LSAT Rifle
- Category
- Assault Rifle
- Barrel
- 419 mm
- Weight, empty
- 2.95 kg
- Introduced
- 2012
About
What it is, and why it matters
The LSAT Rifle is a US technology-demonstrator assault rifle developed by AAI Corporation (later Textron Systems) under the Army's Lightweight Small Arms Technologies (LSAT) program, which sought to dramatically reduce the weight of small arms and their ammunition. Derived from the LSAT light machine gun, the rifle is a magazine-fed carbine firing cased-telescoped (CT) 5.56mm ammunition through a rotating/swinging chamber with push-through feed-and-ejection. Compared with conventional 5.56mm carbines, the CT cartridges and polymer construction offer a substantial weight saving in both the weapon and its ammunition load.
The LSAT rifle grew out of the same lightweight-small-arms research that produced the LSAT machine gun, applying cased-telescoped ammunition and a swinging-chamber action to a magazine-fed carbine as a possible replacement concept for the M4 family.
Prototype/technology demonstrator, never type-classified for general service. The carbine variant uses detachable polymer box magazines rather than the LMG's belt feed; published sources cite four-row magazines in the 30-42 round range. The program later informed 6.8mm cased-telescoped concepts feeding into the US Army Next Generation Squad Weapon (NGSW) effort.
Specification
Everything measured
IdentityWhat it is, who built it and when.
- Manufacturer
- AAI Corporation (Textron Systems)
- Category
- Assault Rifle
- Country
- United States
- Status
- Prototype
- Produced
- 2012
DimensionsAs issued, without a magazine or an optic.
- Barrel
- 419 mm
- Weight, empty
- 2.95 kg
ActionHow it cycles, what trips it, and what feeds it.
- Action
- Gas operated short stroke
- Firing mechanism
- Closed bolt
- Trigger
- Single stage
- Capacity
- 30
- Magazine
- Detachable box
MaterialsEach swatch is the material itself, not a colour chosen to stand for it.
- Frame
- Polymer
- Barrel
- Steel
- Stock
- Polymer
- Finish
- Polymer
BallisticsFrom the service cartridge, not a handload.
- Muzzle velocity
- 920 m/s
- Muzzle energy
- 1693 J
- Effective range
- 500 m
- Rate of fire
- 600 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.
Cased telescoped ammunition
Rotating swinging chamber
Push through feed and ejection
Telescoping stock
Picatinny rail- Weight reduced design
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 158 5.56x45mm NATO assault rifles | 2.95 kg | 3.60 kg | Lighter than about 90% |
| Barrel lengthAmong 157 5.56x45mm NATO assault rifles | 419 mm | 449 mm | Shorter than about 60% |
| Magazine capacityAmong 158 5.56x45mm NATO assault rifles | 30 | 30 | Near the median |
Its place in the rankings
Answers
Questions about the LSAT Rifle
How much does the LSAT Rifle weigh?
The LSAT Rifle weighs 2.95 kg (6.50 lb) empty. It is the 8th lightest of 158 5.56x45mm NATO assault rifles in the catalogue.
What caliber is the LSAT Rifle?
The LSAT Rifle is chambered in 5.56x45mm NATO.
How many rounds does the LSAT Rifle hold?
The LSAT Rifle holds 30 rounds, fed from a detachable box magazine.
How long is the LSAT Rifle?
The LSAT Rifle has a 419 mm (16.5 in) barrel.
Who makes the LSAT Rifle?
The LSAT Rifle is made by AAI Corporation (Textron Systems) (United States).
When was the LSAT Rifle introduced?
The LSAT Rifle was introduced in 2012.
How does the LSAT Rifle operate?
The LSAT Rifle uses a gas operated short stroke action, and its firing mechanism is closed bolt.
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.
Provenance
Confidence in this record
55%
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/lsat-rifle' \ --header 'X-API-Key: your_key'{ "id": "lsat-rifle", "name": "LSAT Rifle", "manufacturer": { "id": "aai-corporation", "name": "AAI Corporation (Textron Systems)", "countryCode": "US", "foundedYear": 1950, "website": "https://www.textronsystems.com", "logoUrl": null, "description": null, "status": null, "defunctYear": null, "stateOwned": null, "makesFirearms": null, "parentId": null, "predecessorId": null, "createdAt": "2026-06-21 23:00:46", "updatedAt": "2026-06-21 23:00:46", "version": "e5da025c597cd46db144f928652cc8a4086810da5d7e7cc7b5faa3f2288277ca" }, "category": { "id": "assault-rifle", "name": "Assault Rifle", "description": "Selective-fire rifles chambered in intermediate cartridges" }, "country_of_origin": "US", "year_introduced": 2012, "barrel_length_mm": 419, "weight_empty_g": 2950, "action_type": "gas_operated_short_stroke"}