BUENOS AIRES — Argentina’s Armed Forces have begun receiving Israel Weapon Industries (IWI) ARAD 5 and ARAD 7 rifles under a government-to-government agreement with Israel. The deal was facilitated by SIBAT, the International Defense Cooperation Directorate of Israel’s Ministry of Defense, as part of Argentina’s programme to modernise its individual weapons.
First Batch of 250 Rifles
The first batch includes 250 rifles: 50 ARAD 7 rifles for the Army and 200 ARAD 5 rifles, with 100 allocated to the Air Force and 100 to the Navy’s Marine Corps. Acceptance testing was completed at the Guarnición Militar de Campo de Mayo before the rifles were formally presented.
The initial delivery is part of a larger order of around 1,600 rifles. A second batch is scheduled for the first quarter of 2027, while IWI will begin operator and maintenance training for personnel from all three services in October 2026.
Selection and Evaluation
Argentina’s selection followed a technical and operational evaluation that began in 2024 and was conducted by the Joint Staff in 2025, involving the Army, Navy and Air Force. A total of eight companies from Argentina, Israel, Europe and the United States were evaluated.
The implementation agreement between the Argentine and Israeli defence ministries was signed in June 2026.
ARAD 5 and ARAD 7 Rifles
The ARAD 5 uses an AR-15-type architecture and fires 5.56×45mm NATO ammunition, while the ARAD 7 uses an AR-10-type architecture and fires 7.62×51mm NATO ammunition.
Both rifles use a short-stroke gas-piston operating system, fully ambidextrous controls and a free-floating, cold hammer-forged barrel. They also feature an integrated Picatinny rail and M-LOK handguard for mounting optics and other accessories.
IWI states that the major components are designed for a minimum service life of 20,000 rounds.
Meprolight M5 Optics
The rifles are equipped with Meprolight M5 red-dot sights. The LED-based sights can operate for thousands of hours in day mode using a single AA battery and include adjustable brightness settings. They can also be integrated with night-vision devices.
Replacing Older Rifles
The ARAD rifles are replacing FN FAL rifles used by Argentine Army infantry and defence and security personnel in the Air Force and Navy, as well as M-16 rifles used by the Marine Infantry.
Argentina is also evaluating the possibility of local assembly or production of the ARAD rifles. However, no domestic manufacturing partner or timeline has been finalised.
Ronen Hamudot, vice chairman of SK Group, IWI’s parent company, said the company was proud that Argentina selected the ARAD 5 and ARAD 7. He described the ARAD family as combining durability, precision and adaptability, based on IWI’s experience working with field operators.
IWI says its small arms are supplied to military, law-enforcement and special-operations organisations in more than 60 countries and that it is a major supplier to the Israeli Defense Forces and Israeli Police.
——— End of Article ———