Automatkarbin 24

The Automatkarbin 24 (Ak 24; lit. 'Automatic Carbine 24') is a Swedish version of the Finnish Sako M23 assault rifle that is expected to enter service with the Swedish Armed Forces by 2025, replacing the Automatkarbin 4 and Automatkarbin 5.

History
Since 2012 it was well known that the ageing Ak 5 and Ak 4 was in dire need of replacement. As part of the Nordic defence strategy, Finland and Sweden signed an agreement in April 2021 in regards to information exchange of future procurements of personal equipment of soldiers, followed in September by an arrangement for common procurement and a implementation document in December the same year. Therefore in the spring of 2023 the Swedish Armed Forces along with the Finnish Defence Forces, who was also looking to replace their Cold War-era rifles, signed a contract with the Finnish firearms manufacturer SAKO to supply each respective armed forces with firearms of the newer M23 family which had entered production just one year earlier.

The first 200 units were delivered to the Swedish Defence Materiel Administration (FMV) in April 2024, with a further 7,500 to be delivered by the end of the year and a further 7,500 in 2025.