In the spring of 2023, the Defense Materiel Administration, FMV, signed a framework agreement with the Finnish supplier Sako for new firearms. It is the selected model automatic carbine 24 that is now being tested.
The test personnel fire 2,000 rounds a day, which is as much as a soldier fires – in a year.
– It looks good and we have fired 29,000 shots from a weapon without any major problems, says Tony Ferm who is a system engineer and test shooter at the facility in Karlsborg.
Correct replacement?
Within the Armed Forces, there have been discussions about whether the automatic carbine 24 is the right replacement, but Anders Hedman, who is the head of the test site, feels safe with the new weapon.
– It’s a good weapon. But there are always different tastes and it’s kind of like discussing which car you think is the best, he says.
100,000 weapons to be replaced
During the summer, the carbine is tested outside at four different units, and by the end of the year, 7,500 weapons should have been delivered from the Finnish factory. But in the long run, a total of 100,000 automatic carbines are to be replaced.
– It is about many weapons. But the old ones from the 1980s are getting worn out and now you have to do this, says Anders Hedman.