Beretta
My first stop was the Beretta booth to see the Italian company’s New Assault Rifle Platform, or NARP, long gun. Although it looks like a basic AR-15, it is anything but. Everything has been redesigned. Unfortunately, I am not allowed to share the internal mechanism, but I can tell you it uses a short-stroke piston system that has no “op” rod.
The forend is slim and light, as opposed to many bulkier current piston system designs. The trigger system is proprietary, but it feels match grade. There is a heat dissipation system designed to increase the number of rounds it takes to “cook off’ ammunition.
I especially liked the fact that the buttstock is above the barrel axis for better recoil control. Currently, it is only available for military orders, and the Italian military had ordered it.
FN
FN showed off its Evolys Ultralight Machine Gun and MTL-30 Grenade Launcher. The tag line for the Evolys is “fires like a machine gun, handles like a rifle.” I didn’t get to shoot it, but it was certainly the lightest, most compact machine gun I’ve ever held. The Evolys is a side-belt-fed system available in 5.56, 7.62 and .264 – FN’s new round. The 5.56 version is only 8 pounds.
The MTL-30 grenade launcher just won the Army’s PPON contract to develop a Precision Grenadier System. The MTL-30 is magazine-fed and fires a 30mm grenade in a semi-flat trajectory, as opposed to traditional systems that use an arced trajectory.
Team Wendy
Team Wendy makes the helmet I use for my night vision device. It’s extremely comfortable, which is what the company is known for. Team Wendy's latest offering is the ultralight Rifletech helmet, with rifle-rated protection that meets NIJ level III standards.
The best feature, though, is its innovative Air Fit liner system that both protects from brain injury but also adds extreme comfort and airflow. If you want the best, this is it.
Otis Tech
Like many people, I have a few Otis cleaning products on my bench. The company is known for its pull-through cleaning cables and was showing off its EFECT military issue maintenance tool that is purpose-built for adjusting and cleaning all parts of an M4/M16.
The BONE tool was designed to clean the carbon off of an AR bolt and carrier. Otis reps also showed me their Star Chamber cleaning tool that makes cleaning an AR chamber super easy. These are some great accessories to keep your military weapons running well.
L3Harris
L3Harris produces some of the best night vision devices on the market. The company makes one of the most ubiquitous laser aiming modules in the military, called the Advanced Target Pointer Illuminator Aiming Laser (ATPIAL) AN/PEQ-15, or just PEQ-15.
We have seen it in nearly every movie, TV show, or video game about modern warfighters in the last 20 years. Well, L3Harris shared with me that the company is finally working on the next generation of PEQ-15. It will use VCSEL illuminators and green lasers. L3Harris has been doing extensive testing to be able to deliver the new standard in LAMs.
Barrett
One of the top names in military rifles, Barrett, debuted its MRAD Covert rifle at AUSA 2025. The MRAD, or Multi-role Adaptive Design, is the company’s modular bolt-action sniper rifle, and the MRAD Covert is this rifle made to fit in a backpack for clandestine operations.
All MRAD accessories and barrels are compatible with the new Covert rifle. The Covert is just shorter and lighter to ease transport and concealability. This small package is quite appealing and will be available on the commercial market.
Holosun
Holosun is my go-to optics manufacturer because of its perfect blend of performance and affordability. At AUSA, the company showed off its new Advanced Rifle Optic Evolved (ARO EVO) rifle red dot. Key advantages include a larger window, the new SPR bullet-drop compensating reticle, improved battery tray screws, and a cleaner housing design.
Holosun also had its Digital Reflex Sights and Digital Pistol Sights on hand. The DRS sights are rifle sights that include thermal or night vision enhancements, while the DPS is a pistol sight offered with thermal overlay. These were impressive, and I appreciated that they were basic red dot sights first. Even if the technology fails, you can still use the sight as a regular windowed optic. I have requested a test model for review.
Elbit America
My personal NODs have tubes from Elbit, one of the major suppliers of night vision devices in the U.S. Company reps walked us through their lineup, and some highlights include Elbit’s current Marine Corp bino setup called the SBNVG (Squad Binocular Night Vision Google), F5035 binocular, and FNVB (Fused Night Vision Binocular).
The Marine Corp SBNVG comes with the additional E-COTI (Enhanced Clip On Thermal Imager), which integrates thermal into the night vision goggle. The F5035 is a budget-oriented goggle set to be released to the commercial market around SHOT Show time. The FNVB is a top-of-the-line night vision device that integrates thermal and night vision technologies and will also be sold commercially.
Colt
It's good to see Colt returning to the fray at AUSA. Colt used to be the premier AR-15 manufacturer, and the company is looking to reignite consumer demand with its new offerings, including the Enhanced Patrol Rifle 2 that will be released later this month.
Colt also showed its M5 carbine, which comes with a proprietary M-LOK handguard that slides over the upper for increased rigidity. In addition, the Infantry Automatic Rifle will have a commercial version that still has Colt’s unique heat sink forend that allows for high-volume shooting.
CZ
At the CZ booth, I got to try out the new Bren 3, which I’ve been dying to see since the last SHOT Show. Compared to the Bren 2, the CZ Bren 3 features a more versatile design, highlighted by a detachable M-LOK handguard and an upgraded upper receiver.
Other notable upgrades include a sturdier stock attachment, an improved safety mechanism, dual ejectors for enhanced dependability, and refined ambidextrous controls. Numerous versions of the Bren 3 were on display.
Dzyne Technologies
My final stop was Dzyne Technologies, which specializes in anti-drone warfare. This is a new area for me, but it is fascinating. Dzyne had everything from city-sized solutions to hand-portable devices. Their handheld model was described to me as a digital shotgun for drones. These were all only available to the military, but it’s nice to know our soldiers have cutting-edge tech backing them up.
