The ARES FMG is a folding submachine gun designed by Francis J. Warin of Oak Harbor, Ohio, while he worked at Eugene Stoner`s ARES Inc. Warin designed the gun for concealment and covert use, describing it as a “businessman`s personal defense weapon”. Allegedly, Warin 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. Two prototypes exist.
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.
The Ares FMG can be folded with its 20-round UZI magazine loaded. A 32-round magazine was also available, but its use prevented folding the weapon. The original prototype was designed to use a WWII German MP40 magazine. The second prototype used UZI magazines and had a three shot burst mechanism as well.
The weapon inspired a Russian, and a Ukrainian copy that is almost identical except for caliber, magazine and folding sights that were added.
While descriptions of a fictional "ARES II FMG" exist on the web, the actual ARES FMG was only chambered in 9x19mm Parabellum.
