The American Military is Buying Foreign Made Weapons, Here’s What Our Sources Told Us

Purchasing weapons and weapon designs from other countries is part of the way the Department of Defense maintains the artillery stores for the United States. Despite the country’s position as a top weapons producer, there are still items they prefer to get from elsewhere. American-made guns have a special place within the U.S. military arsenal, but there are a few foreign-made guns that see everyday use as well.

To determine the small arms used by the U.S. military that are not made by U.S.-based companies, 24/7 Wall St. reviewed a range of sources, including military handbooks, government press releases, and firearms publications pertaining to small arms and light weapons currently used by different U.S. military branches. Data on the type of weapon, caliber, feed, manufacturer, and the year it entered service came from Military Factory, an online database of military vehicles, aircraft, arms, and more. The weapons are listed in alphabetical order.

One notable absence from this list is sniper rifles. Many of these are domestically produced by American companies, and there has been a push in recent decades to make this segment of small arms entirely American.

Why This Matters

It is worth pointing out that a majority of these weapons listed originate from Central Europe, and they range from shotguns, rocket launchers, battle rifles, and submachine guns. However, under the Buy American Act of 1933, the U.S. Government must prefer domestically produced small arms, among other things. The legal workaround for this is foreign companies setting up manufacturing facilities within the U.S. and producing these arms, then selling them to the U.S. military.

Here is a look at foreign-made small arms used by the U.S. military.

APC9

• Country of origin: Switzerland
• Year entered service: 2011
• Type: Modular personal defense weapon
• Manufacturer: Brugger and Thomet
• Caliber and feed: 9x19mm parabellum, .40 S&W, .45 ACP; 15-, 20-, 25- or 30-round detachable box magazine
• Military branches used: Army

AT4-CS

• Country of origin: Sweden
• Year entered service: 1985
• Type: Man-portable disposable anti-armor system
• Manufacturer: Saab Bofors Dynamics
• Caliber and feed: 84mm; Single-shot
• Military branches used: Army

Benelli M4 Super 90

• Country of origin: Italy
• Year entered service: 1999
• Type: Semi-automatic combat shotgun
• Manufacturer: Benelli Armi SPA
• Caliber and feed: 12-gauge; 8-tube magazine
• Military branches used: Army, Marine Corps

Carl-Gustav M4 (CGM4)

Granatgevu00e4r m86 Revinge 2019 (CC BY-SA 3.0) by Jorchr

• Country of origin: Sweden
• Year entered service: 2014
• Type: Man-portable, shoulder-fired multirole weapon
• Manufacturer: Saab Technologies
• Caliber and feed: 70mm; Single-shot
• Military branches used: Army

Glock 19

• Country of origin: Austria
• Year entered service: 1988
• Type: Semi-automatic compact pistol
• Manufacturer: Glock
• Caliber and feed: 9x19mm parabellum; 15-round detachable box magazine
• Military branches used: Marine Corps

HK 416

• Country of origin: Germany
• Year entered service: 2005
• Type: Assault rifle
• Manufacturer: Heckler & Koch
• Caliber and feed: 5.56x45mm NATO; 20- or 30-round detachable magazine
• Military branches used: Army

HK G28

• Country of origin: Germany
• Year entered service: 2006
• Type: Designated marksman rifle/sniper rifle
• Manufacturer: Heckler & Koch
• Caliber and feed: 7.62x51mm NATO; 10- or 20-round detachable box magazine
• Military branches used: Army

HK MP5

• Country of origin: Germany
• Year entered service: 1966
• Type: Submachine gun
• Manufacturer: Heckler & Koch
• Caliber and feed: 9x19mm parabellum, .40 S&W; 15-, 30- or 40-round detachable box magazine
• Military branches used: Army, Marine Corps

M141 SMAW-D

• Country of origin: Israel
• Year entered service: 1984
• Type: Shoulder-launched multipurpose assault weapon
• Manufacturer: Israeli Military Industries
• Caliber and feed: 83mm; Single-shot
• Military branches used: Marine Corps

M320 GLM

• Country of origin: Germany
• Year entered service: 2010
• Type: Grenade launcher
• Manufacturer: Heckler & Koch
• Caliber and feed: 40x46mm SR; Single-shot
• Military branches used: Marine Corps

P228 (M11)

• Country of origin: Germany
• Year entered service: 1988
• Type: Semi-automatic pistol
• Manufacturer: SIG-Sauer
• Caliber and feed: 9x19mm parabellum; 13-round detachable box magazine
• Military branches used: Marine Corps

P320

• Country of origin: Switzerland
• Year entered service: 2014
• Type: Semi-automatic pistol
• Manufacturer: SIG-Sauer
• Caliber and feed: 9x19mm parabellum, .357 SIG, .40 S&W, .45 ACP; 10-, 14- or 17-round detachable box magazine
• Military branches used: Army