Vietnam Unveils New 7.62x39 mm "Negev" Machine Gun at Defense Expo 2024
The Vietnamese Defense Industry's surprise move to produce the "Negev" machine gun in two calibers
Photo: IWI
At the Vietnam Defense Expo 2024, an international military exhibition held recently in Hanoi, the Vietnamese Defense Industry publicly unveiled a "Negev" machine gun chambered in 7.62x39 mm caliber for the first time.
According to The Firearm Blog, this unveiling was unexpected, as there had been no prior indications that the Vietnamese Defense Industry planned to manufacture "Negev" machine guns. This includes the 7.62x39 mm variant as well as a 5.56x45 mm version also presented at the event.
In 2014, Vietnam signed a deal with Israeli small arms manufacturer IWI, initiating the production of a modified version of the Galil ACE. The introduction of the “Negev,” particularly in 7.62x39 mm, appears to be a logical progression. Currently, the Vietnamese Army employs the RPD, a Soviet belt-fed machine gun designed in the late 1940s, as its standard squad light machine gun (LMG). Replacing such an outdated design with a modern system seems like a natural step. Like its 5.56 mm counterpart, the 7.62 mm "Negev" features a dual-feed system, enabling it to use both RPD belts and standard AK magazines.
The Firearm Blog speculates that Vietnam will likely produce both calibers of the "Negev" machine gun, given that its Naval Infantry uses weapons chambered for the 5.56 cartridge.