FN F2000

   The F2000 assault rifle was developed by FH Herstal of Belgium in the 1990s. It was developed as a successor to the FN FNC service rifle. It was also aimed at export customers. This futuristic-looking weapon was first publicly revealed in 2001. Currently it is in service with Belgium, Croatia, India, Libya, Pakistan, Peru, Poland, Saudi Arabia and Slovenia.

   The F2000 is a modern, modular assault rifle. It is a gas operated, selective fire weapon with bullpup design. This rifle is chambered for the standard NATO 5.56 x 45 mm ammunition. It is reported that the F2000 is perfectly balanced around the pistol grip. This assault rifle has a smooth outlines. Some sources report that this rifle is not very reliable and has poor performance, however other sources claim that it is an excellent weapon.

   The F2000 assault rifle is fully ambidextrous and has great ergonomics. It has a unique patented ejection system. Spent cases are ejected to the front. The FN F2000 can be used by left-handed shooters without any adjustments or modifications. The safety / fire mode selector is located under the trigger. The cocking handle is mounted on the left side, however it can be easily operated with either hand.

   The FN F2000 can be easily field stripped into eight main subassemblies. This rifle is compatible with the standard NATO (M16-type) magazines, holding 30 rounds.

   The basic assault rifle comes with a 1.6x magnification optical sight, which has a back-up iron sights on it's cover. It has a sighting range of 400 m. However this low-magnification sight can be easily replaced with other scopes or night vision sights, fitted on the standard Picatinny-type rails.

   Modularity of this assault rifle allows to modify it to suit various mission requirements. There are plenty of available add-ons and accessories. A standard foregrip can be easily replaced with integrated FN EGLM 40-mm underbarrel grenade launcher. Otherwise it can be fitted with the M303 underbarrel module, which fired tear gas or marker projectiles. This foregrip can also be replaced with three Picatinny-type rails for various accessories, such as laser pointers, tactical flashlights and vertical handgrips.

Variants

   FN FS2000 a semi-automatic civilian model, fitted with a longer barrel.