel with a 1-in-18 twist, allowing for maximum accuracy at long ranges. A 7.62x51mm variant was developed from 2000-2007, but never went past testing phases.
Variants
- The KL-1 through KL-8 were the original concept designs produced by Koch & Lite
- KL-8: chosen as the selected design among the prototypes
- KL-9: an improved variant of the KL-8
- KL-9-1: the final experimental variant.
- KL-56: the mass produced variant
- KL-56: Semi-automatic 5.56x45mm NATO
- KL-56M: A modernized version developed in 2010, featuring picatinny rail are added.
- KL-56M "Sport": The KL-56M begins manufacture as a "Sporting" rifle, making it legal for civilian use and foreign export
Users
- Constitutional Monarchy of Aquitayne: Standard issue rifle from 1981 to 2004.
- 10,000 - 25,000 KL-56M "Sporting" rifles are currently in circulation around Aquitayne.
The Riysan Republic: Purchased 14,000 KL-56M "Sporting" rifles and 3,000 KL-56M rifles in 2012. Manufacture is expected to end in late 2015.
Caranad currently uses the KL-56 as their standard service weapon.