In May we left the Beretta NARP at Carpegna, during the Nimbus 2026 of the Parachute Brigade “Folgore”, where the new weapon system had been the focus of a workshop with instructors from the Infantry School.

Since then the program has made further progress. The NARP has appeared in new training activities of the Army, the Ministry of Defense has formalized new acquisition procedures and further details have emerged on future configurations of the platform.

In June the NARP appears with the Brigade “Julia”

On June 16, 2026, at the end of the multi-domain exercise “Silver Halberd 2026”, the Italian Army explicitly indicated the NARP as “new individual weapon system recently acquired by the Italian Army”.

The activity, conducted in the training area of Monte Bivera, in the Carnic Alps, involved over 300 military personnel from the Alpine Brigade “Julia”, together with personnel from the Albanian Army and international observers.

During the exercise the NARP was employed alongside other new capabilities, including FPV drones and unmanned systems, within a high-intensity training scenario.

It is a significant step compared to what we documented in May during Nimbus: the NARP no longer appears only in activities dedicated to familiarization with the new system, but is directly inserted into the training of Army units.

The Ministry of Defense formalizes a new supply procedure

Also in June 2026 the Directorate of Land Armaments published a procedure relating to the supply of Beretta NARP assault rifles with accessories and bayonets.

The quantitative and executive details of the procedure are not made public for reasons related to security and national defense.

The data confirms, however, that the introduction of the platform continues through further contractual and logistical steps, going beyond the first units already distributed.

The first batch of 7,000 units

The overall picture of the program has meanwhile become clearer.

Beretta Defense Technologies confirmed to the British magazine Janes that the first contract for the Italian Army concerns 7,000 NARP, with progressive distribution starting in the fourth quarter of 2025.

The contracted configuration uses the 5.56×45 mm NATO caliber and a barrel of 14.5 inches.

The NARP is intended to progressively replace part of the ARX160 currently in service.

The number of 7,000 units does not therefore represent a new decision taken in the summer, but today allows for a precise dimension of the first phase of the replacement program.

The 7.62×51 NATO arrives too

The most interesting part, however, concerns the evolution of the NARP family.

Beretta Defense Technologies confirmed that development is underway for a version chambered in 7.62×51 mm NATO.

The platform was conceived from the start as a modular and multi-caliber system. In addition to 5.56 NATO, configurations are already planned in 6.5 Grendel and .300 Blackout, but the arrival of 7.62 NATO significantly expands the possible uses of the project.

The 7.62 could indeed allow for the development of configurations intended for roles different from the standard assault rifle, while maintaining a common base in terms of ergonomics, architecture and logistical management.

The 6.5 Grendel already finds a user

Another development that emerged during the summer concerns the 6.5 Grendel.

In the July 2026 issue, Armi e Tiro presented an NARP Praetorian version chambered in 6.5 Grendel, indicating it as adopted by a special unit of the French police.

It is an interesting detail because it demonstrates that the multi-caliber capability of the NARP has not remained merely on paper.

In recent months we had already addressed on BrigataFolgore.net the issue of new calibers and, in particular, the debate on 6.8 mm and the increase in performance required of individual weapons in modern operational scenarios. The evolution of the NARP seems to be going precisely in the direction of a family capable of adapting to different needs.

From prototype to family of weapons

The NARP is now acquired by the Italian Army, is employed in training exercises of different units, has a first program of 7,000 units and continues to evolve towards new chamberings.

To the 5.56 NATO are already added the 6.5 Grendel and .300 Blackout, while Beretta is working on the future configuration in 7.62×51 NATO.

The real novelty, therefore, is no longer the arrival of the NARP in the Army, already documented in recent months, but the progressive transformation of the project into a true family of weapon systems intended to cover different roles and calibers.

For Beretta and for the Italian Army, 2026 thus seems to mark the definitive transition from the introduction phase to the operational and industrial maturation of the platform.