On August 6, 2024, the Israeli Ministry of Defense officially launched a tender for the supply of 20,000 M4 assault rifles, fully designed and manufactured in Israel for the Israel Defense Forces (IDF). This tender is split into two lots, with the first comprising 14,000 rifles and the second 6,000, thus allowing two different manufacturers to each secure a part of the contract.
The anticipated participants in this contract include three major players in Israel’s small arms industry: Israel Weapons Industries (IWI) with its Arad rifle, Emtan Karmiel with the MZ-4, and Silver Shadow with the Gilboa model. Testing and evaluation of the proposed prototypes have not yet started, but they are scheduled before the end of the year, when a final decision is expected.
This tender reflects the Ministry of Defense’s commitment to modernizing the IDF’s equipment and promoting strategic autonomy and technological innovation within the Israeli defense industry.