Infantry Weapons

Arsenal AR-M9 / AR-M9F

Also known as
  • AR-M9
  • AR-M9F
  • Arsenal AR-M9
  • Arsenal AR-M9F
  • ARM9
  • ARM9F
  • 5.56x45mm Assault Rifle AR-M9
  • 5.56x45mm Assault Rifle AR-M9F
  • 5.56 mm AR-M9
  • 5.56 mm AR-M9F

The Arsenal AR-M9 and folding-stock AR-M9F are Bulgarian 5.56 x 45 mm Kalashnikov-pattern assault rifles built by Arsenal JSCo for export and military users. Open-source arms researchers documented fixed-stock AR-M9 rifles with UAE-trained pro-government Yemeni resistance fighters at Al-Anad Air Base and an AR-M9F with a Sudanese coalition soldier in Yemen, placing the family inside Gulf-backed coalition equipment flows during the 2014 Yemen Civil War.

Arsenal AR-M9 / AR-M9F, 5.56 x 45 mm Kalashnikov-pattern assault rifle, Infantry Weapons
Image source: Bulgarian AR-M9 & AR-M9F rifles supplied by UAE to allied forces

Role in Conflicts

Yemen Fielding Context

The Yemen evidence is visual and identification-led rather than a procurement file. ARES identified fixed-stock AR-M9 rifles with UAE-trained pro-government Yemeni resistance fighters at Al-Anad Air Base in November and December 2015, while ARIJ later described M9 and M9F Arsenal rifles appearing in the same UAE-trained Southern Resistance context.

Documented users

UAE-trained pro-government Yemeni resistance fighters; one Sudanese coalition soldier photographed in Yemen with an AR-M9F.

Sourcing limit

The sources support fielding and possession by coalition-aligned personnel, not a confirmed firing incident or complete end-user chain for every rifle.

Compatible Ammunition

The manufacturer and Armament Research Services identify the AR-M9 and AR-M9F as 5.56x45 mm rifles, so the family belongs on the cartridge compatibility page.

AmmunitionTypeEvidence
5.56x45 mm cartridge, 5.56x45 mm NATO small-arms cartridge, Munitions5.56x45 mm cartridgeIntermediate rifle cartridgeThe product pages identify both rifles as 5.56x45 mm variants.
Profile / Specs

Profile

Origin
Bulgaria
Built by
Arsenal JSCo
Type
5.56 x 45 mm Kalashnikov-pattern assault rifle
Service note
Modern export-service rifle documented in Yemen in 2015-2016
Designer
Arsenal JSCo
Designed
Post-Cold War AR-series export development
Unit cost
Not publicly standardized
Produced
Post-1990s AR-series production
Number built
Not publicly reported

Specifications

Caliber
5.56 x 45 mm
Barrel length
415 mm
Weight
3.85 kg unloaded
Overall length
AR-M9: 985 mm; AR-M9F: 970 mm stock unfolded / 720 mm folded
Muzzle velocity
870 m/s
Stock configurations
AR-M9 fixed polymer stock; AR-M9F folding metal stock
Operating principle
Gas-operated automatic rifle
Fire modes
Single and automatic
Cyclic rate
600 rounds/min
Effective firing range
500 m
Sighting range
Up to 800 m
Magazine capacity
30 rounds
Design And Handling Notes

Kintex describes the AR-M9 / AR-M9F as a gas-operated automatic rifle family with a milled receiver made from a hot-die-forged blank. Its product data lists single and automatic fire modes, a 30-round magazine, 600-rounds-per-minute cyclic rate, and sight settings out to 800 m.

Receiver and action

Gas-operated Kalashnikov-pattern mechanism with a milled receiver.

Controls and furniture

Right-side safety/fire selector, polymer furniture on the fixed-stock rifle, and a folding metal butt on the AR-M9F.

Variants

This catalog entry groups the fixed-stock AR-M9 and folding-stock AR-M9F because the Yemen evidence and manufacturer listings treat them as closely related 415 mm-barrel Arsenal export rifles.

VariantConfigurationDesignation notes
AR-M9Fixed-stock assault rifle

ARES identifies the AR-M9 as the fixed polymer-stock 5.56 x 45 mm rifle shown with UAE-trained Yemeni resistance fighters, with a 985 mm overall length and 415 mm barrel.

Sources: Bulgarian AR-M9 & AR-M9F rifles supplied by UAE to allied forces

AR-M9FFolding-stock assault rifle

ARES identifies the AR-M9F as the folding metal-stock model, giving a 970 mm unfolded length and 720 mm folded length for the 5.56 x 45 mm configuration.

Sources: Bulgarian AR-M9 & AR-M9F rifles supplied by UAE to allied forces

Compatible Ammunition

ARES and Arsenal identify the AR-M9 and AR-M9F as 5.56x45 mm rifles, so the family links to the cartridge page here.

Compatible itemItem typeCompatibility evidence
5.56x45 mm cartridge, 5.56x45 mm NATO small-arms cartridge, Munitions5.56x45 mm cartridgeRifle cartridge

Arsenal's product materials and ARES's technical notes both identify the AR-M9 and AR-M9F as 5.56x45 mm rifles, which is explicit evidence that the rifles are chambered for 5.56x45 mm ammunition.

Sources: Bulgarian AR-M9 & AR-M9F rifles supplied by UAE to allied forces, 5.56x45 mm and 7.62x39 mm AR-M9, 5.56x45 mm and 7.62x39 mm AR-M9F

Timeline

Arsenal AR-M9 / AR-M9F Key Events

  1. AR-M9 rifles identified at Al-Anad

    ARES identified fixed-stock Arsenal AR-M9 rifles in imagery of UAE-trained pro-government Yemeni resistance fighters at Al-Anad Air Base near Aden.

    Sources: Bulgarian AR-M9 & AR-M9F rifles supplied by UAE to allied forces, The End User Yemen arms investigation

  2. Second UAE-trained batch shown with AR-M9 rifles

    ARES reported that a later image series from the same Al-Anad training camp described more than one thousand UAE-trained Yemeni resistance graduates and again showed AR-M9 rifles.

    Sources: Bulgarian AR-M9 & AR-M9F rifles supplied by UAE to allied forces

  3. AR-M9F appears with Sudanese coalition soldier

    ARES cited a Sudanese Armed Forces image showing a Sudanese soldier in Yemen with an AR-M9F, while noting that the exact equipment chain was unclear.

    Sources: Bulgarian AR-M9 & AR-M9F rifles supplied by UAE to allied forces

Media

Arsenal AR-M9 / AR-M9F Videos

Arsenal AR-M9 / AR-M9F Images

Arsenal AR-M9 / AR-M9F, 5.56 x 45 mm Kalashnikov-pattern assault rifle, Infantry Weapons - view 1
Source: Bulgarian AR-M9 & AR-M9F rifles supplied by UAE to allied forces
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Sources

Bulgarian AR-M9 & AR-M9F rifles supplied by UAE to allied forcesPublisher: Armament Research Services | Note: Supports 2014 Yemen Civil War direct-use context: AR-M9 rifles used by UAE-trained pro-government Yemeni resistance fighters at Al-Anad airbase and AR-M9F rifles used by or photographed with Sudanese coalition personnel in Yemen. Also supports technical specifications and AR-M9 image provenance credited to Arsenal. | Accessed: 2026-07-04The End User Yemen arms investigationPublisher: Arab Reporters for Investigative Journalism | Note: Supports 2014 Yemen Civil War direct-use context by independently describing M9 and M9F Arsenal rifles in photos of UAE-trained Southern Resistance fighters at Al-Anad in November 2015 and later appearances in Yemen. | Accessed: 2026-07-045.56x45 mm and 7.62x39 mm AR-M9Publisher: Arsenal JSCo | Note: Supports manufacturer background for the AR-M9 rifle family and the 415 mm barrel-length product category; the page may be protected by Cloudflare. | Accessed: 2026-07-045.56x45 mm and 7.62x39 mm AR-M9FPublisher: Arsenal JSCo | Note: Supports manufacturer background for the folding-stock AR-M9F variant and the 415 mm barrel-length product category; the page may be protected by Cloudflare. | Accessed: 2026-07-045.56x45mm Assault Rifle AR-M9 and AR-M9FPublisher: Kintex | Note: Supports additional specification context and replacement image provenance for the AR-M9 and AR-M9F export rifles, including gas operation, fire modes, rate of fire, effective range, sighting range, magazine capacity, barrel length, and sight-radius data. | Accessed: 2026-07-04