Iran to replace G3 assault rifle with domestic MASAF-2 after 53 years, West seeks explanation for chosen caliber
The final decision to change the standard assault rifle of the Iranian troops was announced by the commander of the ground forces, Brigadier General Qiyumars Heydari. The selected MASAF-2 was presented by the Iranian Defense Industries Organization in 2021, then it was repeatedly noted in the armament of special forces. Mass production of the weapon was probably tuned over the past few months.
The first reports about the MASAF-2 rifle appeared exactly four years ago in 2021:
The MASAF 2 is a relatively light (3.99 kg?) 7.62×51 mm caliber assault rifle with modern features. The telescopic stock is adjustable in six positions, which provides better comfort and control for different users. The rifle’s modular design allows for quick and easy conversion to a marksman/sniper rifle or a carbine (shortened version) without the need for special tools. The pistol grip has been optimized for better ergonomics. The 20-round polymer magazine is similar to the PMAG magazines widely used in the US. Single-shot or burst firing is possible. Rails for quick installation of accessories. It is also possible to mount an underbarrel grenade launcher.
The previous MASAF-1 model had a caliber of 5.56×45 mm, but the MASAF-2 remained at 7.62×51 mm. Iran claims that it developed the rifle itself, the usual campaign in such cases in the West is that the MASAF-1 is a clone of the HK-416 assault rifle and the MASAF-2 resembles the products of the LWRCI company.
The choice of rifle itself was apparently not easy for Iran, as it had also considered bullpup weapons for some time. The G3 platform was used to develop the Azarakhsh rifle in 7.62×51 mm caliber and the well-known KH-2002 Khaybar in 5.56×45 mm caliber. Also, the standard Zulfiqar Z1 rifles in 7.62×51 mm caliber and Fateh in 5.56×45 mm caliber. There are large stocks of 7.62×39 mm assault rifles, including the Chinese Type 56, AKM, as well as the East German Mpi KMS 72.
As for the 5.56x45mm, Iran also has West German HK53 assault rifles and produces a clone of the American M4 assault rifle/carbine as the Fajr 224, as well as a clone of the American M16 assault rifle, or its Chinese copy Norinco CQ as the Sayyad 5.56.
Along with the MASAF-2 of 7.62×51 mm, the AK-133 assault rifle, which is a licensed Russian assault rifle of the Kalashnikov Concern AK-103 of 7.62×39 mm, was also to advance to the final stage of selection.
However, what caught the West’s attention the most was that Iran retained the 7.62×51 mm caliber and did not succumb to the fashion (since Vietnam) of temporary or transitional high-velocity cartridges of medium ballistic performance 5.56x45mm NATO, or 5.45×39 mm Russian. There may be a number of explanations for this. The choice may be partly based on the specific views of the Iranian troops on small arms tactics influenced by historical experience from the long-term positional war of attrition against Iraq in the 1980s. Also, due to the specifics of the often mountainous terrain, Turkey is also not that interested in the 5.56×45 mm caliber and the new Turkish standard MPT-76 assault rifle is the same caliber as the 7.62×51 mm.
There is also the factor of stockpiles and logistics, Iran has assault rifles in three calibers, but the standard one has been the G3 for over half a century and is chambered for the 7.62×51 mm cartridge. It can be assumed that the largest stocks in Iran will be of this ammunition, which was replaced during the Vietnam War by 5.56×45 mm cartridges for the M16 rifle, which partially solved the problem that South Vietnamese soldiers were unable to control the 7.62×51 mm caliber M14 rifle in burst mode (not to mention the BAR for the original American rifle cartridge .30-06 Springfield (7.62×63 mm)).
Even then, many American soldiers protested and argued that it would be a good idea to develop the 7.62×51 mm cartridge instead of replacing it. Currently, the US Army is trying to introduce the XM7 assault rifle and the XM250 light machine gun in 6.8×51 mm caliber, which, according to available reports, is probably not going too smoothly with the training deployment of already serial weapons.
It is possible that the criticism of the 5.56×45 mm cartridge during the request for a new cartridge for the US ARMY included the inability to hit, or rather destroy, a target behind an obstacle, which can be anything from a blade of grass to a modern bulletproof vest or even a helmet. A Russian soldier survived a hit to the head from an assault rifle at close range in trench warfare, his life was saved by a standard Russian helmet, in no case was it a titanium Altyn or something similar.
So, to sum it up, there are concerns about whether the 5.56x45mm or 5.45x39mm round still carries enough kinetic energy to meet the changing battlefield. Then there is the stopping power factor, which has caused India to abandon its domestic INSAS 5.56x45mm assault rifle, license the 7.62x39mm AK-203 from Kalashnikov Concern, and two large batches of the Swiss SIG-716i 7.62x51mm assault rifle.
Indian soldiers noticed roughly what American soldiers in Somalia did. If a malnourished militant was drugged with khat, even repeated hits did not guarantee that he would immediately lose combat capability. Similar things happened to Indian soldiers in battles with militants in Kashmir, even without khat. After repeated hits with a 5.56×45 mm caliber, an unsecured hand grenade could still fly back, not to mention retaliatory fire.
Peter North
