Moldovan Military Armed with AUG Assault Rifles

Today, a contingent of Moldovan military personnel left for Bucharest to take part in a military parade on December 1 on the occasion of the Great Unity Day of Romania.

The delegation included peacekeepers from the 22nd Peacekeeping Battalion ‘Blue Helmets’ and the representatives of the Honor Guard Company.

Particular attention was drawn to the weapons of the Moldovan military – they will be using Austrian AUG assault rifles.

It is not known whether this is a limited batch from European partners for the peacekeeping contingent or a systematic transition of the army to new rifles.

The Steyr AUG (Armee Universal Gewehr) was developed in Austria by Steyr Arms in the 1970s and officially adopted in 1978. It was one of the first successful models in the ‘bullpup’ layout, where the magazine and mechanism are located behind the grip, which allows to reduce the length of the weapon without losing the length of the barrel.

The rifle weighs about 3.6 kg, the length of the standard model is 790 mm, and the barrel is 508 mm. It uses a 5.56×45 mm cartridge, which ensures compatibility with allied ammunition. The built-in optical sight allows for accurate fire at medium ranges.

The AUG is actively used by the armies of more than 30 countries, including Austria, Australia and Ireland. An unknown number of AUGs are also used by the Ukrainian Defense Forces.