France in the Cold War: AA52 Replaces the Hotchkiss 

The barrel removed, and the stock closed is one of the most Star-Wars looking things I've ever seen.

More French stuff that looks like a bunch of WW2 guns welded together by a few marines on aderal.... I love it

I don't think I've seen a bone-stock gun look so perfect as a Star Wars heavy blaster.

7:45 that's now a star wars blaster. The French truly are pioneers in their field.

I wondered when Ian would get to cover this weird, very French machine gun. I always thought it stood out amongst the usual GPMG, PK, M60 etc. in my books as a kid

French engineers: "What system should we use? Nothing too rare." Hungarian engineer: "We have such sights to show you!" *Proceeds to flip the bird at Gebauer Ferenc and his engine-driven weapons.

Beautiful! I worked there in Châtellerault, it's no longer the Manufacture d'Armes (gun factory), now it's a job training center and it's where I learned machining trade.

I asked for you to review this thing 2 years ago (in the 25mm Puteaux AT gun)... My life is now fufilled ^^ Thank you Ian, you're the best out there. We, the French gun lovers, adore your work and I wish it all the best. Merci

I made a lot of bull's eye shots at 200 m with the 7.62 version during my military service in 72, it was my favorite gun, we also had training with the MAS 49/56 carbine but their setup was so shitty that it was difficult to get consistancy between two shots.

Finally, the French machine gun I have been waiting for you to cover for years. The AA-52/AAT-52/AA NF-1 series of GPMGs are really interesting weapons. They were more widely used and exported than generally realized or acknowledged, indeed, it was by far the most exported French small arm of the post war period, especially as armor and aircraft guns since France exported so many armored fighting vehicles (AFVs) over the years, especially vehicles like the Panhard AML series of armored cars, the AMX-VCI MICV, the AMX-30 main battle tank, the superlative AU-F-1 (GCT) 155mm self propelled gun and others, as well as aircraft such as the Aérospatiale (later Eurocopter now Airbus Helicopters) Puma, Super Puma, and Cougar medium helicopters. According to an old buddy who was in the French Air Force back in the 80’s, the “Nana”, as the gun was fondly referred to, was pretty popular and a fairly reliable machine gun. It did have the unfortunate tendency to mangle brass due to its fairly violent initial extraction, and brass fired from an AA-52 or AA-NF-1 is identifiable by the markings from the flutes on the inside of the receiver and barrel extension. These guns first got into service starting in April 1956 with the FFA in Germany. The first AA-52s were not produced until February 1956, when MAC manufactured the first 200 guns. The French army would not officially take delivery of any AA-52s until the 5th of April 1956. Contrary to some earlier reports, the weapon was far too late to see any action during the French Indochina War of 1946-1954, and there seems to be no photographic evidence of any use in Indochina of the 100 pre-series guns built by MAC during the late summer and early fall of 1952. After doing much photo research of French units operating at Suez in October and November 1956 (especially refer to the lavishly illustrated and excellent "Suez, 1956" by Paul Gaujac, Lavauzelle, Paris CEDEX, 1986) it seems that none of the units deployed there were equipped with AA-52s, instead the MAC FM-24/29 remained ubiquitous in the LMG/squad auto role. The gun does not consistently show up in photography from the Algerian War of 1954-1962 until ca. June 1959; however, there is a photo in another source of troops of the 3ème RPC waiting to board Aéronavale Piasecki H-21s who are equipped with an AA-52 which may have been taken as early as November 1956; however, it seems more likely that this shot was taken during the Djeurf operation of April 1958 (see bottom of page 18 "Hélicoptères et Commandos-Marine en Algerie, 1954-1962" by René Bail, Lavauzelle, Paris CEDEX, 1983). In Algeria the AA-52 would gradually replace the FM-24/29 as the standard squad automatic weapon in the Para units, then spread into other units, gradually replacing the multiplicity of machine guns (.30 cal M-1919A4 medium MG, 8mm Lebel Hotchkiss Mle. 1914 HMG, 7.5x54mm Mle. 1931 “Riebel” fortress and armor machine guns employed as ground guns, the U.S. M-1918A2 BAR etc…) then in French service. They would serve through Afghanistan and Operations Serval and Barkhane in Mali, but, in a process not unlike the U.S.’ discarding of the M-60 GPMG, they are now being progressively replaced in the French army by the more or less contemporaneous FN MAG due to wear and tear, and the fact that the MAG is demonstrably the best GPMG in the world and hard to top.

it was my favorite guns when i did my military time at the end of the 80's.... my unit still had the 7.5mm version lol... very reliable, lovely weapon, very precise, easy to control the trigger and shot single shot with it. for the stock, fire range officer had a joke with them, they were all put with stock at minimum and were laughing when soldier pull the charging handle back and took the stock in their face

Lots of fun memories. Had to operate one during my service. Not too heavy so it was ok for any terrain. The blank cartridges were a nightmare (plastic cartrudge without any powder...one shot one malfunction) I had to make special effects so got sore throat at the end of the day, my ammo carrier/observer also used to stay 10m behind me shooting on my back with his MAT 49 during exercise... Really glad I didn't have to rely on him :D

It's nice to see some coverage of this AA52. There is very little content on RU-vid.

Thanks thanks thanks Ian to cover my sweet loved ANF1, I served this gun for years in French marine corp, it was such a pleasant gun to shoot, and such an efficient weapons that with my ob50 (x3.2 scope) I could make singles at 600 metres and shot down the swinging targets for the frf2's shooter, which pissed them off every time we did go on the range together.

I dont know if Ian has a scrip he goes off of, but I think the reason Ive enjoyed these videos for 5 years now is how he just sounds like a teacher that's *obviously* very good at his subject. Also the facial hair

While I still like the PKM and the M60, the design of the AA52 has this alien charm to it due to the way it looks to me.

Of all the guns ever made, this is truly one of them

this thing looks like a star wars blaster without the barrel. on that note, i think battlefront 2 used this gun as a basis for one of the heavy blasters.

Maybe it's the era I grew up in, but those old stark, parkerized firearms appeal to me. While watching this, Chap's video popped up; nice to see how your videos complement each other. 😎

Spent quite some time lugging around the AANF1, we always had two barrels, but only one bipod, changing the barrel would mean changing over the bipod, which was a pain when everything is hot.

I've served 18 years (2003 - 2001) in the French Navy and the AA52 and the AAN-F1 were still our (obsolete?) machine-gun on each side of the different ships' bridges I've been posted on. Training excepted, I only used the AA52 once off the coast of Somalia against a pirate dhow (boat).

With the obvious virtues of the weapon, it's surprising no-one else plagiarised it. The lever-delayed blowback looks very suitable for a powerful pistol.

One of my favorite MGs of all time. Love the simplicty, no airbrushing on this thing.

In the 80' and 90', I often used this machine gun in the french army and I appreciated this AA52 , it was so reliable and easy to field strIpped

Good weapon! Simple, reliable, and washable in the big dishwasher in the mess hall. Bit tricky to change barrel when hot. Any mistake immediately sanctioned with fried hands.

Have this gun ever featured in any Star Wars movies? Seems like a nice space rifle.

Thanks again Ian for your work, I for one very much appreciate the subtitles and the work put in there 👍

I only know of this gun even existing due to an excellent French zombie horror movie called "The Horde" in which a French Vietnam vet named Rene' weilds one and mows down literal hordes firing from the hip.

Now mount it to a 2cv an you have a fighting vehicle of unsurpassed vibes.

I've waited so long for this one, always looked interesting to me. Thanks Ian, keep it up :)

HOT DAMN, I have been waiting for Ian to do a video on this machine gun for years!

During my time as a reservist, we didn't get acquainted with the ANF1 but instead, to my surprise, with the FN MAG !

The AA52 is one of the most neglected general purpose machine guns in official use by a major military. That and the South African SS-77 and Japanese Sumitomo Type 62. Wish you would profile those machine guns on your channel one day.

Great video thank you, been waiting on this one!

Always a pleasure to learn about another French firearm from Ian

Wow, exactly 2 days ago I was researching about this very gun and now Ian's doing a showcase on it? Awesome

I’d kill to see Ian review and test drive a Citroën SM, given his appreciation for French quirkiness.

At last,the AA52,but there is also the swiss MG51 for esoteric gpmg's.And the south african SS77.

The UGM-8 From Vanguard

I've been looking forward to this episode for years! I've had trouble finding info on these guys, but a lot of it is in French, which I do not speak.

wow, I was actually wondering the other day if you'll ever do a video on the AA-52

Your pronunciation of Mulhouse is hilarious :D Regardless of that, thanks a lot for the work you're doing in documenting our firearms history.

Finally !!! I've been waiting for this so long

I had one spit its firing pin with spent casing, once. Not the kind of malfunction you expect on the firing range. Too bad, we were really ripping it, much to the chagrin of those who were showing off, being just returned from a deployment in Chad.

France: It must be as good as a German GPMG, but not be German. St. Etienne: Got it! AA52.

Can’t get enough of Cold War weapons

It finally happened! I’d been scouring YT for months on end for info about this gun!

Never knew what these were called but I absolutely love them, they look quite dieselpunk, I love how chonky and small the receiver is

Yes! I love this gun. My dad was in the FFL in the early 80s, he was a machine gunner and used it. He loved the thing, great gun.

I have use it during my first years in the french gendarmerie and we had one in the 80', in the garden of the Palais de l'Elysée, the french président résidence. Very faithful and reliable machine gun, easy to use and, for a machine gun, relatively accurate.

Great video of an interesting weapon!

Thanks Ian 😊👍

Coordinating with the Bloke, good stuff

Delayed blowback seems like it would be lighter than the equivalent gas operated system but they always end up being just about as heavy in the real world.

Oh lawdy I can't imagine the response when Ian found out he was going to be able to visit the Gendarmerie arsenal. That's a good looking MG.

Here in argentina we have a couple of those for the Panhard AML-90 ligth tanks. It came as a AA Comander Mg and as a coax (i believe). The links are pretty scarce today!

Used to carry an AA52 several time during army training in the 80's. Learned to disassemble and reassemble it quickly. But sadly never had the opportunity to fire it... Thanks Ian for this homage to a great machine gun.

Curiously, what it's called lever delayed blowback in english is called inertia amplification in french (same for the FAMAS).

Love this weapon, old but very efficient.

I could’ve sworn I saw a blaster prop like this in one of the Star Wars movies

It seems Ians reputation has before such that he gets access to the most inaccessable stocks of French firearms. Next series he ll be reporting from the elysée on the presidents private stash

Back in the day some friends and I used to play a tabletop RPG called Twilight 2000. It was set in post World War III Europe and you play as NATO and/or Warsaw Pact soldiers trying to survive in the apocalypse. The AAT-52 was the standard machine guns for France in the game and was still chambered in 7.5mm. Now in the game they state that "the weapons blowback extraction system tends to rip cartridge cases in half, leaving a ring brass in the barrel". It goes on the say that French troops learned to deal with this by greasing the cartridges and that troops unaware of the need to do this run the risk of the gun jamming. There was a 1 in 10 chance of it happening if you fired. No idea if that is true or not but it did add a bit of personality to the gun.

Finally! I've wanted to see a stripped down AA-52 for years! Thanks Ian!

It still saddens me that the French gave up on the famas. It’s a excellent rifle

13:27 The bolt head and the additional mass moving simultaneously. The additional mass has no force driving it, but the movement of the baldhead. The additional mass moves as soon as the bolt head moves backwards, but its forced by the leaver to move faster then the bolt head, therefore more force is "absorbed" as if the case would be if the additional mass would be moving the same speed as the bolt head.

Thanks for explaining the recoil mechanism.

I love the simplicity of it.

This one has been barely fired : all the internal surfaces are pretty much intact. The last carrier and bolt I saw were all scratched down to bare metal around the guiding rails and on the sides. The first time I took one apart, I was shocked by the flimsy and quite grotesque-looking firing pin. In my memory, the thick cylinder at the back of the bolt is a spring-loaded buffer. Or am I wrong ?

I know a guy that did 25 years in the French Forien Legion and he has nothing but good things to say about this weapon, he especially liked the ease of carry when broken down he bragged about it over our M-60

Ahhh finally My dad will be very happy to see one of the guns of his military service! Thank you Ian, very cool

I've been wanting to learn about this thing!

Can't deny it's simplicity, I'll give you that. I also now understand a lever-delayed blowback system, so thanks for that.

There's a lever-delay built in the Winchester 63 .22lr system.The hammer is 2/3 the size of the bolt and rests on the firing pin in a rocker groove that definitely slows the bolt, it is a very smooth system, more than a .22 needs,and it is very forgiving of weird ammo loadings, unlike many autoloaders. But it's expensive and complicated, cheaper stuff replaced it.

We had some of these in the Irish military and they fitted Fouga jets and Panhard M3 armoured cars.

It's almost elegant in how simple it is. I imagine it could take alot of punishment in field conditions and still keep on chugging.

It’s a dream come true to see obscure French equipment I knew from many years ago finally be acknowledged today.

That’s gotta be one of the most gorgeous guns i’ve ever seen. Looks straight out of Star Wars too

its so amazing to see the influence of the mg 42 design on so many Machineguns after the War

Thank you.

Ian talking about their cartridge conversion complacency at 3:50 makes me know how and why this gun is forgotten.

BTW this is apparently the weapon that was used by the door gunner of a French Panther naval helicopter to shoot down a Houthi drone recently (more like a low cost/low speed cruise missile).

It looks like Chauchât added to StG 44 and MG 42

Je suis fier du boulot de mes compatriotes ! On est pas toujours au sommet mais parfois on brille ! Merci pour la description ! 🇫🇷

Without the barrel it really looks like a Star Wars gun

We had a lot of issues with those, they tended to fire by themselves. We had to deplete the ammo belt from the gun if we were not carrying it as we had accounts of some guns going into full auto while... resting on the ground.

So rare that Ian do not mention the MG 81 in the video. The aspect of the two guns are so similar.

I used it when i was in the french army, i had the ANF1 in 7,62 mm nato . Only a few AA52 in 7,5 X 54 mm for the milatary coatching

wow great video I've literally never seen this one.

Ian can u do a video on Bavarian M1 Carbines or the Star Model A pistols? I just came in possession of both and would love to see if u can find more info than I can with ur vast resources!

Cool. I was just thinking a couple of days ago that you could probably make a lever delayed machine gun and here it is.

It has a shoulder thing that goes up!

A few ideas from MG42

What a unique looking gun. Looks semi-normal but then you get to the barrel.

This would’ve made a great base design for a Star Wars blaster.

Ian, might want to edit the Bloke video link in the description!

The strange asymetric lever is called "levier amplificateur d'inertie" (easy to translate) ;) In 1988, I was trained on the 7.62mm version. Both are good and reliable machineguns.

The pure simplicity is what I think is so cool about a lot of these open bolt guns. I wish they weren't so heavily regulated.

With the barrel removed you could make one hell of a Star Wars blaster prop with this.

Perhaps you should have mentioned if it has a fluted chamber and if the ejected cases from this weapon are particularly bloated or deformed. This system is really on the limits of safe operation, the G3 and HK21 work on the same principle and although they are safe and reliable they are still pushing the limits. Fine for .30 carbine or 9 x 25 but dodgy on a full-power cartridge. 5.56 mm also has a high chamber pressure but the overall energy in much lower, perhaps less scope for something really bad happening, narrow cases are harder to blow open. Fluted chambers of course only affect a part of the cartridge contact surface to the chamber, there must be enough continuous contact to ensure that gases are contained until the pressure drops, so you either flute the front end and leave a continuous band at the rear (difficult to make) or flute at the rear and leave the neck continuous.

Funny when a new cod gun gets announced I immediately come to this channel for no reason