Kiryat Gat, Israel. Israel Weapon Industries granted journalists access to its facilities in Kiryat Gat during the war, presenting technologies developed in Israel and outlining the company’s role in a wider industrial ecosystem. The visit also highlighted rising international demand for high-technology defense products and the company’s defense relationship with Cyprus.
Facility access and industrial setting
Access for journalists to the facilities of Israel Weapon Industries, or IWI, is limited during wartime. After repeated reporting on technologies being developed in Israel that appeared highly advanced, permission was granted for a visit to the company’s large complex in Kiryat Gat to see two of them up close.
The presentation focused on technologies that have helped make Israel a center of innovation, not only in defense but also within a broader industrial ecosystem where large established companies operate alongside a dense network of smaller firms and start-ups.
Company setting and product history
In the conference room where discussions began, the walls displayed much of the history of Israeli small arms. The display included the Uzi and Tavor as well as the company’s more modern rifles and light machine guns.
Growing international demand
International demand for high-technology defense products is rising sharply. The group’s systems are now manufactured at facilities in different countries and continents and are sold in more than 60 states.
Israel’s economy has endured nearly three years of war with resilience that has surprised many observers. Key indicators have strengthened and the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange has advanced. A significant part of that performance is linked to the country’s strong position in high-end technology.
Cyprus defense relationship
Cyprus has developed a close defense relationship with Israel, a development that has drawn visible unease in Turkey and elsewhere. That relationship extends to Israel’s defense industries.
Ronen Hamudot, vice chairman of IWI, said the company’s TAVOR X95 rifles are used by Cypriot special forces. Cypriot units also operate IWI’s NEGEV light machine guns.
More than 250,000 rifles from the TAVOR and X95 family have been sold worldwide. Cyprus adopted the X95 as a compact modern rifle suited to urban operations and close-range combat.
Strategic importance of Cyprus
For Israel’s defense industry, Cyprus is considered important not because of the size of its market, but because of the National Guard’s specific operational requirements and the depth of the defense relationship between the two countries.
The deployment of X95 rifles and NEGEV machine guns by Cyprus illustrates how Israeli weapons are integrated into smaller armed forces that require systems to be flexible, combat-proven and adaptable to different environments.
