The Finnish company Sako, a manufacturer of light weapons, announced this week that it signed agreements with Sweden and Finland to supply various light weapons produced by it to the armies of these countries.
The Swedish Military Procurement Directorate (FMV) purchased at this stage assault rifles in calibers 5.56×45 mm and 7.62×51 mm, sniper rifles in caliber 7.62×51 mm and .338 Lapua Magnum ammunition in caliber 8.6 mm. All this at a value of 78 million euros. The new weapons are intended to replace the AK4 and AK5 assault rifles as well as the Psg90 sniper rifles currently in service.
Delivery of the sniper rifles is planned for 2024, while the new 5.56 mm assault rifles will not be introduced until 2025, followed by other types of small arms.
The Swedish army has been in need of replenishment of its weapons stock for some time. The AK4 rifles have been in use since the 1960s and the AK5 rifle was developed in the early 1980s and has been updated several times since its first introduction. According to Sako, as a result of the delivery of the new weapons, the Swedish army will have a variety of modern and light weapons with better human engineering and greater adaptability to each and every user.
Regarding Finland, in the first phase the Finns will purchase assault rifles for testing and field trials worth 0.7 million euros.