FAMAE (Chile) has begun producing IWI GALIL ACE Rifles

Steve Johnson
by Steve Johnson
GALIL ACE being tested at FAMAE.

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.

Steve Johnson
Steve Johnson

I founded TFB in 2007 and over 10 years worked tirelessly, with the help of my team, to build it up into the largest gun blog online. I retired as Editor in Chief in 2017. During my decade at TFB I was fortunate to work with the most amazing talented writers and genuinely good people!

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  • FourString FourString on Aug 12, 2014

    Ugh Famae always manufactures desirable rifles, SG55x series now the Galil Ace D:>

    • Dp Dp on Aug 12, 2014

      @FourString Disappointing? Oh well.... politics as usual.

  • Dp Dp on Aug 12, 2014

    To call it 'homemade' is an elipse. All know how came from foreign source so as such this is end to their own know-how source which Chile with its advanced industrial base was perfectly capable of. That's for that.
    But, there is one advantage with adopting Is-lashikov : should they wish a war with Peru or some other country in the region, they can freely trade parts or even whole rifles, call it combat-fraternizing if you will.

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