Argentina to Manufacture and Adopt Beretta ARX 200 Rifles and Px4 Storm Pistols
Argentine Defence Ministry Secretary of Science, Technology, and Production Hector Lostri announced that a domestic firearms’ manufacturing company called Fabricaciones Militares will start licensed manufacturing of Beretta ARX 200 rifles and Px4 Storm pistols. The Argentine company has already signed an agreement with Beretta to produce the mentioned firearms. Right now the company is being certified by Beretta to be able to start the manufacturing. Presumably, the ARX 200 will replace FN FAL battle rifles in Argentine Armed Forces. The Px4 Storm in its turn will probably be the successor of FM-95 pistol, which is the Argentine version of Browning Hi-Power.
Argentina adopted FN FAL rifles in 1955. Since then, the FAL remained the standard service rifle of Argentina. Later (in 2013), special forces of Argentina were showing interest to Beretta rifles, but back then it was the ARX-160. However, for the main troops they’ve decided to make the new ARX 200, which is a battle rifle chambered in 7,62x51mm NATO (same caliber as FN FAL). Beretta first introduced the ARX 200 about a year ago in DSEI 2015 in London.
Px4 Storm is a locked breech semi-automatic pistol chambered either in 9x19mm, .40S&W or .45 ACP. Most likely Argentine will manufacture one in 9x19mm, but it is not specified yet. It would be interesting to know why Argentina didn’t license the manufacturing of Beretta’s latest pistol – APX.
Source:
Managing Editor Being a lifelong firearms enthusiast, Hrachya always enjoys studying the history and design of guns and ammunition. Should you need to contact him, feel free to shoot him a message at Hrachya@TheFirearmBlog.com
More by Hrachya H
![[NRAAM 2024] Colt's Big Bears: The New Kodiak, Grizzly Magnum Revolvers](https://cdn-fastly.thefirearmblog.com/media/2024/06/04/064422/nraam-2024-colt-s-big-bears-the-new-kodiak-grizzly-magnum-revolvers.jpg?size=350x220)
Comments
Join the conversation
The reason why FM is not licensing the APX is probably the same why the APX is not being widely distributed yet: if the APX is one of the running finalists for the XM17 MHS program (and I think it is), then Beretta will not license it nor even mass-distribute it before the trials are over. That's their market politics, pure and simple.
"It would be interesting to know why Argentina didn’t license the manufacturing of Beretta’s latest pistol – APX."? Really? That would be because striker-fired pistols are crap. They are especially crap for military service.