Sweden’s Police Move to Replace MP5s With AK 24
Sweden’s national police force is preparing to replace its long-serving MP5 submachine guns with the AK 24, the same 5.56×45mm service rifle recently adopted by the Swedish Armed Forces. The information comes from Polistidningen, the police union’s official publication.
The Firearms Of The Swedish Police @ TFB:
The effort is part of an internal program known as “procurement, introduction, and use of a new reinforcement weapon.” The project group is based within the National Operations Department (NOA). For new readers not familiar with the AK 24, I highly recommend TFB’s in-depth article on the subject.
Why Replace the MP5?
According to the report, the Swedish police consider several factors:
- Contract expiration: The support and maintenance agreement for the MP5 has expired, meaning continued use would require a new procurement.
- Performance limitations: 9×19 mm loses velocity quickly at distance and offers limited performance against modern body armor and vehicles.
- Common platform: Using the same weapon as the military and other armed agencies improves interoperability during joint operations.
- Threat environment: Swedish authorities assess that today’s criminal actors are more frequently equipped with rifles, armor, or reinforced vehicles.
Testing and Ammunition Considerations
Polistidsningen reports that Sweden’s Police Authority has already purchased a small number of AK 24 rifles for evaluation. During testing, the agency focused on ammunition selection to manage the risk of over-penetration, a major concern when shifting from 9mm to 5.56mm. With “the right ammunition,” testers concluded that the rifle can provide the needed barrier penetration while still stopping within the body.
The estimated cost for each rifle is reported at 30,000-40,000 SEK (about $2,700–$3,600 USD), which is mentioned to be in the same price range as the H&K MP5. To compare, the Swedish SWAT (Piketen) and Swedish National Task Force (NI) use various carbines from LWRCI (IC-A5 for instance), which cost a lot more.
Training and Logistics
Early planning suggests that training officers on the new rifle would require roughly 24 hours per person, including qualification. Access to rifle-rated training facilities is also a limiting factor; the agency is reviewing firing range contracts and capacity before final approval.
If the program is approved, the first deliveries are expected in early 2027, with a phased rollout taking place over three calendar years, depending on manufacturing and organizational capacity.
Background: AK 24 Issues in Military Service
The AK 24, produced by Sako (under ownership of Beretta Defense Technologies) and modified to Swedish specifications, has faced early challenges in military service. In 2025, the Swedish Armed Forces issued a temporary firing ban after reports of delayed ignition and issues with the bolt not being fully secured. According to military sources, corrective actions were implemented and the rifle underwent new testing during the winter. TFB gave you the known details recently.
Despite these earlier problems, the Police Authority appears prepared to adopt the same platform if its own evaluations continue to show acceptable performance.
What the Change Represents
Moving from the MP5 to a 5.56mm carbine marks a significant shift in how Sweden equips its police:
- Greater effective range
- Improved performance against armor and vehicles
- Higher recoil, and more demanding training
- Increased logistics load for ammunition, maintenance, and range access.
Swedish patrol officers will still rely primarily on their standard sidearms and the MP5 will remain in service until at least 2027. But if the plan proceeds as expected, the AK 24 will become the country’s new police carbine, a notable change after decades of 9mm submachine gun use.
As a good friend commented, “Why would they need two pistols?”, as in the MP5 being a “Maschinenpistole”, and the Swedish Police already carry Glocks (or a few remaining SIGs). I thought that was quite funny, but there is, of course, a depth to this.
What’s your take on phasing out 9x19mm submachine guns in favor of AR-style carbines in 5.56 NATO?
Main source: Polistidningen. All images by TFB.
Ex-Arctic Ranger. Competitive practical shooter and hunter with a European focus. Always ready to increase my collection of modern semi-automatics, optics, thermals and suppressors. TCCC Certified. Occasionaly seen in a 6x6 Bug Out Vehicle, always with a big smile.
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yeah. Something tells me they will need it.
The title of the article is deceptive. It’s all about the switch from the MP5 to the “AK24” but, none of the pics show this new rifle. So naturally, I Googled the “AK24” to see this new rifle. The AK stands for “Automat Karbin” and, it is a nice looking AR variant. It has MagPul furniture, an MLOK handguard and, an ambidextrous lower receiver with a three-round burst mechanism.
Well, there goes the cool factor.