FN F2000

Manufactured by the French company Fabrique Nationale de Herstal, the FN F2000 is a highly versatile and compact assault rifle. As a modular weapon system many of the accessories and equipment can be easily added or removed, without the need of complex tools.

The short-stroke gas piston system with an adjustable gas regulator fires the 5.56 x 45 mm NATO cartridge from AR-15 magazines. With a bullpup configuration it is said to have the power of the M4 carbine with far better ergonomics. Small and light, much of frame is made of polymers. What's more it features forward ejection of spent shells that is preferred by users. Though it has an ambidextrous fire selector similar to the P 90 style, its charging handle is at the left side.

The standard F2000 has a plastic forward handguard and an optical sight with 1.6x magnification. Once the sight cover and sight is removed the Picatinny rail is seen. Which means it can be equipped with laser aiming modules (LAM), 40 mm grenade launcher with push-button safety, 12-gauge shotgun, M303 less-lethal launcher, or the triple rail found on the F2000 Tactical.

If needed, the optical sight can be replaced with specific computerized fire control systems. This has been custom designed for the 40mm grenade launcher. Firing regular grenades is much easier, because of the computerized launcher, though smart grenades cannot be fired.

A bayonet lug has been mounted near the muzzle. This has an adjustable gas regulator, which offers two settings. The normal setting is for SAAMI or NATO specification ammunition. The adverse setting is to send more gas into the system ensuring proper functioning when fouled or when using out of specified ammunition.

It is reasonably easy to access the chamber, rotating breechblock, and ejector mechanisms, by what is known as 'toilet seat' or the easy to flip cover on it. The polymer ejector mechanism shifts the spent cases are shifted smoothly into the ejection chute.

There are variations of the firearm. The F2000 Tactical version has a standard triple rail forward handguard and backup iron sights, but it has no optical sight.

There is a civilian semiautomatic version of the firearm. This has a 17.4-inch barrel with a 1/7 right-hand twist rifling The FS2000. It weighs about 7.6 pounds, and the barrel in this version has a permanently attached flash suppressor is without a bayonet lug. Though it has a Picatinny rail on top and backup iron sights, the flip-up aperture is only adjustable for windage, and front sight post is only adjustable for elevation. A new version with safer fixed carbines is being offered with a captured firing pin spring.

The FN F2000 is now being used by the militaries of some countries, in fact it is the weapon of choice for the Peruvian Special Forces and the Belgian Army Special Forces Group. Many other countries are assessing it and are ready to make it part of their effective weapon system.

The FN F2000 could the standard for the modern assault weapon.