INDO-PACIFIC A New Domestically Produced Service in Pakistan?

OE Watch Commentary: The government of Pakistan has been looking to replace the current service rifle for its armed forces for the past few years and as the accompanying excerpted article reports, it may have taken a step forward in this process. The article from Quwa.org, a website with defense news on Pakistan, reports how “Pakistan Ordnance Factories (POF) revealed three new in its product catalogue,” including the PK18 and PK21. The author notes several aspects of the PK18 and points out how POF is marketing the rifle as “ergonomic, modular, accurate and highly reliable in most difficult operational conditions.” The article does not mention it, but if chosen, the PK18 would apparently replace the Heckler & Koch G3 currently in service. The author also points out how the PK21 appears to be a “Kalashnikov variant” and that while POF labeled it as an “AK-103 in parenthesis” during a recent exhibition, “no licensed production agreement is in place between the and POF.” The announcement of the development of the PK18 and PK21 comes a few months after the Pakistani government failed to reach an agreement with Kalashnikov Concern for the purchase of a modern variant of a , partly due to the efforts of the Indian government to block the deal (see: “India and Pakistan: Deal or No Deal for Russian ,” OE Watch, September 2019). The PK21 would presumably replace the Type 56 rifle currently in service. Lastly, the author mentions that in order to produce the amount of rifles needed to replace the G3 and/or the Type 56, “POF will need access to polymers and other materials as well as a highly precise machining equipment.” The author also notes how a few years ago POF “requested $250 million US (spread over five years) to Pakistani soldier carrying the G3A4 variant after Swat Operation at modernize its facilities, especially as 58% of its machinery is now over 30 years of the highest point in the Swat valley on May 12, 2009. Source: Al Jazeera English via Wikimedia, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Raising_the_flag_in_Swat_-_ age.” It is not mentioned if this budget request was granted, but the appearance of the Flickr_-_Al_Jazeera_English.jpg, CC BY-SA 2.0 PK18 and PK21 could indicate the Pakistani government put some effort toward this. While it is unknown when a decision on selecting a new service rifle will be made, the article shows that the government appears to be trying to move forward to produce a rifle on its own.End OE Watch Commentary (Stein)

“It is unclear if the Pakistan Army will opt for the PK18 and/or PK21 for its standard-issue firearms requirements.”

Source: Bilal Khan, “Pakistan Ordnance Factories Reveals New PK18 and PK21 Assault Rifles,” Quwa, 31 October 2019. https://quwa.org/2019/10/31/pakistan-ordnance-factories-reveals-new-pk18-and-pk21-assault-rifles/

Pakistan Ordnance Factories (POF) revealed three new firearms in its product catalogue: the PK18 , PK21 (SMG), and POF-10 . POF is marketing the PK18 as a 7.62×51 mm gas operated assault rifle…the PK18 has a total weight of 3.8 kg and effective range of 400 m to 600 m. It has a muzzle velocity of 780-820 m/second, and each of the PK18’s magazines can carry 20 rounds. POF states that the PK18 is “ergonomic, modular, accurate and highly reliable in most difficult operational conditions.”… The PK21 is a 7.62×39 mm assault rifle. It appears that the PK21 is a Kalashnikov variant, and though POF labels it as an AK-103 in parenthesis, no licensed production agreement is in place between the Kalashnikov Concern and POF… The PK18 appears to be based on the AR-platform and, given the availability of marketing materials, the closest to availability. It is unclear if the Pakistan Army will opt for the PK18 and/or PK21 for its standard-issue firearms requirements… For full-scale production, POF will need access to polymers and other materials as well as a highly precise machining equipment. In fact, in November 2017 POF requested $250 million US (spread over five years) to modernize its facilities, especially as 58% of its machinery is now over 30 years of age. These constraints have likely affected its sharp drop in exports in 2018-2019, which stood at $7.13 million US (from $58.15 million US in 2017-2018 and $67.80 million US in 2016-2017).

OE Watch | December 2019 35