DICON
| DICON | |
|---|---|
| legal form | |
| founding | 1964 |
| Seat |
Kaduna , Nigeria
|
| Branch | Arms company |
| Website | http://dicon.gov.ng/ |
The Defense Industries Corporation of Nigeria (DICON) is the state armaments company of Nigeria and on the one hand manufactures armaments for the Nigerian armed forces , but on the other hand is also active in the civilian technical sector.
history
DICON was established in 1964 with a related law called the Defense Industries Corporation of Nigeria Act. DICON was set up by representatives of Fritz Werner machine tools . Fritz Werner was commissioned by DICON in 1963 to build a small fire and ammunition factory in the city of Kaduna . During the civil war in Nigeria 1967–1970the company grew considerably and did good business. After the end of the war, the company ran into financial problems and went bankrupt in 1972. Nevertheless, the collaboration with Fritz Werner lasted until the 1980s. After the end of the civil war, DICON entered the civilian sector as a second mainstay and since then has been manufacturing spare parts and furniture for industry and is active in the rural water supply. In the late 1990s, the new government decided to invest again in the arms industry. Therefore DICON got a new board and negotiations with Russia in connection with the technology transfer were initiated.
The Nigerian company currently employs 700 people in Kaduna, which produces light weapons and ammunition, while another factory in Bauchi produces light armored vehicles. Since the terrorist group Boko Haram has been terrorizing northern Nigeria and the conflict has increasingly taken on the characteristics of a civil war, DICON has once again become particularly important. The Nigerian government is expanding the company so that since 2012 it has also been able to produce self-developed armored personnel carriers. DICON has been working closely with arms companies in the PRC since 2012 and is aiming to produce Chinese weapons under license.
Manufactured weapons
- FN Browning HP pistol
- Beretta BM59 rifle
- Submachine gun Beretta M12
- AK-47 assault rifle
- Assault rifle FN FAL
- HK G3 assault rifle
- FN MAG machine gun
- Panzerfaust RPG-7
- 81 mm L16 mortar
- Land Rover SUV
- Transport tank Igirigi
Modernization and overhaul of
Civil products
- Windmills
- Water pumps
- Spare parts for machines
- Gears