Philippine Army orders thousands of DSAR-15 5.56mm carbines from South Korea in new contract.

On January 6, 2026, MaxDefense Philippines announced that South Korea’s Dasan Machineries Co. Ltd. had secured a contract to supply DSAR-15 5.56mm carbines to the Philippine Army.

On January 6, 2026, MaxDefense Philippines reported that the Philippine Army awarded a contract to South Korea’s Dasan Machineries Co. Ltd. to supply 15,626 DSAR-15 5.56x45mm carbines through a public bidding process. The Php752.0 million (approximately $12,710,000) award was made under the Most Economically Advantageous Bid method, allowing the final quantity to exceed the original requirement while remaining below the approved budget ceiling.
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The DSAR-15 is a 5.56x45mm NATO carbine developed by South Korea as part of an AR-15-pattern rifle family intended for military and law enforcement use. (Picture source: Dasan)

The decision followed a public bidding process that applied the Most Economically Advantageous Bid (MEAB) method, a framework that placed emphasis on how many rifles could be delivered within a fixed budget while also weighing delivery schedules and warranty commitments. What began as a requirement for 8,234 carbines was expanded to a contracted delivery of 15,626 units for a total price of Php752,007,485.88 (approximately $12,710,000), remaining below the approved budget ceiling of Php806,932,000.00 ($13,640,000) and resulting in a stated residual difference of Php54,924,514.12 ($930,000).

The DSAR-15 is a 5.56x45mm NATO carbine developed by South Korea as part of an AR-15-pattern rifle family intended for military and law enforcement use. The DSAR-15 follows conventional AR architecture with aluminum receivers and a rotating bolt, and is compatible with standard STANAG 30-round magazines. Depending on the variant, the DSAR-15 uses either a direct gas impingement system or a short-stroke gas piston system, with a stated cyclic rate generally ranging between 700 and 950 rounds per minute. Reported unloaded weights are around 3.0 kg, depending on configuration, and effective firing ranges are typically cited at up to 500–550 meters for standard carbine variants. The design supports full-length rail interfaces for optics and accessories, aligning it with common AR-15 support and training practices.

Within the family, the standard DSAR-15 employs a direct gas impingement system, while the DSAR-15P introduces a short-stroke gas piston mechanism, and the DSAR-15PC represents a compact configuration optimized for close-quarter use. Barrel length options across variants commonly include 11.5-inch, 14.5-inch, and 16-inch configurations, allowing adaptation to different operational roles, with overall lengths and weights varying accordingly. The DSAR-15PC was previously selected for a South Korean special operations requirement before that program was later halted, while export versions of the rifle have entered service with several foreign users. In the Philippines, the DSAR-15 platform was already introduced through the Philippine National Police, which received 5,755 rifles in 2023, establishing an existing base for training, maintenance, and logistical familiarity ahead of the larger Philippine Army procurement.

The acquisition is formally identified as the Carbine, 5.56mm AR15 or M4 platform gas piston project, listed under project number ORD PABAC2-061-24, with the Philippine Army designated as the end user. Funding was drawn from the Philippine Army General Appropriations Act allocations for Fiscal Year 2024, even though the project itself was raised and executed in 2025, a timing that was explained as a need to obligate funds before they expired and were returned to the National Treasury. The approved budget of the contract was set at Php806,932,000.00, the acquisition mode was public bidding, and the winning proponent was Dasan Machineries through its Philippine partner, United Defense Manufacturing Corporation, with the DSAR-15 5.56mm rifle identified as the product for delivery.

The procurement timeline shows that the public tender opened on October 23, 2025, with the submission and opening of bids initially planned for November 17 before being moved to November 24. A notice of award was issued in favor of Dasan on December 11, 2025, followed by the signing of the contract and notice to proceed on December 17, with an additional note that the contract signing with the Department of National Defense occurred on December 16 through the local representative. The final contracted quantity was confirmed at 15,626 rifles, almost double the minimum requirement, and the project was first highlighted publicly by MaxDefense on December 23, 2025.

Under the MEAB evaluation approach, bidders were assessed not only on price but also on how many units they could supply within the approved budget, as well as on committed delivery timelines and warranty duration. In the final ranking, Dasan Machineries placed first, followed by Brazil’s Taurus Armas S.A. in second position and a joint offer from Nashe Enterprises and Turkiye’s Mertsav Defense in third. Armscor Global Defense, although previously identified as an interested party, did not submit a bid. Dasan’s proposal combined the lowest price among submitted offers with an additional 7,392 rifles beyond the minimum requirement, enabling the total to reach 15,626 units and driving the highest combined financing and technical scores.

The technical requirements for the carbines specified a 5.56x45mm NATO caliber, with an overall length not exceeding 900 mm with the buttstock extended and 810 mm with the buttstock retracted, and a maximum unloaded weight of 4.0 kg without a magazine. The barrel was defined as an M4A1 type with a 1:7 twist rate, a length between 366.76 mm and 370.84 mm, a medium contour with an M203 cut out, and construction using cold hammer forged high-grade chromium molybdenum vanadium alloy steel. Receiver assemblies were required to use 7075-T6 aluminum alloy, with a MIL-STD-1913 rail interface, a rate of fire between 700 and 970 rounds per minute, and compatibility with standard STANAG 30-round magazines.

Each rifle package includes one 30-round STANAG magazine and one three-point tactical sling, aligning the procurement with existing infantry equipment practices and simplifying distribution and training. Before the award, potential competitors and offerings were discussed, including Armscor Global Defense’s locally produced RD4P rifle from Marikina, SIG Sauer platforms such as the SIGM400 and SIG516G2 already familiar to Philippine Army units, Dasan’s DSAR15 and DSAR15P variants that had competed in earlier projects, and Brazil’s Taurus T4 rifle, which already exists in significant numbers within the Army’s inventory. Other possible alternatives from Israel, the United States, or Europe were also noted as conceivable, depending on bid submissions.

Written by Jérôme Brahy

Jérôme Brahy is a defense analyst and documentalist at Army Recognition. He specializes in naval modernization, aviation, drones, armored vehicles, and artillery, with a focus on strategic developments in the United States, China, Ukraine, Russia, Türkiye, and Belgium. His analyses go beyond the facts, providing context, identifying key actors, and explaining why defense news matters on a global scale.