M16 Rifle

The M16A2 Assault Rifle side-view

-Andromeda Galaxy

* Rebel Alliance
* New Republic Defense Force
* Galactic Resistance

The **M16 rifle** (officially designated **Rifle, Caliber 5.56 mm, M16**) is a family of military rifles adapted from the ArmaLite AR-15 rifle for the United States military. The original M16 rifle was a 5.56×45mm automatic rifle with a 20-round magazine.

In 1964, the M16 entered US military service and the following year was deployed for jungle warfare operations during the Vietnam War. In 1969, the M16A1 replaced the M14 rifle to become the US military's standard service rifle. The M16A1 incorporated numerous modifications including a bolt-assist, chrome-plated bore, protective reinforcement around the magazine release, and revised flash hider.

In 1983, the US Marine Corps adopted the M16A2 rifle, and the US Army adopted it in 1986. The M16A2 fires the improved 5.56×45mm (M855/SS109) cartridge and has a newer adjustable rear sight, case deflector, heavy barrel, improved handguard, pistol grip, and buttstock, as well as a semi-auto and three-round burst fire selector. Adopted in July 1997, the M16A4 is the fourth generation of the M16 series. It is equipped with a removable carrying handle and Picatinny rail for mounting optics and other ancillary devices.

When the Galactic Republic arrived on Earth, they offered some upgrades of various Terran firearms including the M16s which the US and many Terran nations accepted the offer in order to upgrade their weaponry in case the CIS forces attacks, later it was widely used by some of the Terran Forces during the 1992 Terran campaign of the Clone Wars and later used in other battles in the Andromeda Galaxy until 1994 AD. Later the M16s especially the M16A2 and M16A3 variants were used by the US Army and Marines along with the rest of the Terran Alliance used these rifles against Taliban, TLF and Al-Qaeda forces in the first Afghan War in response to the Persecution of the Force sensitives on the countr and later in the second Afghan War in the War of Terror in the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks on both New York and Virginia. In 2013 AD when the Terran Alliance is preparing to enter the Galactic Civil War the US Government and it's NATO allies in Terran Alliance provided some of the surplus and newer M16s to the members of the Rebel Alliance, while some of the Terran troops including the Terran Marines were seen using M16A4 and M16A5 variants against Imperial Forces during the First Galactic Civil War. After the war, some of the M16s were later used by the New Republic Defense Forces along with other Terran weapons and vehicles provided while retaining the use of Andromeda weaponry on their arsenal, sometime later the M16s were also used by some of the Resistance fighters on their fight against the First Order during the Second Galactic Civil War in the aftermath of the Hosnian Cataclysm, leading the intervention of the Terran Forces in the Andromeda Galaxy once again.

In April 2022, the U.S. Army selected the SIG MCX SPEAR as the winner of the Next Generation Squad Weapon Program to replace the M16/M4. The rifle is designated XM7.

## Gallery

An M16A1 standard.A Colt M16A4 with a bipod.A Modified M16, provided by the Terrans.A Rebel Alliance modified M16.A US Marine with it's M16A1 during Vietnam War.A squad of US Army infantry firing their M16s alongw ith M4s during the 1992 Terran Campaign.