 | This article includes a list of general references, but it lacks sufficient corresponding inline citations. (September 2014) |
| CETME Ameli | |
|---|---|
 The CETME Ameli of the Spanish Army | |
| Type | Light machine gun |
| Place of origin | Spain |
| Service history | |
| In service | 1982–present |
| Used by | See Users |
| Wars | Mexican Drug War[1] |
| Production history | |
| Designer | CETME |
| Designed | 1974–1981 |
| Manufacturer | General Dynamics Santa Bárbara Sistemas |
| Produced | 1982–2013 |
| Specifications | |
| Mass | 5.3 kg (11.68 lb) |
| Length | 970 mm (38.2 in) |
| Barrel length | 400 mm (15.7 in) |
| Cartridge | 5.56×45mm NATO |
| Action | Roller-delayed blowback |
| Rate of fire | 800–1,200 rounds/min |
| Muzzle velocity | 875 m/s (2,871 ft/s) (SS109 cartridge) |
| Effective firing range | 300—1,000 m sight adjustments |
| Maximum firing range | 1,650 m |
| Feed system | 100 or 200-round disintegrating M27 ammunition belt |
| Sights | Rear aperture sight and front post 340 mm (13.4 in) sight radius |
The Ameli (abbreviated from the Spanish Ametralladora ligera or "light machine gun") is a 5.56mm light machine gun designed for the Spanish Army (Ejército de Tierra) by the nationally owned and operated Centro de Estudios Técnicos de Materiales Especiales (CETME) small arms research institute (founded by the Spanish government in 1950).
Development of the weapon began in 1974 under the supervision of Colonel José María Jiménez Alfaro (who would later become the director of CETME).[2] The Ameli was officially unveiled in 1981 and after undergoing exhaustive military trials was adopted into service in 1982 as the standard squad-level support weapon of the Spanish Army under the designation MG 82.[2][3] The Ameli was manufactured at the Empresa Nacional Santa Bárbara factory (now General Dynamics Santa Bárbara Sistemas) in A Coruña[4] until 2013, when the factory was closed.
- ^ Montes, Julio. "Mexican Drug War Fighters – Small Arms Defense Journal".
- ^ a b Woźniak, Ryszard: Encyklopedia najnowszej broni palnej—tom 1 A-F, page 140. Bellona, 2001.
- ^ Crawford, Steve: Twenty-first Century Small Arms: The World's Great Infantry Weapons, page 76. Zenith Press, September 2003.
- ^ "General Dynamics Santa Bárbara Sistemas". Retrieved 25 October 2014.