US Orders $13 Million in Weapons for “Israel” Amid Local Production Delays

By Staff, Agencies

The US War Department has ordered $13 million worth of weapons for “Israel” from rifle manufacturer Colt, the department reported this week, despite “Israel’s” efforts to reduce reliance on imports amid concerns over a potential arms embargo.

The order includes M4A1 rifles, along with suppressors—also known as silencers—and flash hiders, the component mounted on a weapon's barrel that regulates the muzzle flash produced when firing. The deal is funded through US military aid allocated to “Israel” for 2025.

According to security officials, the order was placed more than six months ago but was only recently reported, with American-made rifles already being supplied to the “Israeli” army.

The purchase runs counter to a move initiated by “Israel’s” War Ministry at the start of 2024 to procure domestically produced rifles. The ministry sought to replace the locally manufactured Tavor rifles used by some infantry units and issued a tender for new weapons based on Colt’s M4, to be produced by local companies. The goal was to reduce “Israel’s” dependence on imports and protect it from a potential arms embargo.

The tender faced multiple delays after some bidders requested postponements. Even after Ari Arms won the bid, the company was disqualified following appeals by rival contenders—a puzzling decision, given that Ari Arms was selected again in a subsequent round of the tender in May 2025.

That decision awarded the company a contract to supply the “Israeli” army with 12,000 M4A1 rifles for 30 million “shekels” [approximately $8 million]. The order is expected to expand to 20,000 rifles for 50 million shekels [roughly $13.5 million], at an estimated cost of about 3,000 shekels per rifle [around $800].

Prolonged delays in the “Israeli” tender appear to have prompted the US order. Still, delivery from the American side has also been slow: while supplies from Colt have already begun, the order is not expected to be completed until June 2026.