After severing ties, Colombia unveils domestically produced rifle to replace Israeli arms

Colombia unveiled its first domestically produced combat rifle, intended to replace Israeli weapons, in a move that follows diplomatic tensions with Israel after ties were severed.

On Monday, Colombia displayed the country’s first assault rifle designed and manufactured entirely domestically, a step meant to replace the Israeli “Galil” rifle that has been assembled locally since the 1990s.

The announcement came after Bogotá decided to halt purchases of certain arms supplies from Israel and later from the United States, prompting it to strengthen its defense industrial capabilities to achieve greater self-sufficiency and reduce reliance on foreign suppliers.

The new rifle was developed by local defense firms in cooperation with military technology institutions, and was designed to meet the Colombian armed forces’ requirements for adaptability to local terrain, ease of maintenance, and mass production.

The move is a strategic signal of Colombia’s desire to bolster national military manufacturing and create a domestic supply chain, which could have positive effects on jobs and technology transfer while reducing exposure to external pressure or restrictions on arms purchases.

In 2024, leftist President Gustavo Petro stopped buying weapons from Israel in protest over the war in the Gaza Strip.

According to data published by local media, Colombia was producing around 30,000 “Galil” rifles annually — the weapon used in fighting rebel movements and drug-trafficking gangs that operate across large parts of the country.

The new rifle is made of steel and polymer and is 15% lighter and 25% cheaper than the “Galil,” according to the company’s general manager, retired Colonel Javier Camargo.

Colonel Camargo said the goal is to produce 400,000 rifles within five years “to gradually replace the current weapons in the armed forces” and thereby enable Colombia to achieve “self-sufficiency.”