Israeli Ministry of Defense Cancels Ari Arms' Unexpected Tender Win

The Israeli Ministry of Defense unexpectedly canceled the awarding of a tender to Ari Arms for the supply of tens of thousands of assault rifles to the IDF, valued at over 100 million shekels. The cancellation of the tender itself is also unusual. This, according to a report by Roni Singer and Daniel Dolev on the Shomrim (the guardians) non-profit investigative journalism website. 

Ari Arms, primarily known as a manufacturer of firearm components such as handguards and grips, was a surprising winner, as we reported in August. The company changed its name at the beginning of 2024 after businessman Avichai Stolero acquired a stake in it.

The tender also included more established industry players, such as IWI and Emtan, which specialize in manufacturing complete firearms. The winning bidder was required to produce 20,000 assault rifles in Israel, with an emphasis on local production of most components.

"It has also been revealed that attorney Yitzhak Wechtel, former deputy legal advisor of the Ministry of Defense’s procurement and tenders division, served as a consultant for Ari Arms in the tender," according to the report. "The company claimed to have sold 1,000 rifles to the Philippine military and published information about a strategic partnership with the Azerbaijani defense industry."

The Ministry of Defense's response: The tenders committee reviewed issues related to the tender in question and decided that due to irregularities found in the bidding process, the tender must be canceled. The matter is still under court review.