Argentine troops get first Israeli ARAD rifles

Argentina’s armed forces have formally taken on their first IWI ARAD 5 and ARAD 7 rifles from Israel, the start of a program to replace the FN FAL and M-16 rifles now carried by troops in all three services.

Defense Minister Lt. Gen. Carlos Presti presided over the Sept. 29 ceremony after the Joint Staff completed receipt and acceptance testing of the first batch, which Argentina bought from Israel’s Ministry of Defense, the Argentine Defense Ministry said. The ministry said the new rifles will allow the Army, Navy and Air Force to progressively replace their FALs and M-16s.

The ARAD 5 is built on the AR-15 layout, the design family behind the U.S. M16 and M4, and fires the 5.56×45 mm NATO round. The ARAD 7 is built on the larger AR-10 layout and fires the heavier 7.62×51 mm round used by the FAL. Both come with MEPRO M5 red-dot sights made by Israeli company Meprolight and use a modular design that lets units fit different sights and accessories depending on the mission, the ministry said.

In October, personnel from all three services will take operator and maintenance courses taught by Israel Weapon Industries, the rifles’ maker. The second batch is expected in the first quarter of 2027.

The Defense Ministry did not say how many rifles arrived in the first batch or how many Argentina has ordered in total. Zona Militar, whose team attended the ceremony at the Regiment of Infantry 1 “Patricios” in Buenos Aires, reported that the first batch totals 250 rifles: 50 ARAD 7s for the Argentine Army and 200 ARAD 5s split evenly between the Argentine Air Force and the Navy’s marines. Argentine defense outlet Pucará Defensa reported that the batch is part of an initial order for 1,600 rifles.

Joint Staff chief Adm. Marcelo Dalle Nogare said at the ceremony that Argentina is studying whether to set up a local assembly or production line for the rifles, Zona Militar reported. He gave no timeline and did not name an industrial partner. He said the three services defined their requirements in 2024, joint teams evaluated options in Israel, the United States and Europe in 2025, and Argentina and Israel signed an implementation agreement in June 2026.

Presti said Argentina’s range of operating conditions, from high altitude and extreme cold to heat, humidity, jungle and dust, made the choice difficult, and that the aim was to find the best system for Argentina’s needs.

The FAL, a Belgian design, was built under license in Argentina and has been the standard rifle of Argentine troops for about 70 years, including during the 1982 Falklands War. The rifle purchase is one of several major equipment programs underway, alongside F-16 fighters, armored vehicles, a P-3 Orion patrol aircraft for the Navy and Black Hawk helicopters for the Army.

As of Aug. 31, Argentina had recorded 4.75 billion pesos (about $3.1 million) in spending obligations under the rifle program, according to budget data cited by Zona Militar. The receiving services will run their own operational tests before the rifles are fully issued to units.