New U.S.-made rifles for New Zealand military
Xinhua, December 8, 2015 Adjust font size:
New Zealand's military forces are to be issued with new U.S.-made rifles, replacing their current weapons after almost 30 years.
Defense Minister Gerry Brownlee said Tuesday that the cabinet had approved the purchase of more than 9,000 rifles manufactured by Lewis Machine and Tools (LMT) in a contract worth 59 million NZ dollars (39.19 million U.S. dollars).
They would be issued to the entire New Zealand Defense Force, replacing the Steyr 5.66 mm rifles that were introduced 28 years ago, but have been criticized for being underpowered and performing poorly in certain conditions.
"The LMT is a combat-proven rifle that has seen service in the most arduous conditions," Brownlee said in a statement.
"It gives our personnel a weapon they can rely on in any situation."
The new rifle was the heart of a weapons system that included advanced optical day and night sights, a detachable grenade launcher and other ancillaries such as combat torches, laser sights, and sound suppressors.
The overall system was called the Modular Assault Rifle System-Light (MARS-L). Enditem