In an act of emergency, the Swedish armed forces quickly closed a deal with US weapons manufacturer Colt for the delivery of 15,000 Colt M4A1 machine guns. The current personal weapons of the Swedish troops are reportedly in such a bad state, that the nation’s safety would be at risk in case of a military crisis.
The urgent purchase was confirmed by the Swedish Armed Forces Matériel Agency (FMV). Sweden closed a deal with Finnish Sako in 2023, but the delivery of the new machine guns is behind schedule. As late as 5 November 2024, FMV ordered another 22,500 M23 automatic rifles from Sako. Designated AK 24 (Automatkarabin 24) in Swedish military service, 7,300 are planned to arrive before year’s end. The remainder is to come “later”, but apparently the needs of the Swedish military are that high, that the urgent order with Colt was made. The calibre of the rifle ordered is 5.56 millimetre.
Replacing H&K G3 and FN FNC
The new rifles are to be used by all services of the Swedish armed forces, and by all ranks, from conscripts and professional recruits to career officers. The Colts and Sakos are replacing the AK 4s (licence-built Swedish version of the German Heckler & Koch G3) and AK 5s (Swedish version of the Belgian FN FNC). FMV has not disclosed what the emergency purchase with Colt will cost the Swedish taxpayer. | © 2024 Marcel Burger, nordicreporter.com. Featured photo: Swedish armed forces sporting the AK 5 (Photo: Marcel Burger)