Israel has completed the nationwide rollout of thousands of Arad assault rifles to rapid response teams, marking a key step in implementing standardized and enhanced local defense capabilities.
Rapid response teams form part of a broader effort led by the Middle Eastern country’s Ground Forces Command to bolster domestic security, especially in border-adjacent areas.
The distribution follows a procurement deal valued at 100 million new shekels ($31.8 million), signed with arms developer Israel Weapon Industries (IWI) through the country’s Defense Procurement Directorate Land Acquisition Unit.
The contract includes a 10-year sustainment package and corresponding Meprolight M5 optical sights, which the Israel Defense Forces transferred from its existing stockpile.
Arming Communities
According to the Israeli government, the Arad initiative reflects lessons learned from the October 2023 attack by the Palestinian paramilitary group Hamas, when local security squads were often the first to confront infiltrators but lacked necessary weapons.
The updated approach emphasizes forward defense and better-equipped civilian support teams to delay or disrupt enemy assaults until regular forces arrive.
In line with this goal, Tel Aviv announced in December 2025 the distribution of firearms such as M4 and M16 assault rifles to the homes of about 10,000 soldiers.
Personnel eligible for that project included those in the Israeli army’s 96th Division “Gilead,” a reserve unit formed in 2024 to protect local communities in events similar to the 2023 Hamas operation.
The IWI Arad System
The Arad is an ArmaLite Rifle or AR-based technology designed for infantry, special units, and law enforcement.
It weighs 2.85 kilograms (6.2 pounds) without a magazine, has an 11.5-inch (29.2-centimeter) barrel, and features full ambidextrous controls, a free-floating barrel, a Picatinny top rail for accessory expansions, and an M-LOK handguard.
The rifle’s standard variant supports 5.56×45-millimeter NATO standard and 300 BLK .30-caliber cartridges and uses a short-stroke gas-piston system with an adjustable regulator.
It has a firing rate of up to 1,100 rounds per minute and a range of up to 500 meters (1,640 feet).
The Arad’s latest variants include the heavier Arad 7, a system compatible with 7.62×51-millimeter NATO or 6.5-millimeter Creedmoor cartridges, and the Arad 7 DMR, a semi-automatic marksman rifle with the same caliber built with specialized components for optimized accuracy, cyclic rate, and lifespan.
