Slovakia plans to buy 5,000 M4A1 5.56mm carbine rifles, according to local media reports.
The TASR has reported that the Slovakian Defense Ministry plans to use resources from the United States fund to procure 5,000 M4A1 carbines with accessories for a total cost of $17.37 million (about €16.23 million).
“The financial resources for the procurement of the M4A1 rifles will be fully paid from Foreign Military Financing funds, with the 20-percent VAT to be covered by the Defense Ministry,” TASR reported, citing the ministry.
The M4 carbine should be delivered in 2025.
Currently, the Slovakian military uses assault rifles that are either technically obsolete or more modern versions suitable for combat in the contemporary era that haven’t been procured in sufficient quantities. The ministry’s endgame plan is to procure a total of 24,777 modern assault rifles of 5.56 mm caliber along with accessories.
The M4 carbine is a standard-issue weapon in use by the U.S. military, as well as many other nations. It is capable of single-shot and three-round burst operation and is typically loaded by NATO standard STANAG 30-round magazines.
The M4 is able to mount a variety of accessories such as optics, thermal sights, bipods, foregrips and lasers. It has faced criticism from users for easily jamming in dirty environments and lack of stopping power.
The M4A1 version of the weapon, employed by U.S. Special Forces and other units, is capable of semi-automatic and fully automatic modes, but is otherwise identical to the standard M4.