Infantry Weapons

FMK-3 submachine gun

Also known as
  • FMK-3
  • FMK3
  • PA-3DM
  • PA-3 DM
  • PA3 DM
  • PA-3-DM
  • FMK-PA-3
  • FMK-4
  • FMK-5

The FMK-3 is an Argentine 9x19 mm submachine gun developed by Fabricaciones Militares in the mid-1970s for military and security users. Its compact layout combines blowback, open-bolt operation with a telescoping bolt, magazine-in-grip feed, grip safety, and retractable wire stock; direct museum and specialist sources connect PA3 DM/FMK-3 examples to Argentine use in the 1982 Falklands War.

FMK-3 submachine gun, 9x19 mm submachine gun, Infantry Weapons
Image source: Pa3dm-fmk3-mod2.jpg

Role in Conflicts

Profile / Specs

Profile

Origin
Argentina
Type
9x19 mm submachine gun
Service note
Developed in 1974, produced from 1974 to 1993, and documented in Argentine and export service after production ended.
Designer
Fabricaciones Militares
Designed
1974
Produced
1974-1993
Number built
Over 85,000 produced according to WeaponSystems.net

Specifications

Caliber
9x19 mm Parabellum
Action
Blowback, open-bolt operation
Feed system
25-, 32-, or 40-round detachable box magazine
Barrel length
290 mm
Length
693 mm with stock extended; 523 mm with stock retracted
Weight
3.4 kg empty according to WeaponSystems.net
Rate of fire
650 rounds per minute
Effective range
100 m
Muzzle velocity
About 350-400 m/s according to WeaponSystems.net
Rifling
Six grooves, right-hand twist, one turn in 250 mm according to Armas.es
Stock
Retractable wire stock on the main FMK-3 version
Fire selector
S/R/A selector for safe, semiautomatic/repetition, and automatic fire
Safety
Manual selector plus rear grip safety that blocks bolt movement unless depressed
Sights
Flip-up rear sight with 50 m and 100 m settings
Design And Service Context

The FMK-3 replaced an older Argentine mix of submachine guns with a simpler stamped-steel, magazine-in-grip pattern. Its compactness comes from a telescoping bolt around the barrel, while the grip safety and left-side selector reflect a service weapon designed for military and police handling rather than only export sales.

Layout

Open-bolt blowback action, telescoping bolt, pistol-grip magazine housing, and retractable wire stock.

Safety package

S/R/A selector plus a grip safety that blocks bolt movement unless the weapon is properly held.

Export trail

Argentine official records document an 880-gun FMK-3 authorization to Uruguay, and specialist reporting documents FMK-PA-3 deliveries to El Salvador.

Sources: FMK-3; FMK-3 (Argentina); Subfusil FMK-3 - Argentina II; Decreto S 352/1979; Infantry Weapons of the Salvadoran Forces; El Salvador: Standing Tall.

Variants

Reference sources identify the FMK-3 as the main select-fire model, with FMK-4 and FMK-5 designations used for fixed-stock and semi-automatic branches.

VariantConfigurationDesignation notes
FMK-4Fixed-stock variant

WeaponSystems.net lists FMK-4 as a fixed-stock FMK-3 variant, while Armas.es describes early wooden and later high-impact plastic fixed stocks.

Sources: FMK-3, Subfusil FMK-3 - Argentina I

FMK-5Semi-automatic civilian model

Modern Firearms describes FMK-5 as the semi-automatic version sold to the civilian market.

Sources: FMK-3 (Argentina)

Ammunition Fired

FMK-3 sources identify the weapon as a 9x19 mm / 9 mm Parabellum submachine gun.

AmmunitionAmmunition typeFiring evidence
9 mm Luger cartridge, 9x19 mm handgun cartridge, Munitions9 mm Luger cartridge9x19 mm pistol cartridge

WeaponSystems.net and Modern Firearms both identify the FMK-3 chambering as 9x19 mm Parabellum, matching the cataloged 9 mm Luger cartridge family.

Sources: FMK-3, FMK-3 (Argentina)

Timeline

FMK-3 submachine gun Key Events

  1. FMK-3 development

    WeaponSystems.net dates FMK-3 development to 1974 and identifies Fabricaciones Militares as the developer.

    Sources: FMK-3

  2. Production run

    WeaponSystems.net lists FMK-3 production from 1974 to 1993 by FMAP, with more than 85,000 produced.

    Sources: FMK-3

  3. Falklands War service

    IWM records a PA3 DM captured during the Falklands Conflict, and American Rifleman places FMK-3 submachine guns among the domestic Argentine small arms carried by Argentine units during the campaign.

    Sources: PA3 DM, Guns of the Falklands War

  4. Uruguay export authorization

    Argentina's Decreto S 352/1979 authorized Fabricaciones Militares to export 880 FMK-3 9 mm NATO submachine guns to the Uruguayan Army, with spare magazines and support material.

    Sources: Decreto S 352/1979

Media

FMK-3 submachine gun Videos

Related Weapon Systems
105 mm M1974 FMK-1 recoilless rifle, 105 mm recoilless rifle, Infantry WeaponsInfantry Weapons105 mm M1974 FMK-1 recoilless rifle105 mm recoilless rifleThe 105 mm M1974 FMK-1 is the later standard in Argentina's Czekalski recoilless-rifle family, a heavy smoothbore infantry-support weapon with optical sights, an FAP/FN FAL spotting rifle, and a two-wheel adjustable carriage. Falklands War evidence directly documents the closely related Modelo 1968 Czekalski in Argentine service, while the M1974 designation is best supported as the improved FMK-1 ammunition and export-era standard.
Inguar-3, MRAP-class light tactical armored vehicle, Armored VehiclesArmored VehiclesInguar-3MRAP-class light tactical armored vehicleInguar-3 is a Ukrainian MRAP-class modular armored vehicle from Inguar Defence, developed around wartime mobility and protection requirements rather than an armored commercial-truck conversion. Public sources describe a 4x4 baseline and 6x6 family, STANAG Level 3 protection, a Deutz diesel with Allison automatic transmission, integrated cameras, electronic-warfare fittings, and documented Ukrainian combat trials with Azov National Guard personnel in the Serebrianka Forest.

Sources

FMK-3Publisher: WeaponSystems.net | Note: Supports FMK-3 identity, Argentine origin, development date, Fabricaciones Militares developer attribution, FMAP production, production dates, variants, ammunition relationship, and technical specifications. | Accessed: 2026-07-13FMK-3 (Argentina)Publisher: Modern Firearms | Note: Supports manufacturer attribution to Fabricaciones Militares, Domingo Matheu factory context, FMK-5 civilian version, operating details, and ammunition relationship for the FMK-3. | Accessed: 2026-07-13PA3 DMPublisher: Imperial War Museums | Note: Supports direct 1982 Falklands War evidence for a PA3 DM submachine gun captured by British forces, associated with the Argentine Army and Falklands Conflict. | Accessed: 2026-07-13Guns of the Falklands WarPublisher: American Rifleman | Note: Supports direct 1982 Falklands War use by identifying the FMK-3 among DGFM 9 mm submachine guns carried by Argentine units in the Falklands/Malvinas theater. | Accessed: 2026-07-13FMK-3 Submachine Gun - Argentina's Uzi?Publisher: The Armory Life | Note: Supports FMK-3 design background and export/service context. | Accessed: 2026-07-13Subfusil FMK-3 - Argentina IPublisher: Armas.es | Note: Supports PA-3 DM lineage, FMK-4 and FMK-5 variant distinctions, stamped-steel finish context, and overhung-bolt design details. | Accessed: 2026-07-13Subfusil FMK-3 - Argentina IIPublisher: Armas.es | Note: Supports selector positions, grip-safety behavior, semiautomatic and automatic operation, rifling details, dimensions, and technical specifications. | Accessed: 2026-07-13Decreto S 352/1979Publisher: Argentina.gob.ar | Note: Supports the official Argentine authorization for Fabricaciones Militares to export 880 FMK-3 9 mm NATO submachine guns, spare magazines, and related support material to the Uruguayan Army. | Accessed: 2026-07-13Infantry Weapons of the Salvadoran ForcesPublisher: Small Arms Review | Note: Supports early-1980s Argentine military-aid deliveries of FMK-PA-3 submachine guns to Salvadoran forces and later force-equipment context. | Accessed: 2026-07-13El Salvador: Standing TallPublisher: Small Arms Defense Journal | Note: Supports postwar Salvadoran inventory context for more than 600 Argentine FMK-3 submachine guns in storage and observed private-security use in 2010. | Accessed: 2026-07-13Pa3dm-fmk3-mod2.jpgPublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Image provenance and licensing source for the FMK-3 Mod 2 image used as the primary page image. | Accessed: 2026-07-13