Description: The Mexico Fact Book - all the information about Mexico at your fingertips.
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The FX-05 Xiuhcóatl assault rifle is México’s indigenously designed and manufactured assault rifle. It is used exclusively by the Mexican armed forces and national guard. Xiuhcóatl is Náhuatl for turquoise serpent. Náhuatl is an indigenous (Aztec) language spoken in central parts of México. It is estimated that there are about one and a half million Náhuatl speakers today. In the case of the FX-05 assault rifle, Xiuhcóatl is translated into “fire serpant”.
The assault rifle was first seen in public on September 16, 2006 during the Mexican Independence Day celebrations. It was carried by members of the elite assault team, the Grupo Aeromóvil de Fuerzas Especiales (GAFE).