The FAL or rifle (Automatique Leger Fusil, Automatic Light Fuse) is one of the most famous and widespread military rifle designs of the 20th century. Developed by the Belgian company Fabrique Nationale, which was used by more than 70 countries, and manufactured in at least 10 countries. At present the service days of the FAL rifles are mostly gone, but it is still used in some parts of the world. The history of the FAL began around the year 1946, when the FN began to develop a new assault rifle, at first it was designed to use the German cartridge caliber 7.92 x33mm of intermediate power, or 7.92 Kurz (short), that used the Sturmgewehr 44, the first assault rifle in the world, also of German origin. This cartridge was a typical 7.92 "trimmed" to make the bursting fire more controllable. The design group was led by Dieudonne Saive Die, who also worked on a combat rifle that used the normal 7.92 cartridge (later this design evolved in the SAFN-49). That is why it is not uncommon for both rifles to resemble each other mechanically. The FN Herstal adapted the FAL by firing the 7.62 x 51mm NATO ammunition, which would be official for the NATO countries. The first models with that caliber were ready in 1953.

Belgium was not the only country to adopt its own rifle. Probably, the first was Canada, adopting its slightly modified version of FAL as C1 in 1955. The Canadians produced the C1 version and the C2A1 automatic heavy rifle version for infantry support. Great Britain followed suit and adopted the FAL in 1957 as the SLR L1A1 (Self-loading rifle), often with 4X optics. Britain also produced its own rifles under license in Enfield RSAF and in the BSA factories. Austria adopted the FAL in 1958 under the name Stg.58 and was produced at the Steyr weapons factory. Several versions of FAL were adopted by Argentina, Brazil, Turkey, Australia, Israel, South Africa, West Germany and many other countries. The success of the FAL could have been much greater if the Belgians had sold the license to the Federal Republic of Germany, which liked to produce the FAL as a G1 rifle, but the Belgians rejected the request. Then Germany bought the license for the Spanish CETME rifle, resulting in the H & K G3 rifle that would become the most notable rival of FAL.