Вооруженные силы ЮАР запрашивают информацию о замене штурмовых винтовок Vektor R4 и R5

Armscor, South Africa’s state arms procurement agency, has issued a Request for Information (RFI) as it explores the available options to replace the Vektor R4 and R5 assault rifles should the South African Army decide to pursue such a move. The Armscor document makes it clear that the exercise is meant simply to feed a functional study rather than trigger an immediate procurement process, expressly noting that this “is not a Request for Bid, purely technical information is required, as Bids are not being solicited at this stage.” What the RFI does call for is detailed technical information on existing “Self-Loading Automatic Rifle Systems” (SLARS) to be submitted to Armscor for review. According to the Armscor document, “a family of weapons is envisaged to address the requirement for an assault rifle or battle rifle and a dedicated marksman rifle.” Technical details to be submitted include charts, drawings and schematics, and should cover core weapon functionality such as ballistics, cyclic operation, structural integrity under NATO pressure-testing standards, ergonomics, thermal management and sighting systems. Beyond this, Armscor places a keen emphasis on local logistical support, requesting that a substantial amount of information be included in this regard as part of submissions made to it. This is to be done across three distinct tiers of information. Tier one includes information on the weapon system itself: the barrel, receiver, bolt carrier, fire control mechanism, along with the furniture and interface. Tier two includes information related to support and sustainment: ammunition (5.56×45 mm and/or 7.62×51 mm); magazine details; and ancillaries such as optical sights and cleaning and field maintenance kits. Tier three includes information on integrated logistics support (ILS): user/technical documentation; specialised tooling; reliability; life cycle of critical components; warranty and local support period; as well as details related to training support. A licensed variant of the Israeli-designed Galil assault rifle, the R4 and R5 have been in service with the South African security forces since the early to mid-1980s. The rifles were introduced to replace the older Belgian 7.62×51 mm FAL battle rifles used in South Africa since the 1960s. Manufactured locally by Denel Land Systems and its predecessors, the R4 has proved to be a durable and reliable weapon system, largely seeing service within the ranks of the SA Army. The R5, a shorter carbine variant, has, for its part, seen somewhat wider service with the rifle being utilised by a range of units within the SA Army, the SA Air Force, SA Navy, and SA Military Health Service, as well as the South African Police Service. The RFI can be obtained from Armscor’s Supply Chain Management division ([email protected]), with responses to be directed to the project team via email or post, for the attention of Mr L Sibiya. The RFI (reference number: 02061-900-013) closes on 30 September 2026. While Armscor notes there is no requirement to do so, those who wish to demonstrate their systems can send invitations to [email protected].