CETME Ameli
- Category
- Machine Gun
- Barrel
- 400 mm
- Weight, empty
- 6.35 kg
- Introduced
- 1982
About
What it is, and why it matters
The CETME Ameli (Ametralladora CETME, ligera) is a Spanish 5.56x45mm NATO belt-fed light machine gun developed by CETME and produced by Empresa Nacional Santa Barbara (later General Dynamics Santa Barbara Sistemas). Externally resembling a scaled-down MG42, it uniquely combines a roller-delayed blowback action drawn from the G3/CETME rifle family with disintegrating-link belt feed from a 100- or 200-round sealed ammunition box, giving sustained squad-level fire at a very high cyclic rate.
The Ameli looks like a shrunken MG42, but under the skin it is pure CETME: it fires from a roller-delayed blowback action borrowed from the G3 rifle, making it one of very few belt-fed light machine guns that does not use a gas piston.
Adopted by the Spanish Army in 1982 as its standard squad support weapon. The lighter Ameli 5.56-L variant uses synthetic materials, an M16-style flash suppressor and a folding front sight to drop weight to around 5.2 kg.
Specification
Everything measured
IdentityWhat it is, who built it and when.
- Manufacturer
- CETME (Centro de Estudios Tecnicos de Materiales Especiales)
- Category
- Machine Gun
- Country
- Spain
- Status
- In service
- Produced
- 1982
DimensionsAs issued, without a magazine or an optic.
- Barrel
- 400 mm
- Overall length
- 970 mm
- Weight, empty
- 6.35 kg
ActionHow it cycles, what trips it, and what feeds it.
- Action
- Roller delayed blowback
- Firing mechanism
- Hammer fired
- Trigger
- Single stage
- Capacity
- 200
- Magazine
- Belt
MaterialsEach swatch is the material itself, not a colour chosen to stand for it.
- Frame
- Steel
- Barrel
- Steel
- Stock
- Polymer
- Finish
- Phosphate
BallisticsFrom the service cartridge, not a handload.
- Muzzle velocity
- 875 m/s
- Muzzle energy
- 1531 J
- Effective range
- 1000 m
- Rate of fire
- 1125 rpm
Trajectory
What the round does downrange
Solved from the muzzle figures and the bullet. The dashed rule is the effective range on the record, and the crosses are the steps the solver returned.
Features
What it has
What the record lists as fitted, drawn from the catalogue.
Quick change barrel
Folding bipod
Disintegrating belt feed- Sealed ammunition box
Carrying handle
Standing
How it compares
Each figure against the firearms of the same type and cartridge that record it, or of the same type where that cartridge has too few. Positions are read to the nearest tenth.
| Measurement | This firearm | Median | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| Empty weightAmong 27 5.56x45mm NATO machine guns | 6.35 kg | 6.35 kg | Near the median |
| Overall lengthAmong 25 5.56x45mm NATO machine guns | 970 mm | 1020 mm | Shorter than about 80% |
| Barrel lengthAmong 26 5.56x45mm NATO machine guns | 400 mm | 465 mm | Shorter than about 90% |
| Magazine capacityAmong 26 5.56x45mm NATO machine guns | 200 | 200 | Holds more rounds than about 80% |
Its place in the rankings
Answers
Questions about the CETME Ameli
How much does the CETME Ameli weigh?
The CETME Ameli weighs 6.35 kg (14.00 lb) empty.
What caliber is the CETME Ameli?
The CETME Ameli is chambered in 5.56x45mm NATO.
How many rounds does the CETME Ameli hold?
The CETME Ameli holds 200 rounds, fed from a belt.
How long is the CETME Ameli?
The CETME Ameli is 970 mm (38.2 in) long overall, with a 400 mm (15.7 in) barrel.
Who makes the CETME Ameli?
The CETME Ameli is made by CETME (Centro de Estudios Tecnicos de Materiales Especiales) (Spain). It was designed by CETME.
When was the CETME Ameli introduced?
The CETME Ameli was introduced in 1982.
How does the CETME Ameli operate?
The CETME Ameli uses a roller delayed blowback action, and its firing mechanism is hammer fired.
Compatibility
Which parts fit this firearm
Studio
Every part that mounts on this, resolved
Not a list the maker typed out: the answer comes from the mounts this firearm exposes and the interface each part needs, so it stays right when either one changes.
- Every part that mounts on any firearm in the catalogue
- Interface standards, platforms and fit overrides
- The same answers through the API and the MCP server
Requires a signed-in GunSpec account on the Studio plan. The answer is computed per part, so it is not part of the public record.
Provenance
What the record holds
Every figure above was taken from one of these pages. The confidence reflects how much of the record came from a page a claim can be checked against.
In service
- Spanish Armed Forces
- 1982
- Mexican Armed Forces
- Mexico
- Malaysian Armed Forces
- Malaysia
Provenance
Confidence in this record
74%
Stockists
Where to buy
Offers link straight to the shop. GunSpec never takes the order.
No shop has listed this firearm yet
Stock and prices come from the shops themselves. If you sell this firearm, you can list it and it appears here.
List a firearmMCP
Ask an assistant about it
The same record, reached the way a person asks for it rather than the way a program does.
Ask GunSpec
Works with
Point an MCP client at GunSpec and it answers from the catalogue rather than from memory. A free key covers the read tools.
API
The call that returns this record
The same fields, in the same units, from the same endpoint the page reads.
curl --request GET \ --url 'https://api.gunspec.io/v1/firearms/ameli' \ --header 'X-API-Key: your_key'{ "id": "ameli", "name": "CETME Ameli", "manufacturer": { "id": "cetme", "name": "CETME (Centro de Estudios Tecnicos de Materiales Especiales)", "countryCode": "ES", "foundedYear": 1949, "website": null, "logoUrl": null, "description": null, "status": null, "defunctYear": null, "stateOwned": null, "makesFirearms": null, "parentId": null, "predecessorId": null, "createdAt": "2026-02-11 23:44:38", "updatedAt": "2026-02-18 03:43:43", "version": "40d9d841798d3f6cfbad2a2ee0395ac3303ccad2d01ba607cbf3374bd1d2f249" }, "category": { "id": "machine-gun", "name": "Machine Gun", "description": "Fully automatic firearms for sustained fire" }, "country_of_origin": "ES", "year_introduced": 1982, "barrel_length_mm": 400, "weight_empty_g": 6350, "action_type": "roller_delayed_blowback"}