One of the bigger holes in the IWI line-up for a while now has been the Arad. Today, that’s over. IWI US has announced the upcoming availability of the Arad 5 platform in the US for civilian buyers.

The Arad is a 5.56mm AR-15 derivative with a short-stroke piston action, monolithic upper, and a quick change barrel system. It comes in at 7lbs 8oz, which is about half a pound lighter than the Carmel and in about the same weight range as an HK416 with comparable barrel length.

It has an MSRP of $1500, so I’d expect prices at the $1100-$1200 mark. That should be pretty competitive with other options on the market, and I’d expect it to sell pretty well from that perspective.

The Arad made the news not too long ago as being the Israeli Defense Ministry’s choice of armament to hand out to Israeli citizens in border towns. Topped with an M5 optic, I guess you could say it’s mil-spec?

From a line-up standpoint, the Arad gives IWI a solid top-end AR model to round out their more value-oriented Zion-15 line. The military heritage of the Arad should also prove appealing. It would not shock me if the Carmel was taken out of production to make room on the production line for the Arad, so you might think about buying a Carmel now if you want one. With the release of the Arad, about the only item left from IWI’s line-up that doesn’t have a US release is the Arad 7 – and I wouldn’t be surprised if we see that in the next couple years.