To be completely honest, the decision we needed was already made, the people in this thread are waiting for the wrong thing. I’m not sure how no one else has noticed such an obvious thing.
The way I see it, we won’t be seeing a G3 replacement, because the AK series has replaced the G3 as the standard weapon of the PA, and im glad it has. The 7.62x51 calibre of the G3 is highly unsuited for normal combat in the hands of a normal soldier. The calibre is way too big, and PA thankfully realized this in the trials.
That’s why there is absolutely no urgency to replace the G3. On the other side, PA has already started modernizing it’s AKs. Wether it be modernizing older ones with new polymer furniture, simply adding optics, grips and other attachments, or purchasing AK-103Ms (soon to come in my opinion).
The most we will see as a G3 replacement is a specialized rifle that may be issued to some soldiers in dedicated “rifleman” roles. This rifle may be purchased in small numbers. Apart from this, we will not see any new large-scale firearm induction into the PA. It simply doesn’t make sense to equip every soldier with a 7.62x51 calibre rifle due to its high recoil And the weight of the associated rifle. No other military uses it as a standard calibre for a reason.
Bottom line Is; G3 has been replaced by the AK series, and said AK series is already being modernized and we can visibly see that. G3 will be retired sooner or later, it may not get its own replacement at all, at most a small scale replacement for specialized roles, but that’s about it. And this is a good thing.
Maybe this thread should be closed now, and we can move the entirety of the small Arms discussion of PA to another Thread. PAs standard rifles (G3 and Type 56-I) have already been replaced.