FightLite Industries

07/04/2026

23 years ago today, the first 100-round belt was dumped from the ARES Defense Shrike 5.56 upper prototype “EXP-2” in Staffordsville, Virginia. The Shrike represents the very first ever “drop-on” belt fed upper for AR15/M16 rifles and in fact was dual-feed, meaning it could feed from both M16 box magazines and M27-linked ammunition at operator discretion. A few weeks later, the first 200-round belt (well, almost…) was sent downrange in Virginia’s Jefferson National Forest before an operating rod issue caused a thermal failure requiring a complete redesign of the Shrike upper from the ground up.

In the ensuing 23 years, ARES Defense and its FightLite division have delivered tens of thousands of belt fed uppers and weapons around the globe to civilians and military units alike.

While the legacy Shrike has evolved into the company’s flagship MCR, AMG-2, AMG-3, DFX, and RAX weapons systems, the roots of every “drop-on” belt fed upper for AR15/M16 fi****ms are direct decedents of the ARES/FightLite Shrike 5.56 - Advanced Weapons System. -Of course, only made possible in the USA! 🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸

ALL ARES Defense and FightLite products are 100% Invented, Designed, and Made in Our Great USA! 👍🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸

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Videos by FightLite USA
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05/14/2026

Our last manufacturing video showed our new FXR production lower being broached on our 15 Ton horizontal broaching machine. With some good conversation ensuing about the various methods of getting a mag well machined into an AR type lower, here’s another way we’ve done it on a prototype lower. While most of our production manufacturing machines are Mazak, in this case we drilled the corners and rough cut it on one of our Haas machines equipped with an A-Axis to minimize fixturing. Definitely a longer way to get there than an offline broach, but plenty of ways to skin a cat! 😉

ALL FightLite products are 100% Invented, Designed and Made in our Great USA! 👍🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸

Video by .usa





freedom

05/12/2026

Tactical Tuesday! Ever wonder how that magazine well shape is machined into a lower? Video is our new FXR lower being broached on our 15 Ton horizontal broaching machine. 2nd and 3rd images show before and after rough cut vs final broached shape. 4th image is FightLite FXR mag well inlet funnel compared to standard AR lower mag inlet.

Like ALL FightLite products, our FXR lower receiver is 100% Invented, Designed and Made in our Great USA! 👍🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸

Images and video by .usa

03/24/2026

“Far better it is to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs, even though checkered by failure, than to take rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy much nor suffer much, because they live in the gray twilight that knows not victory or defeat.” - Theodore Roosevelt

RAX -Stay tuned! 👍🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸

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Image by .usa
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03/14/2026

Happy Saturday! Sun’s out, Guns out…but only in USA! Back to the future with the ARES/FightLite AMG-1! 😎👍🇺🇸

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Video by .usa
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03/13/2026

Flashback Full-Auto Friday to May 2012 with our ARES-16 product family lineup! 😎👍🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸

-One Weapon, ANY Mission!

All ARES Defense and FightLite products are manufactured from the highest grade US materials and are 100% Invented, Designed and Made in our Great USA! 👍🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸

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Video by .usa
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03/06/2026

03/06/2026

Full-Auto Friday! A FightLite customer turning the throttle wide open on his FightLite MCR! This appears to be a suppressor test but maybe it was simply an MCR test. Either way, both worked great…Pure American Performance! 🇺🇸

All ARES Defense and FightLite products are manufactured from the highest grade US materials and are 100% Invented, Designed and Made in our Great USA! 👍🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸

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Video by: Unknown. If yours, please DM us for credit and thank you for your business! 👍🇺🇸
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03/04/2026

If you have an ARES Shrike or a FightLite MCR and are using various types of ammunition and maybe a suppressor at times, then this video is for you.

FightLite MCR Gas-Piston Operation with User Adjustable Gas Regulator Explained as well as disassembly procedure.

FightLite DFX owners stand by as we’ll be dropping a video on that system in the near future.

03/02/2026

Kicking off the week with the best in the business…FightLite MCR! One Weapon, ANY Mission!👍🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸

Key Features:
• ”Drop-On” Lightweight Upper
• Dual-Feed, Belt or Mag
• Gas Piston Operation
• Quick-Change Heavy Barrel
• Machine Gun Chamber
• Sustained Fire Bolt and Barrel Extension
• Non-Reciprocating Charger with Folding Handle
• Compresible Feed Roller
• Belts Load in any Position
• Hinged Steel Feed Tray
• Captive Takedown Pins
• Variety of Handguards
• Variety of Barrels
• Easy to Maintain
• Rugged, Accurate, Reliable
• US Design Team with Decades of BeltFed Experience

Like ALL FightLite products, our MCR Dual-Feed upper is Manufactured with Premium US Aerospace Materials and is 100% Invented, Designed and Made in Our Great USA! 👍🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸
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Video by .usa
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