Venezuelan Caribe sub-machine gun

Pedro Pérez

The ‘Caribe’ sub-machine gun is a prototype design under development by the Compañia Anonima Venezolana de Industrias Militares (CAVIM) in Venezuela. Very little is known about the design, with government sources claiming it has been in development since 2006. Initially known as the F-Caribe, the current working design appears to be known as the C-Caribe, with the ‘C’ standing for ‘CAVIM’.

According to available sources, the C-Caribe is a hammer-fired sub-machine gun in a bullpup configuration, chambered for 9 × 19 mm. It has 30-round magazines, is select-fire capable, and has a cyclic rate of some 1,200 rounds per minute. It is said to weigh 3.42 kilograms empty. Some photos and videos show the weapon with a threaded muzzle, and a suppressor appears to be in development for the weapon.

The Caribe was first shown to the public in June 2018, when a prototype was presented to the Commander General of the Army and CAVIM officially released a promotional video. In May 2019, the profile of the weapon was dramatically increased when President Maduro, speaking on live TV, approved seven million US Dollars for its development, and suggested that it should be issued to the militia.


Figure 1.1 C-Caribe sub-machine gun as shown in a 2018 CAVIM promotional video. 

Since then, former director of Arms and Explosives (DAEX) for the Venezuelan Armed Forces (FANB), Admiral Tamayo, has vocally criticised the Caribe project and denounced it as a publicity stunt, calling it “nothing more than a cobbled together submachine gun”, made using existing parts from other weapons in the national armoury. At this stage, the future of the Caribe remains to be seen.

Technical Specifications
Calibre: 9 × 19 mm
Overall length: 500 mm
Barrel length: 250 mm
Weight: 3.42 kg (unloaded)
Rate of fire: 1,200 rds/min
Feed device: 30-round detachable box magazine

Sources
ARES CONMAT Database.

CAVIM. 2018. ‘Subametralladora Cavim Caribe‘. YouTube video.

Pérez, Pedro.  2019. ‘ARES Quicklook: The Venezuelan Caribe Sub-machine Gun (August 2019)‘. YouTube video.

 

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