It was time to retire Italy’s old service rifles by the 1980s. Its military and law enforcement agencies required a new, something modern, and standard-compliant with NATO. That urge for modernization bore fruit in the development of the Beretta 70/90 system, a weapon family that would be the backbone of Italian infantry firepower for generations.
The history of the AR70/90 started years prior. Between 1963 and 1968, Beretta collaborated with Switzerland’s SIG to design a rifle for the next generation, particularly after Italy failed to get licensed to produce the M16 for export purposes.
The collaboration didn’t last long, but Beretta continued to develop its concept, drawing lessons from its previous AR70/223 model and rectifying its flaws. What it developed was a gas-operated rifle with a rotating bolt and a piston above the barrel—easy to use, tough, and reliable.
One of the system’s main virtues was its versatility. The standard AR70/90 was issued to the infantry, while the SC70/90 carbine with folding stock was popular among special forces.
Mechanized troops employed the shorter SCS70/90 and the AS70/90 light machine gun variant provided squads with additional firepower.
All had essentially the same basic design and many easily interchangeable parts. A selector switch provided single shots, three-round bursts, or full-auto fire, with some limited to semi-auto and burst to improve control.
Technically speaking, the rifle was too advanced in its time. It took NATO-standard magazines, so the troops could interchange them with M16 or L85 magazines with no problems. The carrying handle featured a lighted night-sight insert but could be taken off to expose a mounting point for scopes.
The machine gun variant included a more substantial barrel, bipod, and the capacity to mount on vehicles or tripods. All models could fire rifle grenades straight from the muzzle.
For civilians, the AR70/.223 was a collector’s gem. Few were imported into the U.S. during the 1980s, which made them scarce and precious. Collectors like them not only for their rarity but also for their workmanship and their association with a defining episode in Beretta’s history.
The AR70/90 went into service in 1990 and gained a solid reputation for reliability and versatility. But as military requirements evolved in the 2000s, Italy’s Soldato Futuro program looked for more advanced equipment. That prompted Beretta to work on the ARX-160, which would later supplant the AR70/90 as the country’s service rifle of choice.
Despite this, the AR70/90’s legacy lives on. It is a delicate mix of tried-and-tested engineering and innovative design. For collectors, it’s a physical piece of history. For military historians, it’s evidence of Italy’s capacity for producing world-class small arms that are practical, versatile, and long-lasting.