Will Sao Paulo Military Police acquire 'Arad' assault rifles from IWI?

Last week, the Brazilian force's Military Equipment Center received five multi-caliber "Arad" rifles to evaluate the use of .300BLK caliber ammunition in urban and rural operational scenarios 

Will Sao Paulo Military Police acquire 'Arad' assault rifles from IWI?

The Arad rifle. Photo: IWI Int'l 

Is Brazil's Sao Paulo State Military Police considering the purchase of "Arad" assault rifles made by Israel's IWI? The Infodefensa website reported that last week the police's Military Equipment Center (CMB) received five multi-caliber "Arad" rifles from the Israeli company, marking the beginning of the police's study of .300BLK (7.62X35mm) caliber ammunition. The CMB's Technical Corps will evaluate various aspects of the ammunition and its use in urban and rural operational scenarios, the report said.

According to Lieutenant Colonel Marco Aurélio Valério from the CMB, the study will require approximately 210,000 shots in various situations in order to generate the necessary data to determine whether or not the weapon is suitable for the police. The Sao Paulo State Military Police will be the first in Brazil to carry out a study of .300BLK caliber ammunition, which is between 5.56mm and 7.62mm, he said. Valerio added that the police expects to have a detailed final report within 180 days, after more than 70,000 shots of each of the three types of ammunition. There is little literature on .300BLK even though it is being used widely in the United States and Europe, he said.

Sao Paulo State Military Police officers are technically considered military personnel, but they carry out community policing, patrols, and traffic enforcement that city police often perform. The force is organized in a military manner, divided into a series of battalions. Its more than 100,000 personnel are deployed in the 40 cities and towns within the Greater Sao Paulo region.

IWI did not respond to a request for comment.  

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