Soacha (Colombia) (AFP) – Colombian officials said Monday the country has produced its first combat rifle, a cheaper, lighter weapon aimed at replacing the arms that were once supplied its former military ally Israel.
Leftist President Gustavo Petro broke ties with Israel in 2024 to protest Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s ongoing military offensive in the Gaza Strip.
State-owned weapons manufacturer Indumil produced the arms – the first combat rifle manufactured in Colombia – to replace the Galil, a rifle that had been assembled in Colombia using Israeli components since the 1990s.
The goal is to manufacture 400,000 lighter and cheaper rifles in five years and “gradually replace current weapons in the armed forces,” Indumil manager and retired Colonel Javier Carmago told AFP.
Experts have voiced doubt that the Latin American country can get up to production capacity without paying a steep price.
The new weapons, made of steel and polymer, are 15 to 25 percent lighter.
Petro also halted purchases of arms from the United States, after President Donald Trump removed Colombia from his list of allies in the fight against drugs.
For the past three decades, Colombia’s leaders have taken up arms against guerrillas and drug traffickers involved in cocaine and illegal gold operations.
!noncredibledefense@piefed.social enjoyers when a new combat rifle design appears:
Her name is Miranda and I love her.
https://colombiaone.com/2025/09/26/colombia-miranda-rifle-replace-israeli-models/
(yes I realize the weapon is named after a man, you cannot stifle true love)
Basically this superficially looks like the Bushmaster ACR that every COD player got a gunboner for, with the difference being that Miranda will actually exist in large numbers.
Essentially, its a homegrown Galil ACE, but a bit more modernized; 65% polymer construction vs the Galil ACE being 70% steel, thus the weapon is lighter. Also is claimed to be more modular and easier to take down, also is claimed to have superior corrosion resistance.
Chambered in 5.56, but the internals much more resemble that of an AK than an AR 15, as is the case with a Galil, using a long stroke gas piston instead of the typical AR-15’s direct impingement system.
My guess would be that these Mirandas are going to be much cheaper to produce than any US natively produced AR/AK hybrids, but that also probably will not matter in that it will almost certainly not be legal for a person in the US to import one… Colombia also probably won’t legally export them to the US.
And it’s somehow not a bullpup!
??
The Tavor is the Israeli bullpup rifle/family of modular weapons, the Galil has always been a standard layout.
Tavor TAR 21
Galil ACE II (most modern Galil variant)
The ‘Miranda’ is based on the Galil, not the Tavor.
Right, I just meant that a lot of countries give in to the temptation to make bullpups. Basing theirs on a traditional, proven design was a good call on Colombia’s part.
Ooooh I missed the joke.
My bad lol.
Galil is a shit weapon anyways, good on them
