Georgian defense industry will purchase mobile air defense missile systems from Rafael, an Israeli arms producer, to equip its manoeuvring forces by the end of 2021, Minister of Defence Juansher Burchuladze said in the country's parliament on Thursday, May 13, Agenda.ge reports.

Burchuladze also revealed the Ministry of Defense was planning to obtain further batches of the FGM-148 Javelin, a U.S.-produced portable anti-tank missile launcher the Georgian Defense Forces have received in the recent years. In his comments the minister said the troops required more of the modern systems for increasing their capacity for "neutralising numerically and technologically superior hostile forces."

Furthermore, Georgia will join forces with Israeli partners to produce M4 rifles while also being in talks with Polish and South African companies to launch joint production of unmanned aerial vehicles.

The production of the M4 - a U.S.-designed rifle equipping troops and special forces in dozens of countries including the U.S., Georgia and Israel - is expected to commence in late 2021 on a joint Georgian-Israeli line at the local Delta defence production company grounds, Burchuladze told MPs during his 'Minister's Hour' briefing.

Along with the initiative, the MoD is in talks with Polish and South African partners to begin construction of UAVs at joint plants in 2022, also utilising infrastructure of the Georgian company that has expanded and developed its capacity over the last decade or so.