The Madsen LAR was a battle rifle of Danish origin chambered in the 7.62×51mm NATO caliber.

Its layout is similar to a number of rifles at the time, such as the GRAM 63 and the Valmet M62.

Development of the Madsen LAR can be traced back to 1957 when various arms manufacturers such as FN Herstal and Heckler & Koch were producing the FN FAL and the Heckler & Koch G3, respectively.

The earlier assault rifle variant (chambered for the 7.62×39mm M43 round but incompatible with AK magazines) was intended for the armed forces of Finland and to draw them away from using a Soviet-based design, the Valmet M62.

However, Finland, being a neutral country, ignored this and went ahead with the Valmet M62, adopting it as their standard service rifle due to its cheaper cost for production and potentially better reliability.