Earlier this year we reported that Chile had officially announced the adoption of the IWI GALIL ACE, the 5.56×45 mm version, as the standard service rifle of the Chilean Army. Local defense manufacturer FAMAE will be manufacturing the ACE under license from IWI. Infodefensa.com reports that last week the first FAMAE produced GALIL’s were presented to General Humberto Oviedo, Chief of the Chilean Army.

IWI’s marketing strategy, liberally handing out production licenses to manufacturers around the world, mirrors H&Ks strategy in the 1960 – 1970s (80s? 90s?). The H&K G3 saw wide adoption in part because H&K were willing to license the production to countries who either did not want to entrust the supply of their service rifles to a foreign country, or who for political reasons wanted to adopt a weapon made by its own citizens. The H&K G3 was produced under license in Pakistan, Denmark, Turkey, Luxembourg , Iran, Norway, Sweden, Mexico, Portugal, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, UK and Bangladesh. The AKM is an earlier and archetypal example of a rifle that was liberally licensed by the Soviet Union and saw wide adoption as a result.