The Georgian Minister of Defence, Juansher Burchuladze, has announced that production of new M4 self-loading carbines is planned through a Georgian-Israeli enterprise. The new domestically produced 5.56×45mm M4 carbines will be produced by the end of 2021.
The Georgian program “Defense Forces 2030” is the catalyst for the new development of arms partnerships between Georgia and a host of other nations (Israel, Poland, and South Africa) in order to modernize the Georgian military. At least part of the modernizations will take the form of small arms and UAVs. The Georgian Army already uses the M4 carbine as its primary infantry service weapon.
Fig.1.1. Georgian soldiers of the 31st Light Infantry Battalion scan their sector of fire while conducting an entry control point lane during a Mission Rehearsal Exercise (MRE) at the Joint Multinational Readiness Center in Hohenfels, Germany, Aug. 13, 2017. (U.S. Army photo by Spc. Malik Gibson)
Burchuladze told the Georgian parliament that “I would like to tell you the good news related to the start of production of M-4 rifles. A new Georgian-Jewish enterprise will launch the production of M-4 automatic firearms on the territory of “Delta” by the end of the year.” He also noted that “In February of this year, the Defense Forces, with the support of the United States, have already received new types of machine guns and grenade launchers. At the same time, the process of equipping with M2 type 12mm large-caliber machine guns and new MK19 type automatic grenade launchers is underway.”
Fig.1.2. A Georgian soldier with the 12th Georgian Infantry Battalion provides security during the Georgian Mission Rehearsal Exercise at the Hohenfels Training Area in Germany, Oct. 16, 2019. (U.S. Army Photo by Spc. Julian Padua)
While no Israeli small arms manufacturers have made statements regarding the partnership, IWI did not respond to requests to comment on its involvement when asked by Israeldefense.com. Similarly, Emtan also denied involvement when approached with the same question. With the knowledge that IWI has been producing and supplying their Arad AR-pattern self-loading rifle platform to the world, and their Zion line of AR-pattern self-loading rifles and pistols to the United States domestic market, it is not out of the question that IWI will be the ones providing the tooling and data packages to Georgia.
If you enjoy our work here at Silah Report please consider supporting us on Patreon!
Sources:
“Georgian-Jewish Enterprise to Start Producing M4 Rifles.” Georgian Journal. May 14, 2021. Accessed November 5, 2021. <https://georgianjournal.ge/military/37066-georgian-jewish-enterprise-to-start-producing-m4-rifles.html>
Boguslavsky, Eyal. “Israeli small arms to be produced in Georgia starting from this year.” Israel Defense. Accessed November 5, 2021. Accessed November 5, 2021. <https://www.israeldefense.co.il/en/node/50015>