ArmaLite

ArmaLite, or Armalite, is an American small arms engineering company founded in the early 1950s in Hollywood, California. It is now headquartered in Geneseo, Illinois. The idea of entering the small arms industry caught the interest of then-company president Richard Boutelle at Fairchild Engine and Airplane Corporation, and Armalite was incorporated as a division of Fairchild on 1 October 1954.

Their first design, the AR1 Parasniper from 1952, used foam-filled fiberglass furniture and a composite barrel using a steel liner inside an aluminum sleeve. This was little used, but when they were asked to compete in a contest for an aircrew survival rifle their AR-5 and AR-7 designs from 1956 saw production use. This was followed by an invitation to compete for the new combat rifle for US forces, which led to the AR-10. The AR-10 lost the 1957 contest, but many of its ideas were reused in the smaller and lighter AR-15.

Tired of repeated failures in the market, Fairchild licensed the AR-10 and AR-15 designs to Colt, and the AR-10 to a Dutch company. They sold their interest in Armalite in 1962. That year, Colt sold the AR-15 to the US Air Force to arm base security troops. Commercial models were then sent to Special Forces in Vietnam, who reported great success with the weapon. This led to its being adopted as the Army's main combat rifle starting in 1964. It has remained the US's primary combat rifle in one form or another to this day, and was adopted by many NATO countries in the 1980s.

Armalite had further brushes with success, especially with the AR-18, an improved AR-15 design. These were not enough to keep the company going, and they ceased operations in the early 1980s. The design rights and name were purchased in 1996 by Mark Westrom, who re-launched the company as Armalite, Inc., now located in Geneseo, Illinois.