Beretta AR-70/223 was the first version of the series. In the '70s it was used by Italian Special Forces (COMSUBIN, NOCS, Reggimento San Marco) during the BM59 era.
The Beretta AR-70/90 is a gas operated self loading assault rifle chambered for the 5.56mm cartridge, and is the standard issue service rifle of the Italian Armed Forces. The Beretta AR-70/90 assault rifle was developed in the 1980s when the Italian Government decided that its military and law enforcement agencies needed a new standard service weapon. It was made to be compatible with other NATO weapons, which the AR70/90's predecessor, the BM59, was not.
