The Accuracy International Arctic Warfare is a family of bolt-action sniper rifles that are designed for use in extreme cold weather conditions. The Arctic Warfare name is derived from the rifles' ability to function reliably in arctic environments, where traditional firearms may fail due to freezing temperatures and ice build-up.
History[]
The British Army began its search for a replacement of the L42A1 around the 1980s. Accuracy International beat out its competitor, Parker-Hale, with its Precision Marksman rifle, and is adopted as the L96A1. Later, the Swedish began their own search for a durable heavy sniper rifle. Accuracy International made some improvements on the L96A1 design and called it "Arctic Warfare" (named after its possibility to use in Arctic environments.
Accuracy International. The company was founded in 1978 by a group of former British Army and Royal Marine snipers, who were seeking to develop a more accurate and reliable rifle for long-range shooting. The result of their efforts was the Arctic Warfare rifle, which was designed to be simple, rugged, and accurate. The rifle was adopted by the Swedish armed forces as the Prickskyttegevär 90 (Psg 90). Britain also adopted the weapon as the L118A1. Australia's military and police version of this rifle is called the SR-98, the only difference between it and its British counterpart is its collapsible stock.
Design Details[]
The first model of the Arctic Warfare rifle was the AW, which was introduced in 1982. The AW was chambered in the powerful .338 Lapua Magnum cartridge, and was equipped with a 10-round detachable box magazine. The rifle featured a polymer stock, which was designed to be lightweight and durable, and a chrome-plated barrel, which offered improved corrosion resistance in harsh environments.
Impact[]
The AW quickly gained a reputation for being an accurate and reliable rifle, and was adopted by several military and law enforcement organizations around the world. In 1985, the AW was updated with the introduction of the AWM (Arctic Warfare Magnum) model, which was chambered in the smaller .308 Winchester cartridge and featured a redesigned stock. The AWM was even more successful than the original AW, and was adopted by a wide range of military and law enforcement agencies, including the British Army and the U.S. Marine Corps.
The success of the AW and AWM rifles led Accuracy International to develop a number of other models, including the AWP (Arctic Warfare Police), which was designed for use by law enforcement agencies, and the AW50, which was chambered in the powerful .50 BMG cartridge. In addition, the company also developed a number of specialized variants of the Arctic Warfare rifle, including models with folding stocks, suppressors, and night vision sights.
Gallery[]
Variants[]
Arctic Warfare Magnum[]
- Main article: AI Arctic Warfare Magnum
Arctic Warfare Police[]
Arctic Warfare Folding[]
Arctic Warfare .50[]
- Main article: AI Arctic Warfare .50