Back to news

March 26, 2019 | International, Land

The Portuguese army is ditching the G3 and getting a US spec ops-inspired rifle

For years, the Portuguese Army has built their infantry corps around the Gewehr 3 (G3) battle rifle, jointly developed by a team of engineers from Heckler & Koch and the Spanish CETME state-owned research group in the 1950s.

Built under license in Portugal as the Espingarda m/961, this rifle has seen action in conflicts from the Portuguese Colonial War to deployments in Kosovo, East Timor and Afghanistan.

According to both NATO and the country's Ministry of National Defence, it's now time for a drastic change and overhaul that will see the Portuguese Army jump feet first into the 21st century with a large revamp and overhaul of its small arms arsenal and individual soldier systems and kit.

When the country's state-owned arms producer shut down just over a decade ago, it left Portugal without the means to manufacture firearms domestically, and brought about the need to source new weapons from foreign vendors. NATO's Support and Procurement Agency was thus commissioned to find and buy new weaponry for the Portuguese military by the country's defense apparatus.

After a relatively short and streamlined testing and evaluation period, the NSPA awarded Belgian arms giant Fabrique National (FN) Herstal an expansive USD $50.3 million contract to be fulfilled by 2022.

Full article: https://www.militarytimes.com/off-duty/gearscout/irons/2019/03/20/the-portuguese-army-is-ditching-the-g3-and-getting-a-us-spec-ops-inspired-rifle

On the same subject

  • Deadline Extended: Canadian Safety and Security Program Challenges

    April 14, 2021 | International, Security

    Deadline Extended: Canadian Safety and Security Program Challenges

    Deadline Extended: Canadian Safety and Security Program Challenges There's still time! The deadline to apply to the Canadian Safety and Security Program's (CSSP's) 6th call for proposals has been extended to May 11, 2021. The program is looking for your ideas to mitigate the effects of future high-impact, low-frequency events such as pandemics, natural disasters, or other disruptive forces caused by natural events or human activity. The challenges are aimed at reducing societal and economic disruptions, bolster the security of critical supply chains, and develop confidence in automation and virtual operations to enhance domestic resiliency. View the Call for Proposals here: http://science.gc.ca/eic/site/063.nsf/eng/h_98225.html Thank you, The IDEaS Team Date limite prolongée pour le 6e appel de propositions du PCSS Il vous reste encore du temps! La date limite pour présenter une proposition au 6e appel de propositions du Programme canadien pour la sûreté et la sécurité (PCSS) a été reportée au 11 mai 2021. Le programme est à la recherche de vos idées pour atténuer les effets de futurs événements à fort impact et à faible fréquence tels que pandémies, catastrophes naturelles ou autres forces perturbatrices causées par des événements naturels ou des activités humaines. Les défis visent à réduire les perturbations sociétales et économiques, à renforcer la sécurité des chaînes d'approvisionnement critiques et à développer la confiance dans l'automatisation et les opérations virtuelles pour améliorer la résilience nationale. Consultez l'appel de propositions ici: http://science.gc.ca/eic/site/063.nsf/fra/h_98225.html Merci, L'équipe IDEeS

  • Sweden vows to push defense collaboration, cyber defense at EU helm

    January 6, 2023 | International, C4ISR

    Sweden vows to push defense collaboration, cyber defense at EU helm

    Stockholm has set out to move the needle on joint procurement arrangements for military equipment within the European Union.

  • ''No company is immune''€™: Supply chain woes weigh on defense firms

    November 24, 2021 | International, Aerospace, Naval, Land, C4ISR, Security

    ''No company is immune''€™: Supply chain woes weigh on defense firms

    Supply chain problems have hit all sides of the defense industry in unexpected ways -- and small businesses with narrower profit margins are particularly worried about how they can weather this storm.

All news