ARMY TO MODERNISE WEAPONS ON WAR FOOTING, WILL GIVE HI-TECH RIFLES TO SOLDIERS

[Zarvan]

Army plans to buys 3 lakh hi-tech rifles in a mega purchase. The rifles will procured from global manufacturers. Army is not happy with indigenous INSAS-1B1 rifles

Seeking to equip its soldiers with advanced weapons to combat terrorists, the Indian Army is planning to buy more than three lakh assault rifles and close quarter carbines at a cost of around Rs 10,000 crore from global vendors.

"Two separate proposals for buying more than two lakh assault rifles and over one lakh close quarter carbines for infantrymen who will use them along the Line of Control (LoC) and in counter-terrorism operations in Jammu and Kashmir and Northeastern states are being moved before the defence ministry for clearance in the coming weeks," a government source told MAIL TODAY

The proposal, which will be processed through the fast track procurement route by the Army, would be considered at a high level meeting of the defence ministry which will take a final call on how to proceed on the ambitious Army project, the source said.

The Army has been looking to buy these guns after several failed attempts but is hopeful that the project would finally go through in the coming times. Sources said the Army earlier had a requirement of more than eight lakh such assault rifles but due to the high cost of procurement involved, the plan was shelved and the requirement for foreign-made rifles was cut down.

"It has now been decided that more than two lakh rifles would be procured from foreign vendors while the rest would be acquired from Indian manufacturers who would build the gun based on DRDO designs," a source said.

The logic behind curtailing the requirement is that not all troops are engaged in battle at one point of time and therefore, only the infantry and Rashtriya Rifles troops would get the imported and advanced assault rifles while other troops in the rear would get the locally-made rifles.

The new assault rifles of 7.62 mm caliber would replace the indigenously manufactured INSAS-1B1 rifles manufactured by the Ordnance Factory Board as the Army has not been happy with them. Army sources said the 5.56 mm caliber INSAS rifles were not proving to be very effective against terrorists and troops fighting in Kashmir and Northeast had to rely majorly on Kalashinikovs acquired from Russia and East European countries.

Once approved, international companies manufacturing rifles, including the Israeli Weapon Industry (IWI), American Berretta, Colt, Swiss Sig Sauer and Czech Bren would be contacted. During an earlier attempt to buy the rifles, the tender had to be scrapped due to stringent requirements as it had asked vendors to submit proposals about guns with twin-barrels, including one for close combat terror and the other for carrying out duties in peaceful areas.

The procurement of close quarter carbines is also important as they will be used to equip troops for close combat scenarios with terrorists or enemy troops. The effort to buy carbines from foreign vendors have not yielded any result since 2008 as a case was scrapped by the defence ministry in 2016 due to a single vendor situation whereas the contract had started with as many as 27 vendors.

In the final round, one of the contenders was eliminated due to a very minor and inconsequential issue and the then defence minister decided against going forward with the project.

The hunt for close quarter carbines will be relaunched now with the Army already having rejected the DRDO designed and developed Excalibur rifle. The Army has to replace the British-origin Sterling 1A1 submachine guns.

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/...ive-hi-tech-rifles-to-soldiers/1/1123178.html

 

[Papa Dragon]

Israeli Weapon Industry (IWI), American Berretta, Colt, Swiss Sig Sauer and Czech Bren would be contacted.

I wonder why H&K isn't mentioned. Is it because pakistan uses the G3 and has plans to procure another H&K rifle as there have been recent reports that HK-416 is being finalized.

 

[Sully3]

Indian generals about to get more richer.

when has india bought any army hardware without its generals getting massive kick backs

 

[Imran Khan]

I wonder why H&K isn't mentioned. Is it because pakistan uses the G3 and has plans to procure another H&K rifle as there have been recent reports that HK-416 is being finalized.

both sides hardly buy a weapon if another having it .

 

[KapitaanAli]

I wonder why H&K isn't mentioned. Is it because pakistan uses the G3 and has plans to procure another H&K rifle as there have been recent reports that HK-416 is being finalized.

Those were the old days.
H&K won't sell to non-NATO or not influenced by NATO countries anymore.
India falls in this category.

You know the amazing morality of the German people.

Only NATO care about human rights.

 

[Sully3]

Those were the old days.
H&K won't sell to non-NATO or not influenced by NATO countries anymore.
India falls in this category.

You know the amazing morality of the German people.

but they are offering the gun to PA ???

we arent officially in the NATO, we are just a "major non nato ally". whatever that means

Also dont hold much significance in NATO these days, they cant do jack $hit and are $hitting themselves at the though of Russia invading europe again.

 

[deep.ocean]

OFB sucks.

 

[KapitaanAli]

Btw, this is old news and still kinda vague.

One lakh rifles are confirmed to be Indian.
Rest two lakh rifles could be fought between international rifles and Indian rifles.
Although we already know the result, the new OFB 7.62x51 rifle still has a chance.

But army has asked for parameters that no rifle in the world has satisfied.

But just like the INSAS (after the first notorious batch), I'm sure that it'll perform in South Asian climates better than any international rifle.

but they are offering the gun to PA ???

we arent officially in the NATO, we are just a "major non nato ally". whatever that means

Also dont hold much significance in NATO these days, they cant do jack $hit and are $hitting themselves at the though of Russia invading europe again.

There are three criteria:
NATO, NATO equivalent.
Corruption index.
Democracy index.

Ideally Pakistan should be out owing to the first two or at least the first. Although there's NATO influence, there's no equivalency.

But maybe negotiations have had gone too far already.

 

[Maarkhoor]

both sides hardly buy a weapon if another having it .

Not the case they both use AK variants in large numbers.

 

[New World]

I wonder why H&K isn't mentioned. Is it because pakistan uses the G3 and has plans to procure another H&K rifle as there have been recent reports that HK-416 is being finalized.

isn't H&K-416 is expensive compared to other.
@Zarvan really H&K-416 is finalized?

 

[Sully3]

There are three criteria:
NATO, NATO equivalent.
Corruption index.
Democracy index.

Ideally Pakistan should be out owing to the first two or at least the first. Although there's NATO influence, there's no equivalency.

But maybe negotiations have had gone too far already.

i dont understand your post?
what are the three criteria you mentioned for

 

[KapitaanAli]

i dont understand your post?
what are the three criteria you mentioned for

Criteria for H&K to sell their weapons to a country.

 

[Papa Dragon]

isn't H&K-416 is expensive compared to other.
@Zarvan really H&K-416 is finalized?

I don't think it is finalized but there have been reports and elite members on certain threads stated that it has a higher probability and also PA's relative experience using HK's

both sides hardly buy a weapon if another having it

I don't think that's the case as both IA and PA have issued requests to certain common firms like Beretta, CN etc

 

[Thanatos]

Kick backs on its way.

 

[Papa Dragon]

Kick backs on its way.

That is definitely true but I wouldn't completely trust the rifles manufactured by our OFB morons even though the designs by DRDO are good.

Look at the quality and finish of JVPC's manufactured by one of the OFB's. They look like some cheap chinese toy in a village fair.

I hope MoD considers the indigenous designs and give the production to a private Indian defense firm which can produce rifles of world class quality and high rate of production instead of wasting tons of foreign exchange in favor of kickbacks and commissions