The Israeli firm Emtan and the Spanish firm Guardian (which is under Israeli ownership) have signed a contract to supply 9,210 9mm “Ramon” pistols made by Emtan to the Spanish Federal Police. The scope of the deal is estimated at several million euros. This is the first time that an Israeli company has succeeded in landing a small arms contract in a Western European country.
Emtan Karmiel is engaged in the development and production of small arms and rifles for armies and law enforcement agencies in Israel and around the world. The company operates about 70 facilities using advanced technology in manufacturing weapons for Israel’s defense industry and the aviation industry in Israel and abroad. It provides firearms to government entities around the world and several agencies of the Israeli Defense Ministry.
The Guardian company was founded in Spain in 2006 by Ilan Arzuan and Ariel Mazuz, both veterans of the Israeli defense establishment. The company’s owners include investors retired General Dr. Yom Tov Samia and Moni Leiman.
According to Samia, “Europe in general and Spain, in particular, have a strong local industry for the production of security and protection products, and normally projects of this magnitude are awarded to the local industry. But despite the entry barriers and a complicated bureaucratic system, we at the Guardian have succeeded in establishing ourselves in the Spanish and Portuguese defense markets as leaders in the field for the past 15 years.”