Thai Ministry of Defense testing MOD2020 assault rifle prototypes.

According to Defense Studies, the Ministry of Defense of Thailand has tested prototypes of the domestic MOD2020 5.56mm assault rifles from late June to July 2022 at the firing range of the 2nd Infantry Battalion, 19th Infantry Regiment, 9th Infantry Division based in Kanchanaburi Province.
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Testing prototype of Thai MOD2020 5.56mm assault rifles (Picture source: Cook BulletRuning)

The tests included endurance for continuous firing 6,000 rounds, soaking in mud, dust and sand, then firing, high humidity and soaking in 5% NaCl saline conditions for 10 days before new test firing. If certificated by the Armament Standard Committee of the Ministry of Defense of Thailand, the MOD2020 will be manufactured in 25 copies for further testing, followed by lot 1 production line for 50 service rifles in mid-2023.

Testing prototype of Thai MOD2020 5.56mm assault rifles included firing after soaking in mud (Picture source: Cook BulletRuning)

MOD2020 5.56mm assault rifle (Picture source: Cook BulletRuning)

The developer's personal Facebook account has clarified that the latest MOD963 and MOD2020 rifles are not related to NARAC556 rifles of NARAC Arms Industry (NRC). The Ministry of Defense of Thailand purchased an undisclosed number of indigenous NARAC556 assault rifles manufactured by local company NARAC Arms Industry (NRC Ammunition), designated MOD 963 and MOD 963 AR for 20 "and 14.5" length barrels respectively. The NARAC556 family is based on improvements of the Colt AR-15 family in service with the Royal Thai Army (RTA), Thai Navy (RTN), Royal Thai Air Force (RTAF) and Royal Thai Police (RTP) in many versions such as M16A1, M16A2, M16A4, CAR-15, M4, etc. The components of the NARAC556 rifle are 80 percent home-made. The weapon passed the standard test imposed by the Armament Standards Committee, Ministry of Defense, namely the durability of firing more than 6,000 rounds.