Beretta ARX - 160 The Berretta ARX - 160 is an Italian prototype assault rifle created by the company Berretta as part of the Soldato Futuro ( Future Soldier in English ) program , now fully developed , this weapon was sold to Italy and Mexico . Description . The Beretta ARX - 160 assault rifle is , as of mid - 2008 , still isn ' t fully developed . It is a part of the Italian Army ' s ' Soldato Futuro ' program , and is developed by famous Italian company Beretta in close cooperation with army . The rifle is a part of a massive soldier equipment package , which , among other items , will include an advanced rifle sight witch will combine day and night time ( optical , TV and IR ) view / sight capabilities and laser pointer ( also visible and IR ) . Another component of the Soldato Futuro system is an advanced 40mm single - shot grenade launcher , which will be either installed on the rifle ( using Picatinny rail interface ) or used as stand - alone weapon ( by adding a detachable pistol grip and telescoped stock to it ) . The Beretta ARX - 160 assault rifle is gas operated weapon that utilizes conventional piston - operated action , with gas piston located above the barrel . Barrel locking is achieved by more or less conventional rotary bolt . Unlike most other assault rifles , the Beretta ARX - 160 assault rifle features quick - detachable barrels , which can be changed by operator in the field by depressing the barrel release button ( located on right side of receiver , in front of magazine housing ) , pulling the barrel forward and out of the gun , and then inserting another ( or same ) barrel back . The receiver consists of two parts , upper ( which holds barrel and bolt group ) and lower ( which hosts magazine housing , trigger unit and pistol grip ) . Both halves are made from impact - resistant polymer and connected using special quick - release locks , so there are no pins to push out ( and lose ) . Another interesting and unusual feature of the Beretta ARX - 160 assault rifle is that it has selectable left / right side ejection system with dual ejection ports ( on either side of the gun ) and user - switchable left / right position of cocking handle . To change the direction of empty case ejection , user has to push the cross - bolt button , located above and slightly to the rear of pistol grip , by the tip of the bullet ( or other pointed item ) . This affects dual extractor - ejector claws , installed on the bolt , forcing them to eject spent cartridge to the desired side without any further disassembly of the gun or parts change . Charging handle , which is attached to the bolt carrier , also can be installed on either side of the gun . The Beretta ARX - 160 assault rifle fires from closed bolt , in single shots and full automatic mode , and has ambidextrous safety / fire mode selector switch conveniently located above pistol grip . Upper receiver is fitted with full - length Picatinny type rail , made of aluminum , which can accommodate a wide variety of sighting equipment , including iron , telescopic , red - dot or electronic sights . Standard open sights are mounted on folding bases using rail interface . Additional lengths of Picatinny rail are installed on the forend on 3 - , 6 - and 9 - o ' clock positions . Lower ( 6 - o ' clock ) position rail is strong enough to host GLX 160 40mm single - shot grenade launcher . Standard buttstock is also made of plastic , and folds to the right side . The buttstock is of telescoped , user - adjustable design