Denmark Resumes Production of Assault Rifles for First Time in Over 60 Years

The production of assault rifles has resumed in Denmark after 60 years of downtime in this sector in the country.

TV MIDTVEST reports on the resumption of assault rifle production.

The large-scale project to resume production was announced by the DAMRC (Danish Advanced Manufacturing Research Center), which aims to make Denmark less dependent on arms imports.

Currently, up to twenty companies from central and western Jutland are expected to start producing AR-15 automatic rifles for the Danish armed forces soon.

“If the world becomes even more unstable, it may turn out that we simply won’t be able to buy weapons abroad. That is why our own production is a necessary evil if we want to protect ourselves,” emphasized Klaus Bonde Ørskov, Director of DAMRC.

The concept envisages distributing the production of 140 rifle components among different companies. This approach, according to Ørskov, will make the system more sustainable: in case of problems with one company, others will be able to pick up the production.

Although most companies do not disclose their participation, it is known that Small Arms Industries will assemble the weapon and Lambæks Fjederfabrik from Silkeborg will produce the springs.

To demonstrate its capabilities, DAMRC offered to produce the first five rifles for free and then start a dialogue with the Ministry of Defense. Ørskov noted that the project also aims to dispel the stereotype that Denmark does not have competencies in the field of armaments.

In response, the Defense Logistics Agency (FMI) said that it positively assesses the development of the national defense industry and is ready for further dialogue with DAMRC.

At the same time, the agency reminded that it has already signed a contract for the supply of new C8 MRR rifles from the Canadian company Colt Canada for the Armed Forces, so additional purchases are not planned, although the situation is “closely monitored.”

We remind you that the DAMRC center, founded in 2010, operates without government funding and unites 94 companies. It already has experience in military production – in particular, it has developed solutions for armored personnel carriers and ammunition production.

Earlier, Militarnyi reported that on September 17, 2024, the Australian company Thales and the Danish company Våbenfabrikken signed a memorandum on the establishment of assault rifle production in Denmark.