NOTE: This article is about M16A2s featured in the main ARMA games. For other similarly named articles, you may wish to use the following links instead:
The M16 Assault Rifle series of weapons developed from research conducted by the U.S. Army's Operations Research Office (ORO), created at Johns Hopkins University in September 1948. As the United States Army's standard-issue rifle, the M16 is a reliable and accurate weapon (although prone to jamming, as it's relatively easy for dirt to get into the chamber and magazine).
The M16A2 is a gas operated, selective fire assault rifle that is chambered to fire the 5.56×45 mm NATO round.
It loads from 30-round magazines, and can attain a fire rate of up to 857 rounds per minute with a muzzle velocity of 990 m/s.
The M16A2 was the standard issue service weapon of the U.S. Armed Forces at the height of the Malden Islands Crisis. Along with its Soviet counterpart, it is one of the two staple weapons that can be used in Cold War Assault. However, compared to the AK-74's 5.45 mm round, the M16A2's 5.56 mm NATO retains better ballistics when at medium-long ranges. The M16A2 is also able to launch rifle grenades from its muzzle (a capability that is exclusive to both the M16A2 and the XM-177E2 carbine).
In terms of drawbacks, the M16A2's main weakness is its lack of a full auto firemode as the M16A2 is restricted to semi-auto and a 3-round burst fire mode. This makes it comparatively less effective in close quarters since the AK-74's shooter will always be able to fire without interruption even if they miss. In contrast, the M16A2's operator will be left vulnerable for a split second if they miss their initial burst.
Variants[]
M16A2 GL[]
The M16A2 GL is a modified version of the baseline M16A2 rifle that has an underbarrel grenade launcher fitted onto it.
While identical in most aspects, the M16A2 GL's sole downside is that it cannot utilise its parent weapon's ability to fire rifle grenades from the muzzle; though it's not necessarily a downside given that it already has an underbarrel grenade launcher to begin with.
The M16A2's M203 grenade launcher can launch either high-explosive (HE) or flare rounds and has an effective range of approximately 250 metres.
Ironsights[]
Ammunition[]
Base damage value
Initial velocity (m/s)
9
990
For M203 grenade rounds and rifle grenades, refer to its dedicated article here.
Both variants of the M16A2 only support a single type of magazine. It requires one free inventory slot to carry:
M16 Mag.[]
30-round magazine loaded with 5.56 mm ball ammunition.
Trivia[]
Although technically not anachronistic, the M16A2 didn't actually begin replacing the M16A1 in U.S. Army service until 1986 when it was officially adopted, one year after the events of Cold War Crisis. Prior to this, it was only issued primarily to the U.S. Marine Corps (U.S. forces in Cold War Assault predominately consist of units from the Army).[1]
Prior to Patch 1.40 for Operation Flashpoint: Cold War Crisis (the name of Cold War Assault prior to its re-release), AI units armed with M16A2s that had grenade launchers fitted had the ability to fire grenade rounds without even aiming in the direction of their target(s). This bug was eventually fixed by the patch's release.[2]
Gallery[]
ArmA: Armed Assault[]
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The M16 assault rifle entered service in 1965 at the onset of the Vietnam War. It answered the army's need to replace the ill-suited M14 with a lightweight rifle capable of effective automatic fire. The M16 uses a small, high velocity round with low recoil and good armor penetration, effective to about 500m. After numerous improvements and upgrades throughout its lifespan, the M16A2 remains in service today as the army's basic service rifle.
The M16A2 returns from Cold War Assault and serves as a general-purpose 5.56 mm assault rifle.
It can now load from either 20-round box or 30-round STANAG magazines, has a muzzle velocity of 850 m/s, and can attain fire rate of up to 600 RPM. The M16A2 is not available in any variant that has optical sights or muzzle attachments fitted.
Armed Assault's M16A2 is the primary service rifle of the Royal Army Corps of Sahrani, and is similar role-wise to the Russian AK-74 wielded by their SLA counterparts. However, the M16A2's actual performance leaves much to be desired, and it is objectively inferior when matched against its modernised counterpartand the G36 family.
This is because unlike the M16A4/G36, it lacks variants with optical sights which limits the M16A2 to an effective firing range of just 400 metres. While hitting targets beyond this range is still possible, in practice, the M16A2's ironsights are too cumbersome to reliably hit targets with. Additionally, no variant of the M16A2 is suppressed, making it useless for missions that require stealth.
Variants[]
M16A2 + M203[]
The M16A2 + M203 is a modified version of the baseline M16A2 rifle that has had an underbarrel grenade launcher fitted onto it. The M16A2 + M203 is only wielded by RACS grenadier soldiers and has no functional or performance differences from its parent rifle.
The M203 is capable of launching either conventional high-explosive (HE) grenades or illumination/signal flare shells. It has a leaf sight that is accurate at distances of up to 300 metres.
For grenade rounds usable with the M203, refer to its dedicated article here.
Both variants of the M16A2 support being loaded with three types of magazines. They all require one free inventory slot to carry:
30Rnd. Stanag[]
Standard 30-round magazine loaded with 5.56 mm ball ammunition. None of the rounds fired will emit visible tracers.
30Rnd. Stanag SD[]
Specialised magazine loaded with subsonic 5.56 mm ammunition. Identical to regular 30-round STANAGs save for a much lower velocity of 320 m/s.
20Rnd. Stanag[]
20-round box magazine used by the Mk12 marksman rifle. Aside from its capacity it is otherwise completely identical to regular 30-round STANAGs.
Trivia[]
On release, Armed Assault's M16A2s had an unrealistically low fire rate of just 400 rounds per minute. This was later corrected to 600 RPM after the release of Patch 1.14 and is also adjusted correctly by default in the Gold version of the game.[3]
The M16 assault rifle entered service in 1965 at the onset of the Vietnam War. It answered the Army's need to replace the ill-suited M14 with a lightweight rifle capable of effective automatic fire.
Once again returning in ArmA 2, the M16A2 is now used by several more factions but functionally remains the same as its predecessors.
It still feeds from either 20-round box or 30-round STANAG magazines shared by its modern counterpart. It can attain a fire rate of up to 800 RPM on burst. The M16A2 does not come in any variant that has either optical accessories or muzzle attachments fitted to it.
Identical to its predecessor in Armed Assault, the M16A2 is often wielded as an alternate primary weapon alongside the heavier FAL battle rifle carried by most Takistani soldiers. Compared to its Russian-made counterpart, the M16A2 has better ironsights with a slimmer aiming post which makes it easier to aim at targets at distances of up to 400 metres away.
Its lack of modularity does mean that it isn't nearly as useful compared to other modern rifles, as is its inability to fire on full auto. Since it doesn't feature any variants fitted with suppressors, the M16A2 is also useless for missions that require stealth.
Variants[]
M16A2 M203[]
The M16A2 M203 is simply a modified version of the baseline M16A2 rifle that has an underbarrel grenade launcher attached to it. It is wielded by some ION PMC contractors operating in Takistan, but is otherwise used only by the Takistani Army and anti-government rebels.
Like its parent, it is also chambered to fire the same 5.56 mm NATO round but has an underbarrel grenade launcher that can fire 40 mm grenades. It is otherwise completely identical in terms of stats and handling. The M203 has a conventional leaf sight that is accurate at ranges of up to 400 metres.
The M16A2's ironsights can be manually zeroed. Zeroing starts from a minimum of 100 metres up to a maximum of 800 metres (100, 200, 300, 400, 500, 600, 700, 800). By default, the ironsights are set to a zeroing of 100 metres.
Ironsights on M16A2s fitted with M203 grenade launchers allow for manual zeroing. Zeroing starts from a minimum of 100 metres up to a maximum of 800 metres (100, 200, 300, 400, 500, 600, 700, 800). By default, the ironsights utilise a zeroing of 100 metres.
The M203's leaf sight uses a fixed zeroing of 400 metres. It cannot be manually adjusted.
Ammunition[]
Round name
Base damage value
Aerodynamic velocity
Initial velocity (m/s)
5.56×45 mm NATO
8
-0.001425
930
5.56×45 mm NATO SD
7
-0.0006
320
For grenade rounds usable with the M203, refer to its dedicated article here.
Both variants of the M16A2 support being loaded with six types of magazines. With the exception of 100-round drums, all others require only one inventory slot to carry (the drums occupy two slots):
30Rnd. STANAG[]
Standard 30-round magazine.
Does not contain any visible tracers.
30Rnd. STANAG SD[]
Specialised magazine loaded with subsonic 5.56 mm ammunition. Identical to regular 30-round STANAGs save for a much lower velocity of 320 m/s.
20Rnd. STANAG[]
20-round box magazine. Remains otherwise identical to regular 30-round STANAGs.
G36 Mag.[]
Plastic magazine used exclusively by the G36 and XM8 families of modular rifles.
It is mostly identical in most other aspects compared to regular 30-round STANAGs, but their rounds have a slightly reduced muzzle velocity of 920 m/s instead.
30rnd G36 SD[]
Loaded with subsonic 5.56 mm ammunition. It fires rounds with greatly reduced velocities of 320 m/s but remain otherwise identical to regular plastic magazines.
MG36 Mag.[]
100-round Beta-C drum used by the MG36 light support weapon. Aside from its capacity it is completely identical to regular 30-round plastic magazines.
Some USMC units can still be seen wielding the M16A2 in the early stages of the Operation Harvest Red campaign. However, none of their units actually utilise the M16A2 in regular gameplay.[4]
Like the G36 and XM8 assault rifles, the M16A2 was actually available in ArmA 2 first but would remain unused by any in-game faction until the release of Operation Arrowhead.
This section is a stub. You can help Armed Assault Wiki by expanding it.
A selective-fire assault rifle, Reforger's M16A2 returns as the standard-issue service weapon of all U.S. military forces.
Unlike its predecessor in ArmA 2, it can only load two types of 30-round STANAG magazines. Its muzzle velocity and fire rate remain unchanged at 930 m/s and 800 RPM (respectively).
However, Reforger's iteration of the M16A2 has gained a few "upgrades" to its functionality. For starters, it now has the ability to mount either a dedicated riflescope with a fixed magnification of 4x or an unmagnified reflex sight. In addition, alternate camouflage schemes are available for the user to select from rather than just the factory black colour.
It should be noted that the M16A2 is still unable to mount sound suppressors nor any other kind of muzzle attachment. M16A2s also no longer have the ability to feed from 100-round drum magazines (unlike in ArmA 2).
The M16A2 occupies 2x1 inventory slots and has a volume of 1,500 cm3. It has a Supply cost of 8 units whenever it is obtained from an Arsenal Box.
Variants[]
M16A2 M203[]
This variant of the M16A2 has an M203 40 mm underbarrel grenade launcher fitted.
The M203 GL can fire two types of explosive grenade rounds: M433 HEDP (high-explosive dual-purpose) or M406 HE (high-explosive). Its leaf sight is adjustable and can be used to hit point targets at distances of up to 250 metres away.
It replaces the default handguard with one that has a unique heatshield. However, it should be noted that M203-fitted M16A2s have lost the ability to mount optical sights and do not allow for any accessories to be attached onto the carryhandle.
The M16A2 M203 occupies 2x1 inventory slots and has a volume of 2,500 cm3 (1,000 cm3 for the UGL and 1,500 cm3 for the rifle itself). M16A2s with M203s have a Supply cost of 35 units if they are taken from an Arsenal Box.
Ironsights on the M16A2 allow for a minimum zeroing of 200 metres up to a maximum of 800 metres (200, 300, 400, 500, 600, 700, 800). By default, they are set to a zeroing of 300 metres.
Neither the front nor rear sight are illuminated.
The ironsights on M16A2s fitted with an M203 grenade launcher allow for a minimum zeroing of 200 metres up to a maximum of 800 metres (200, 300, 400, 500, 600, 700, 800). By default, the ironsights utilise a zeroing of 300 metres.
Neither the front nor rear sight are illuminated.
The M203's leaf sight allows for manual adjustments to be made, starting from a minimum of 50 metres up to a maximum of 250 metres (50, 100, 150, 200, 250). By default, the leaf uses a range setting of 50 metres.
It should be noted that none of the markings on the leaf are illuminated.
Camouflage[]
Black - [M16A2]
Camouflaged - [M16A2]
Olive - [M16A2]
Black - [M16A2 M203]
Camouflaged - [M16A2 M203]
Olive - [M16A2 M203]
1/6
Black: Standard black colour finish.
Camouflaged: Spraypainted sand camouflage scheme.
Olive: Spraypainted olive green camouflage scheme.
Melee[]
A buttstroke with either variant of the M16A2 will inflict 45 points of damage to the target (assuming no reductions by protective vests). It has a maximum range of 1 metre.
Ammunition[]
Ammo parameters
M855
M856
Base damage value
76
76
Classification
FMJ
FMJ + Tracer
Aerodynamic friction
0.0000050
0.0000050
Initial velocity (m/s)
930
874
Penetration depth (mm)
7
7
Penetration density (g/cm3)
7.86
7.86
Penetration speed (m/s)
920
920
Deflection angle (degrees)
45°
45°
For grenade rounds usable with the M203, refer to its dedicated article here.
M16A2s are limited to loading two types of magazines. These magazines are fully interchangeable with the M16 Carbine:
5.56×45mm 30rnd STANAG Mag[]
Standard 30-round magazine loaded with a mix of M855 ball and M856 tracer ammunition (using a 25/5 split). The last five rounds of the magazine always comprise of tracers.
The magazine has a weight of 0.48 kg when it is fully loaded with all thirty rounds. An empty magazine on the other hand, only weighs 0.12 kg. Regardless of capacity, it takes up 1x1 inventory slots and has a volume of 200 cm3.
This magazine does not cost any Supplies to obtain from an Arsenal Box or a Resupply Pack.
5.56×45mm 30rnd STANAG Tracer Mag[]
Dedicated tracer magazine loaded entirely with M856 tracer ammunition.
Other than its loadout, it weighs the same as the standard 30-rounder STANAGs and takes up the same amount of inventory space/volume as well. Supply cost-wise, it is also freely obtainable.
Trivia[]
When firing on burst mode, Reforger accurately simulates the M16A2's burst trigger memory "flaw" whereby if the user interrupts the 3-round burst early, the next burst will only fire the remainder of the previous burst's rounds (i.e. user fires two rounds, halts, and then fires only one round for the next burst).[5]
Prior to Update 0.9.6, the M203's leaf sight did not flip up when the user switched over to using the grenade launcher. This was corrected by the patch's release, as the leaf sights now properly adjust to the launcher's zeroing.[6]
Before the release of the first Ground Support update, the M16A2's magazines did not account for the weight of rounds inside the magazine. The patch subsequently refactored Reforger's weighting system and now properly includes the weight of each individual round.[7]
After the release of Update 1.1, the M16A2's model and reloading animation were both replaced with newer and improved ones (as part of the Resistance Ops patch).[8]
Update 1.1 also made changes to the M16A2's STANAG magazines by adding a catch cutout window to its model (it was previously missing on the older model) and included alternate camouflage schemes for both variants of the rifle.[8]
Before Update 1.1's release, the M16A2 was manufactured by an Armaverse company, Bohemia Interactive Industries (an easter egg company referencing the studio itself). The patch changed the markings and the rifle's origins to that of the Bowen Arms Co. instead, another fictitious Armaverse company.[9]
The information below details unused, pre-release or removed content.
Early Access M16A2 with an exposed barrel.
When Reforger first launched in Early Access, the M203 could be removed on M16A2s that already had one attached by default (thereby leaving the barrel exposed). This would result in a visual glitch that depicted the user's hands continuing to grip the M16A2's invisible handguard as if it were still present.
Gallery[]
Pre-1.1 model.
Ditto.
Promotional image posted for the #ReforgerLoadout series. Note the (now-replaced) pre-1.1 model being used for both variants of the M16A2.
![Black - [M16A2]](https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/armedassault/images/b/b7/Reforger-render-m16a2black.png/revision/latest/scale-to-width-down/300?cb=20240315121815)
![Camouflaged - [M16A2]](https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/armedassault/images/0/03/Reforger-render-m16a2camouflaged.png/revision/latest/scale-to-width-down/300?cb=20240315121816)
![Olive - [M16A2]](https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/armedassault/images/e/ef/Reforger-render-m16a2olive.png/revision/latest/scale-to-width-down/300?cb=20240315121818)
![Black - [M16A2 M203]](https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/armedassault/images/3/30/Reforger-render-m16a2m203black.png/revision/latest/scale-to-width-down/300?cb=20240315120815)
![Camouflaged - [M16A2 M203]](https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/armedassault/images/e/ef/Reforger-render-m16a2m203camouflaged.png/revision/latest/scale-to-width-down/300?cb=20240315120816)
![Olive - [M16A2 M203]](https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/armedassault/images/7/73/Reforger-render-m16a2m203olive.png/revision/latest/scale-to-width-down/300?cb=20240315120817)
United States - Armoury (ArmA: Cold War Assault)
RACS - Armoury (ArmA: Armed Assault)
Takistani Army - Armoury (ArmA 2)
ION Services - Armoury (ArmA 2)