Complete Overhaul After 40 Years... Army Special Forces to Replace Rifles with 65.4 Billion Won Investment

DAPA Selects SNT Motiv for "Special Operations Submachine Gun Type 1 Project"

The K1A submachine gun, used by special forces units such as the Army Special Warfare Command, will be fully replaced for the first time in over 40 years.

STC-16, a 5.56mm special operations submachine gun supplied by SNT Motiv through the Submachine Gun Type 2 project (official name K13). Photo by SNT Motiv

According to the Defense Acquisition Program Administration on April 13, SNT Motiv was selected as the final contractor for the "Special Operations Submachine Gun Type 1 Project" during a subcommittee meeting held on April 10. The military plans to invest a total of 65.4 billion won by next year to introduce 16,000 new submachine guns. The budget for purchasing the submachine guns is 27.4 billion won, and the budget for special operations sights is approximately 38 billion won.

The Army Special Warfare Command had been using the U.S.-made M-3 submachine gun before introducing the K1A by SNT Motiv in 1981, and has continued to use it for 45 years through this year. To enhance the performance of personal firearms, the K1A submachine gun was upgraded with the Warrior Platform, a new sight, target designator, Picatinny Rail, and a new stock.

However, these upgrades eventually reached their limits. In June 2020, the military launched the "Special Operations Submachine Gun Type 1 Project" and selected Dasan Machineries as the preferred negotiation partner. However, after a military information leak by Dasan Machineries was uncovered, the Defense Acquisition Program Administration halted the project at the end of 2021. Due to the military information leak, Dasan Machineries was penalized with point deductions in proposal evaluations from 2021 to 2024. When the penalty was lifted in December 2024, Dasan Machineries attempted to re-enter the Type 1 submachine gun project, but was ultimately disqualified after defects were discovered during the test evaluation.

SNT Motiv had already won the contract for the Submachine Gun Type 2 project. In 2023, the company signed a contract with the Defense Acquisition Program Administration to supply the STC-16, a 5.56mm special operations submachine gun (official name K13), and began deliveries to the military in December of the same year. It is known that the company further enhanced the quality of its products in the process of supplying the Special Operations Submachine Gun Type 2.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.