LMT R-20 Rahe

LMT R-20 Rahe
LMT R-20 Rahe
Type	Assault rifle
Place of origin	United States
Service history
In service	2020–present
Used by	Estonian Defence Forces
Wars	Mali War;
Production history
Designer	Lewis Machine & Tool Company
Manufacturer	Lewis Machine & Tool Company
Produced	2019–present
No. built	19,000
Variants	See Variants
Specifications
Mass	3.15 kg (6.94 lb); 3.32 kg (7.32 lb); 4.25 kg (9.37 lb);
Length	814 mm (32.0 in) stock extended/ 732 mm (28.8 in) stock folded; 891 mm (35.1 in) stock extended/ 808 mm (31.8 in) stock folded; 984 mm (38.7 in) stock extended/ 902 mm (35.5 in) stock folded;
Barrel length	310 mm (12.2 in); 367 mm (14.4 in); 411 mm (16.2 in);
Cartridge	5.56×45mm NATO; 7.62×51mm NATO
Action	Gas-operated, rotating bolt (internal piston, not direct impingement); or Short-stroke piston
Rate of fire	700 rounds/min
Muzzle velocity	850 m/s (2,789 ft/s); 900 m/s (2,953 ft/s); 750 m/s (2,461 ft/s);
Effective firing range	500 metres (550 yd)
Feed system	5.56×45mm NATO: 30-round detachable box magazine; 7.62×51mm NATO 20-round detachable box magazine

The LMT R-20 Rahe is an assault rifle chambered for the 5.56×45mm NATO cartridge.^[1] It is specially designed and manufactured for the needs of the Estonian Defense Forces by the US company Lewis Machine & Tool Company.^[2]

The R-20 Rahe replaced the IMI Galil and Automatkarbin 4 rifles in the Estonian Defence Forces equipment.The new Rahe rifles have been also used in Mali by the Estonian Defence Forces.^[3]

Variants

Rahe R-20 S

The Rahe R-20 S, the S referring to Short, is a shortened version of Rahe R-20 5.56×45mm NATO series with the barrel length 310 millimeters. The Rahe Short is designed for urban battles and trenches.

Rahe R-20

The Rahe R-20 is the 5.56×45mm NATO assault rifle and the most common version of the R-20 series used by the Estonian Defence Forces and Estonian Defence League.

Rahe R-20 L

The Rahe R-20 L, the L referring to Long is a 7.62×51mm NATO precision rifle. Rahe R-20 L uses a 20-round detachable box magazine. It is also possible to mount telescopic sight and bayonet onto it.

Users

Estonia
- Used as a standard rifle in Estonian Defence Forces and in the Estonian Defence League.^[4]

References

^ "R20 RAHE Reference Rifle". Retrieved 2 May 2025.
^ "5,56mm automaat R-20". Retrieved 2 May 2025.
^ "Defense Forces' new Rahe automatic rifle to make debut in Mali". 18 December 2020. Retrieved 14 July 2025.
^ "Defense Forces gets lighter and more accurate assault rifles". 23 July 2020. Retrieved 2 May 2025.

External links

[1] "R20 RAHE Reference Rifle". Retrieved 2 May 2025.

[2] "5,56mm automaat R-20". Retrieved 2 May 2025.

[3] "Defense Forces' new Rahe automatic rifle to make debut in Mali". 18 December 2020. Retrieved 14 July 2025.

[4] "Defense Forces gets lighter and more accurate assault rifles". 23 July 2020. Retrieved 2 May 2025.

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