How a failed joint venture birthed Italy's standard service rifle

Wars & Conflicts · Published 16 October 2026 Swipe more like this →

In short: In 1968, Beretta walked away from a collaborative project with SIG. Instead of starting from scratch, they repurposed the shared research to create an entirely new weapon. This pivot eventually led to the AR70/90, a rugged staple of Italian defense that survived decades of military evolution.

The lineage of the Beretta AR70/90 began with a fractured partnership. In 1963, SIG and Beretta started joint development on the SIG SG 530. By 1968, the companies split; while SIG continued refining their design into the SG 540 and 550 series, Beretta took the experience gained from the project to develop its own off-shoot. The resulting AR70, introduced in 1972, looked like its parent but featured a completely different internal firing mechanism and locking system.

The transition to the modern AR70/90 was driven by NATO standardization in the 1980s. Italy needed to move away from the BM59—a rifle derived from the U.S. M1 Garand chambered in 7.62 mm—to a weapon compatible with the 5.56 mm STANAG loader. However, early prototypes (the AR70/223) faced hurdles: they were chambered for the older M193 cartridge rather than the new Belgian SS109 standard, and suffered from a structural defect where pressed steel receivers would distort and jam the bolt under harsh conditions.

After redesigning the platform to fix these issues and accommodate the SS109 round, Beretta submitted the AR70/90 for trials in 1988 and 1989. It ultimately beat out competitors like a licensed H&K G41 and a modified Galil clone. By 1990, it became the Italian Army's standard rifle. While it is now being phased out by the ARX-160 under the Soldato Futuro program, its legacy persists in thousands of units across various branches and international exports to nations like Albania and Jordan.

The weapon remains a hallmark of 1980s engineering, utilizing stainless steel and limited polymer. Measuring about 4 kg (8.82 lb), this weapon offers three modes of fire: semi-auto, three-round burst, and full auto.

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