Indian Army Will Finally Get New Assault Rifles And Carbines It Desperately Needs

The Indian Army may finally get the new assault rifles and carbines it desperately needs as the Defence Acquisition Council today approved and fast-tracked the procurement of 83,895 carbines and 72,400 assault rifles worth Rs 3,547 crore to meet the immediate requirement of the troops deployed on borders.

Like many other acquisition plans, the plan to acquire new rifles and carbines is running behind schedule. The need for new carbines, NDTV says, was accepted by the armed forces over a decade ago. The last attempt to acquire this desperately needed piece of equipment collapsed in 2016 due to a single vendor situation.

The Indian Army issued the initial tender for 44,600 close quarter carbines in 2010. Rifles from two different vendors, Israel Weapon Industries and Italian Beretta, were selected for field trials. Beretta’s ARX160 model was rejected by Directorate General of Quality Assurance because a safety measure on its laser sight was found unsuitable. While 28 companies had shown interest in the tender in the first stage, the Israeli firm was the only vendor left as in the final phase. The Defence Ministry, when necessary, allows single vendor cases to be pursued, but it usually prefers multi-vendor tenders at the final stage to benefit from competition.

The Indian Army currently uses the indigenous 5.56 mm Indian Small Arms System (INSAS) rifles, inducted in 1988, among others. According to reports, the armed forces are not satisfied with the performance of INSAS, often called ‘desi Kalashnikov’, and want a deadlier assault rifle of higher calibre.

The Army is now expected to kick off the trials process to shortlist a rifle that fits its needs. Manufacturers from around the world, including the Defence Research and Development Organisation, will participate in the process.

The Amy had, according to Livefist, rejected DRDO’s Excalibur (5.56mm rifle) in 2016 and the Ordnance Factory Board’s 7.62mm rifle in 2017.