Beretta has announced its latest endeavor, the New Assault Rifle Platform, also known as the NARP. The Beretta take on the AR platform was developed as a short-stroke gas piston system, a rotating bolt locking system, all chambered in 5.56×45 NATO. Earlier reports state the NARP name is for the development program and not for the rifle itself, meaning the rifle will get an official name sometime later.
Reports state the program started about five years ago, in 2018, with the first prototype rifles going into production in 2022. The idea behind the NARP is to meet the needs of modern military and law enforcement forces. With the Italian Armed Forces performing the developmental testing, the feedback Beretta received helped guide the design along the way. The NARP is supposed to be the successor to the ARX-160, and the NARP is said to surpass NATO requirements including the requirements for stoppages.
Features
Since the NARP is an AR-based rifle, it too has the AR-style ergonomics and controls that users are used to. The rifle features a receiver made from 7075 aluminum, a select-fire system with the traditional 90-degree throw between safe, semi, and full-automatic options. The NARP is fully ambidextrous and has three barrel lengths, 11.5”, 14.5”, and 16”, and includes an MLOK forend with a full-length 12 o’clock Picatinny rail and the barrel is capable of accepting a suppressor. According to reports, the barrel axis is lower than the stock, which is said to help increase controllability when firing the weapon.
The NARP weapon has the recoil spring in the upper receiver and allows for a large range of buttstocks to be mounted and that includes the adjustable folding stock from Beretta. To round out the specifications of the LARP, it has a non-reciprocating T-lever charging system, a 30-round capacity magazine, and utilizes Beretta’s B-Silent suppressor technology. Other reports indicate that while the rifle is originally offered in 5.56x45mm, other calibers such as .300Blackout, 6.5 Creedmoor, and 7.62x51mm are considered for the future.
Beretta’s New Assault Rifle Platform was designed to increase or enhance the five operational capabilities of lethality, reliability, ergonomics, modularity, and signature reduction. The rifle is right around 7 pounds, and according to the listed specs, it seems to have delivered on those points. A few of these new NARP rifles will be seen in 2024, and obviously, these are geared towards military personnel, not consumers. But one could hope they would offer a stripped-down model in the future for non-military types. Time will tell.
