On February 20, 2019, FN Herstal, a Belgian manufacturer of light weapons, was selected to supply thousands of weapons to the Portuguese Army, as part of a contract awarded by the NATO Support and Supply Agency (NSPA). This is, to date, NSPA’s largest contract related to the production of assault rifles, and was described by the agency itself as an “important milestone” in its activity.
The contract was formally signed between the Commercial Director of FN Herstal and the Director General of NSPA, reinforcing the partnership between NATO and its member countries in the field of modernization of military equipment.
NSPA made a short statement:
NSPA has today signed a contract with the Belgian company FN Herstal, one of the world’s leading manufacturers of small arms. This contract represents the largest ever supply of FN SCAR® rifles and FN MINIMI® machine guns as new standard weapons for the Portuguese Army.
The supply includes:
- FN SCAR® assault rifles in NATO calibers 5.56 mm and 7.62 mm
- FN40GL grenade launcher
- FN MINIMI® Mk3 tactical light machine guns in calibers 5.56 mm and 7.62 mm
- Complementary accessories and equipment
With this acquisition, the Portuguese Army is preparing to replace the weapons systems currently in use – namely the HK G3 (manufactured under license in Portugal), as well as the MG3 and HK21 machine guns – with modern and technologically advanced weaponry.
Although the exact value of the contract has not been officially disclosed, sources indicate that, when the program was launched in 2017, the acquisition of 11,000 FN SCAR® 5.56 mm rifles was planned, with an estimated budget of around 42.8 million euros (approximately 50.3 million dollars).
This acquisition represents a decisive step in the modernization of the Portuguesen Army’s firepower capacity, allowing not only the replacement of obsolete weapons, but also significantly improving the tactical performance of small combat units, increasing mobility, precision and operational effectiveness.
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