The United States is one of the largest arms manufacturers in the world, especially when it comes to small arms. Despite the robust portfolio of guns that the U.S. produces annually, the U.S. military still buys small arms from other countries to outfit its military forces. 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. (These are the 26 guns in the arsenal of the U.S. Army.)
Even though the United States is incredibly proficient at manufacturing aircraft, drones, tanks, and naval vessels, there are some weapons designed by other nations that find their way into our ranks. Quite a few of these are small arms used by infantry units across multiple U.S. military branches.
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 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.
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 to the U.S. military.
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. (These are the 16 sniper rifles used by the U.S. military.)
Here is a look at foreign-made small arms in use by the U.S. military:
APC9
Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons
- 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
Source: 39955793@N07 / Flickr
- 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
Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons
- 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)
- 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
Source: Cory Barnes / Flickr
- 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
Source: Dybdal. / Wikimedia Commons
- 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
Source: Rüdiger Müller / Wikimedia Commons
- 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
Source: Dybdal / Wikimedia Commons
- 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
Source: АрміяInform / Wikimedia Commons
- 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
Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons
- 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)
Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons
- 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
Source: Digitallymade / Wikimedia Commons
- 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
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