The Steyr AUG has proven popular with special operations units for a myriad of reasons. A bullpup design, it is as compact as a pistol-caliber SMG (sub-machine gun), yet packs the punch of the 5.56 NATO round. For personnel who parachute, rappel, employ small boats, or swim or climb to their AO (Area of Operations), compact is always better.
Many readers may already be familiar with the Austrian AUG rifle (Armee Universal Gewehr, or universal army rifle). However, many may not yet know about the new and improved Steyr AUG-A3, a weapon manufactured in the U.S., thereby avoiding the import restrictions placed on foreign weapons.
The Steyr AUG A3 SA USA is a bullpup design based on the original Steyr AUG dating back to the early 70s. Various versions of the AUG are in use by military, police and special operations units all over the world. AUG stands for Armee Universal Gewehr or in Yankee language, “universal army rifle.”