“Hantik” is Tagalog for “Philippine Fire Ant”—which are angry little creatures whose bite is not something you would soon forget, should you be unlucky enough to run afoul with one (let alone a whole bunch of them). It seems this is a very fitting name for United Defense Manufacturing Corporation’s (UDMC) new AR-15-inspired .22LR semi-automatic carbine which, we expect, will draw favorable attention from those enamored with “black” rifles.

At our request, UDMC president and CEO Gene Carino, E-mailed us these photos with general specifications of the S22LR Hantik, which we present here for the perusal of Home Defense Journal (HDJ) readers. It must be emphasized that I have yet to actually shoot this product, so its true performance at the firing range is something about which I am not yet in a position to comment.

The Hantik carbine pictured here seems to have a slim-contour barrel 14.5 inches long, and which is capped by a birdcage-style muzzle device. It also comes with a forearm/handguard (probably about 10 inches long) with KeyMod cutouts. All those “fashionable” tactical accessories (whether necessary or just for show) so long as they are compatible to this highly popular system of attachment, should fit right in. The handsome KeyMod forearm on this carbine is manufactured at UDMC’s Paranaque City plant, according to Gene.

On the other hand, the polymer retractable stock on the pictured Hantik seems to be of Israeli manufacture—looking much like those made by CAA. Its pistol grip is a generic A-2 pattern that could have been made anywhere. Meantime, the 25-round transparent magazine that comes with the carbine is manufactured in Idaho, U.S.A. by Black Dog Machine, LLC.

As one might expect, there is no gas system, neither piston nor direct impingement, sitting under the S22LR’s fancy KeyMod handguard. The .22LR cartridge needs only a simple blowback system for it to reliably cycle. The fire selector, however, appears identical to those found on its bigger AR-15 siblings. The Hantik is available in semi-automatic only—as per Philippine laws on firearms made for the commercial market.

The S22LR Hantik may be ordered to the buyer’s specifications, at least as far as barrel length and polymer furniture is concerned, Gene explained. It can be had with barrel lengths of 10.5, 11.5, 14.5, 16, 18 and 20 inches (PH laws do not prohibit civilians from owning semi-auto SBR’s). As far as stocks, grips and forearms are concerned, buyers on a budget can possibly order their S22LR with generic thermo-plastic units instead of the fancier ones shown here.

The S22LR Hantik in this article will set you back some Php 80,000.00 (about US $1,700).