SIG MMG 338 Program Series

ARES-16 from ARES Defense

ARES Defense walked us through their ARES-16 family of small arms. It is 5.56mm and incorporates a Gas-Piston, Short Stroke Tappet operating system. Actually, to configure the various weapons, the ARES-16 relies on different upper and lower receivers. These combinations allow the user to configure the weapon as:

-Sub-Carbine
-Carbine
-Assault Rifle
-Designated Marksman Rifle
-Magazine-Fed Assault Machine Gun
-Belt-Fed Assault Machine Gun
-Dual-Feed Assault Machine Gun
-Belt-Fed Mounted Light Machine Gun

For me, the most interesting configuration was the Dual-Feed (AMG-3). It allows the weapon to be fed by a SAW drum or a magazine. Notice in the photo below that the soft ammo pack sits lower than on the dedicated Belt-Fed gun (AMG-2). Interestingly, the machine gun configurations utilize an upper with non-reciprocating left side charging handle that lies along the top left edge of the upper. You can also see that this upper has a feed tray cover like a traditional belt-fed design.

Available as full weapons or upgrade kits for existing M16/M4 weapons.

www.aresdefense.com

Tags:

3 Responses to “ARES-16 from ARES Defense”

  1. Coolhand77 says:

    Looks like the reason the belt feed sits higher than the dual feed is that the dual feed uses the mag well to lock in the mount for the ammo pack instead of having a dedicated ammo pack mount.

  2. Steve says:

    Ready for release by 2030. Taking deposits now.

  3. I see what you mean but... says:

    Ouch! Don’t tell me you own futures in their last design?