The ARES FMG is a folding submachine gun designed by Eugene Stoner while he was an owner of ARES Incorporated. Stoner designed the gun for concealment and covert use, describing it as a “businessman’s personal defense weapon”. Allegedly, Stoner had the idea of a defense weapon for VIPs and CEOs following the numbers of kidnappings of many of such persons in South America during the early 1980s. While the design was finalized, and a few functional copies produced, the FMG never entered full production.
The weapon has a unique architecture, in that it is designed to be folded into a box shape, but it can be unfolded and made ready to fire in a matter of seconds. When folded, the size is about the same as a cigarette carton, and the appearance is deliberately similar to an old-fashioned metal commercial radio. It can be fitted with a small fake antenna if necessary.
The Ares FMG can be folded with its 20-round magazine loaded. A 32-round magazine was also available, but its use prevented folding the weapon.
The weapon inspired a Russian, a Ukrainian and an American copy.
While descriptions of a fictional "ARES II FMG" exist on the web, the actual ARES FMG was only chambered in 9x19mm Parabellum.| ARES FMG | |
|---|---|
| Type | Submachine gun |
| Place of origin | United States |
| Service history | |
| Used by | United States Secret Service |
| Production history | |
| Designer | Francis Warin, Eugene Stoner |
| Designed | 1986 |
| Manufacturer | ARES Incorporated |
| Specifications | |
| Weight | 2.09 kg (4.61 lb) |
| Length | 503 mm (19.8 in) extended / 262 mm (10.3 in) |
| Barrel length | 220 mm (8.7 in) |
