Panama Commandos using Tavor X95s at Fuerza Comando 2017
Recent imagery of the Latin American-based special operations competition organized by U.S. South Command has shown that some members of the Panamanian contingent were using 5.56x45mm IWI X95 select-fire carbines during the small arms live fire portion of the course. In particular, there were only two Commandos of the Panamanian team that were pictured with the X95s with a tan FDE finish. The other team members ran through the carbine portions with 5.56x45mm NATO M4 carbines as they had been doing every year. However for the competitors running the X95s, it appears they actually came from a different branch of service than the M4 wielding teammates, due to the uniforms (Multicam versus digital) and gear they were donning.
From the Defense Media Activity-
These images from the Panamanian Twitter pages of MinSeguridadPA and SENAFRONT.
Panama is one of the few countries in the world that doesn’t have a military but instead a self-defense force and in particular a border force that has seen action with the FARC rebel group on the border with Colombia. Known as the SENAFRONT, this border security group has been pictured with IWI X95s in a black finish since at least April of 2015 when images appeared on the group’s Twitter page indicating the presence of the carbine with them. However, upon inspection of some of the photographs, it appears that the Commandos using the X95s have a unit insignia unlike any of the battalions in SENAFRONT.
This image depicts back X95s in use by the SENAFRONT in 2015.
Infantry Marine, based in the Midwest. Specifically interested in small arms history, development, and usage within the MENA region and Central Asia. To that end, I run Silah Report, a website dedicated to analyzing small arms history and news out of MENA and Central Asia.Please feel free to get in touch with me about something I can add to a post, an error I've made, or if you just want to talk guns. I can be reached at miles@tfb.tv
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it is quite nifty looking. if only it was lighter
I'm not 100% certain about the patch above, but it's similar to the "Dobermano" patch from the 80's. They were a special hybrid unit that was used to maintain public order and for a time served as bodyguards for La Piña (the pineapple a/k/a Manuel Noriega). The Dobermanos and Noriega had a falling out before the US invasion in '89. Anyway, the unidentified patch looks like it might be a derivative of the patch worn by the Dobermanos.