Weapons: The Iranian Sayyad 5.56 rifle

Since the beginning of this millennium, Iran has been using its own M-16 variant with some of its special forces. Technically, the Sayyad 5.56 is a copy of the Chinese Norinco CQ, which in turn is a copy of the M16A1. The latest equipment of the Iranian assault rifle (Stg) has a Picatinny handguard, whose optics rail is extended backwards to provide a level surface along its length. Very interesting in this context is that the barrel does not appear to be free-floating. The shoulder stock, grip, and folding vertical foregrip are very reminiscent of the Israeli manufacturer CAA-Tactical. Whether the recently surfaced new Iranian Stg is intended to replace the Sayyad in any form is not known, but doubtful, as there are still plenty of older AKs in Iranian military stocks.