U.S. company Lewis Machine and Tool to provide Estonian army with 16,000 assault rifles.

On 4 December 2018, the Estonian Centre for Defence Investment (Riigi Kaitseinvesteeringute Keskus) has announced that the U.S. company Lewis Machine & Tool (LMT) is the winner of the contest for a contract to supply 16,000 automatic assault rifles to the army.

Estonian Defence Forces are currently equipped with two kind of rifles: the Galil (used by the 1st Infantry Brigade) and the AK4 (a licensed G3 clone used by the 2nd Infantry Brigade) (Picture source: Youtube)

According to a statement made on 4 December, at the proposal of the Tender Committee, LMT was declared the winner in the tender for the supply of 5.56 mm and 7.62 mm assault rifles for the Estonian Defence Forces (EDF) and the country’s other armed structures. Under the planned contract, Estonia will buy some 16,000 firearms with additional equipment for €22 million during the 2019-2021 period. The Estonian military hope to receive the first of the new assault rifles by the 24th February, Estonian Independence Day, 2019. The contract must also include an option for the purchase of additional weapons through 2026.