FAMAS

The first French bullpup rifles were developed between 1946 and 1950 at the AME (French: Atelier Mécanique de Mulhouse) and MAS, testing rounds such as .30 US Carbine, 7.92×33mm Kurz, 7.65×38mm (Made by Cartoucherie de Valence) and some other intermediate calibres. Since France was engaged in the First Indochina War at the time and was also the second-largest contributor to NATO, research budgets for new weapons were limited, and priority was given to the modernisation and production of existing service weapons. Nevertheless, approximately forty different 7.62×51mm NATO calibre prototype rifles were developed between 1952 and 1962, most notably the FA-MAS Type 62. However, the United States' adoption of the M16 rifle and 5.56×45mm cartridge caused the French to rethink their approach, and consequently, the Type 62 was not adopted. In the 1960s, MAS began to manufacture under licence the Heckler & Koch G3 battle rifle and later on the Heckler & Koch HK33 assault rifle as temporary substitutes. At the same time, the French embraced the idea of developing a new 5.56 mm automatic rifle. However, adopting the German-designed HK33 was considered unsatisfactory for many members of the French high command. General Marcel Bigeard was also against the idea of relying on foreign weapons.