A Review of Iran’s Defense Industries Organization (DIO) Latest Products: Part Two

 In this second part of our series looking at the Iranian Defense Industries Organization (DIO)’s current offerings we will examine AR-15 pattern rifles, precision rifles, and machine guns. In the first part of this series we examined the origins of Persian and Iranian small arms manufacturing and explored some of the DIO’s submachine guns and rifle offerings.

Masaaf 5.56 and 7.62

DIO’s Shahid Chamran branch has designed and produced an AR-15 pattern self-loading rifle, the Masaaf – chambered in 5.56×45mm and 7.62×51mm. The Masaaf rifles use the standard direct impingement gas system and besides its unique handguard, the rest of the parts are very similar to M4/M4A1 pattern carbine. According to the specifications published in DIO’s catalog, the Masaaf uses the Picatinny 1913 standard rail for mounting accessories and it is equipped with a four position telescopic buttstock. Masaaf platform has been introduced in two versions, Masaaf 5.56 and Masaaf 7.62.

Mersad 2 Bolt Action Sniper Rifle

A new platform that is available on DIO’s 2021 list is Mersad 2 medium-range bolt action sniper rifle. The Mersad 2 weights over 6.2kg without a scope and its stock furniture is made from wood and uses two Picatinny rails so the operator of the rifle can mount optical sights and bipod if needed. Mersad 2 has a magazine capacity of 5 rounds and fires 7.62×51mm ammunition. It is believed Mersad 2 is one of the first efforts by DIO to produce a medium-range bolt action sniper rifle.

AM-50 Anti Material Rifle

DIO’s copy of the Austrian Steyr HS.50 anti-material bolt action rifle, the AM-50, has been in production for more than a decade and it is still manufactured by DIO. The easiest way to spot the difference between an AM-50 and the Austrian HS.50 is the AM’s pistol grip which is similar to the Chinese CQ5.56 rifle. The AM-50 fires 12.7×99mm ammunition but it seems that 12.7×108mm is also produced but throughout the DIO’s latest catalog it is not mentioned.

Hoveyzeh 12.7 Anti Material Rifle

One of the newest anti-material rifles developed by DIO is the Hoveyzeh 12.7mm. Hoveyzeh is the name of a city in the Khouzestan province of Iran which was infamous for its role in the Iran-Iraq war. The design of this rifle is loosely based on the American Barrett M82 anti-material rifle and in the DIO’s catalog it has been mentioned that the rifle was used by US troops in Desert Storm. The mechanism of the Hoveyzeh 12.7’s barrel is very similar to the original M82 which moves 2.5 inches backwards when fired. Hoveyzeh 12.7 has a magazine capacity of 5 rounds with an effective range of 1,200 meters and can operate all standard 12.7×99mm ammunition. Interestingly the buttstock of the rifle has a very similar design with AM-50 and uses an M16 type of pistol grip. Due to rumors, Iranian-backed Popular Mobilization Forces in Iraq have passed Barrett rifles to Iran which played an important role to adopt the design of Hoveyzeh.

PKM General Purpose Machinegun

Iran’s PKM clone is mistakenly called the ‘Guryonev’ in the DIO’s catalog and by Iranian military personnel, this lightweight machine gun has been produced for more than three decades. DIO produces the PKS version for infantry usage and PKT solenoid-fired coaxial machinegun for tanks and armored vehicles. PKM has been officially replaced by German/DIO-produced, under license Rheinmetall, MG-3 machine gun which is seemingly not in the production line anymore.

 

Tactical Light Machine Gun

Essentially a local upgrade of the PKM by DIO. By reducing the length of the barrel from 604mm to 402mm, adding a detachable bipod, and a telescopic buttstock the Tactical Light Machine Gun is a handier weapon. In the DIO’s catalog, the purpose of producing a short barrel is mentioned to be for use by SOF units and an environment in which machine gunner needs a lightweight machine gun which is easy to be carried and operated. The Tactical Light Machine Gun’s weight is 7kg, which is a full kilogram lighter than the original PKM. The weapon has an effective range of 800m and in a recent exhibition on the day of victory on the 24th May, a new version of the gun was displayed which was equipped with a muzzle brake and a heatshield that comes with a Picatinny 1913-pattern rail on the heat shield and the feed tray cover.

7.62×51mm Gatling 

DIO’s copy of the US-made M134 Minigun, which has a fire rate of 2,000 to 4,000 rounds per minute. The formidable 7.62×51mm Gatling has an effective range of 800 meters and is capable of being mounted on land, sea and air platforms. According to the information published in the DIO’s catalogue the 7.62mm Gatling is reportedly capable of firing 500 rounds nonstop.

38mm Anti Riot launcher

Two versions of the break-action 38mm Anti Riot launcher are under production by DIO. The first version is a short barrel Pistol launcher that weights 1.39kg loaded and the second, is a long barrel launcher that is equipped with a telescopic buttstock, a folding forward grip attached to the barrel, and weights 2.34kg loaded. According to DIO, the 38mm Anti Riot launcher can be operated with tear gas, incendiary, flare, and smoke rounds.

26.5mm flare launcher

The smaller 26.5mm flare launcher is also produced in two versions, the first version which is a pistol-based single action launcher, uses the unique pistol grip of MG-3 machine gun and weights 0.9kg and the second is a pinfire launcher which is without a pistol grip and the operator loads the canister from the back of the launcher and weighs 0.45g.

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