Due to the inseparability between the product development cycles of POF et. al and procurement cycles of the Pakistan armed forces, Pakistani defence products may fail to meet market expectations or properly react to industry trends. This could be a result of delays in churning new products due to the armed forces delaying procurement or due to the armed forces disagreeing with industry trends, thus directing POF and others to not offer products that are directly analogous to those by its competitors. If not those, then POF et.al may be entirely absent from competing for various overseas requirements due to those market needs being irrelevant to the needs and direction of the domestic userbase.
POF’s current portfolio comprises of licensed copies of Heckler & Koch (HK) G3 7.62×51 mm battle rifles, HK MP5 9×19 mm sub-machine guns, MG1A3 7.62×51 mm machine guns and the G3-based PSR-90 sniper or designated marksman rifle (DMR). Although battle-tested designs, the small-arms industry has been shifting to modular assault rifle platforms (that can be adapted to different calibers). Moreover, new rifle platforms are generally messaged lighter weight and lower in recoil compared to legacy designs.
For POF, its efforts to updating its product catalogue are either confined to the platforms it already has (e.g. the ill-fated 5.56×45 mm PK-08 was derived from the HK G3) or tied to the Pakistan Army both opting to transition to a new rifle and its selection. There are excepts, namely the Light Sniper Rifle (LSR), which involves a domestically forged barrel but imported subcomponents otherwise.
The Army had trialed a range of new rifle designs in 2016, including the FN Herstal SCAR-H, Beretta ARX-200, Česká zbrojovka (CZ) CZ-807, Kalashnikov AK-103 and Zastava M77. Unfortunately, it is not clear where this program currently stands. In 2016, POF did sign a letter-of-understanding (LOU) to negotiate with CZ for a transfer-of-technology package, which CZ confirmed in April 2017. The status of this LOU is unknown. It appears that POF’s main priority is to modernize its manufacturing facilities, requiring $250 million in the next five years, to improve efficiency and reduce production costs. However, based on POF Chairman Lt. General Umer Farooq Durrani’s visit to the Polish Armaments Group (PGZ) in November 2017, it appears that the subject of a new rifle platform is still being discussed.
Delay, or shelving, the new rifle program would leave POF to compete against a spate of new rifle designs. In the GCC, UAE-based Caracal is offering AR-15-based CAR-817 (7.62×51 mm) and CAR-816/814 (5.56×45 mm) assault rifles for domestic and overseas markets. The MPT-76 (7.62×51 mm) by the Turkish company Makina ve Kimya Endüstrisi Kurumu (MKEK) is also on offer to the commercial market. In fact, the MKEK MPT-76 also benefits from domestic Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) adoption, providing economies-of-scale to the AR-based platform. Saudi Arabia is reportedly negotiating with Russia to produce the AK-103 under license, which would see Riyadh domestically fulfil its own requirements and compete in foreign markets.
Quwa Plus
Go Beyond the Headlines on Pakistan’s Defence and Security.
Quwa Plus gives you deeper reporting, briefings, and analysis on Pakistan’s defence programs, foreign policy, national security, and regional strategy. Follow the developments that matter to professionals, analysts, and serious readers tracking Pakistan’s security landscape.
Join ($29.99/Year) Already a subscriber?Sign in
