SOCOM solicitation for ‘reverse engineered’ foreign weapons sparks Russian anger, warnings

Military Times: Kalashnikov Concern — the Russian firm renowned for designing and fielding the AK-47 assault rifle — was caught off guard by U.S. Special Operations Command’s desire to “reverse engineer” and “domestically produce” Russian-styled weapons.

In statements through state-controlled media, Russian leaders and industry officials warned the U.S. military not to copy its coveted weapon designs.

One problem: the solicitation is more than a year old and portions of the contract have already been awarded.

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