The AR15 or ‘M16’ & ‘M4’ pattern self-loading rifles are a very popular choice in many commercial and military markets the world over, Pakistan is no exception. Some Pakistani law-enforcement and military units utilise varying models of this platform already and a large prevalence of M4 and M16 5.56×45mm rifles of various types and manufacturers have been creeping onto the market slowly in the last few decades or so, none more so than the Colt or FN marked M4A1 and M16A2/A4 rifles seeping through from Afghanistan in the last decade. There is such a high demand for these particular firearms and a low supply and high price for genuine examples that various manufacturers stepped up-to-the plate and have started to manufacture their own copies within the ex-FATA and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa region, mainly in Peshawar’s small-arms manufacturing zones but also within the infamous arms manufacturing town of Darra Adamkhel.
5.56×45mm
65,000 5.56×45mm Rifles Delivered to Turkish Security Forces
İsmail Demir, President of Turkey’s Presidential Defense Industry, provided new information on the efforts of local and national products to join the weapons inventory of the security forces. The Presidency of Defense Industries is a civil institution which oversees Turkey’s defense industry and facilitating procurement for the Turkish military, İsmail Demir has been the head of the agency since April 2014. The new information provided by Demir to the ‘Anadolu Agency‘, confirms that the number of 5.56×45mm infantry rifles produced in Turkey has exceeded 65,000 to date.