Colt Canada C7
5.56 mm assault rifle
The Colt Canada C7 is the Canadian military's adoption of Colt's Armalite AR-15 platform, manufactured by Colt Canada (formerly Diemaco), having similar design and function to the M16A3.
The C7 and its variants have been adopted as the standard-issue rifle by the militaries of Canada, Norway (special forces only), Denmark and the Netherlands. Following trials, C8 variants are general-issue firearms for the United Kingdom's Special Forces. The C8A1 is also the standard firearm of the Royal Netherlands Air Force and other specialist users within the Dutch and British militaries. It has been used in various combat deployments by Canadian, British, Norwegian, Dutch, and Danish forces in Afghanistan, Iraq, and Mali.
History
The development of the C7 assault rifle paralleled that of the M16A2 by Colt. A Canadian Forces liaison officer worked with the United States Marine Corps in the M16A1 Product Improvement Program and relayed information to Canada's Rifle Replacement Program Office. The C7 is more akin to the prototype M16A1E1, rather than the final M16A2s. The earliest C7s were manufactured by Colt for the Canadian Forces as the Colt Model 715. The C7 series of firearms is driven by the same Stoner bolt and carrier gas system as the M16 series.
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