On April 12, 2018, during the Defexpo 2018 exhibition (Chennai, India) Caracal International of UAE and MKU Corporation of India signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) concerning strategic partnership which will ultimately result in the licensed manufacturing of the Caracal CAR 817AR rifles in India.

The manufacturing process will be arranged at MKU’s facility located in Kanpur, a city in the Uttar Pradesh state of India. This process is a part of “Make in India” initiative of the Indian government. The locally manufactured CAR 817AR rifles will be proposed to the Indian Army for adoption.

Also, according to the signed MoU, armor and optics produced by MKU will be promoted by Caracal in UAE.

During the MoU signing ceremony, Hamad Salem Al Ameri, CEO of EDIC Caracal said:

Our respective governments already have strong relations, We hope that this cooperation with MKU will become a starting point for a large strategic defence cooperation between both countries that opens the door for many more potential partnerships.

In his turn, Neeraj Gupta, Managing Director of MKU said:

We look forward to a strong association with EDIC Caracal. This association will further strengthen each other’s product portfolio for India and the Middle East. The CAR817AR rifle is a rugged and versatile product and will meet all the requirements of our armed forces.

Caracal CAR 817AR Rifle

Caracal CAR 817AR is an AR-15/AR-10 style select fire rifle utilizing a short stroke gas piston operated mechanism. The gas system is also adjustable with tho positions for conventional and suppressed use. The rifle is chambered in 7.62x51mm NATO.

Currently, Caracal offers the rifle with one of the following barrel length options: 12.5″, 14.5″ or 16″.

We will keep our readers informed concerning the future developments around the Indian rifle procurement and adoption programs.

Sources:

“ADVANCED GAS PISTON BASED CARBINES TO BE MADE IN INDIA BY MKU WITH EDIC CARACAL, UAE”. (2018, April 15). Caracal International. Retrieved from:  http://www.caracal.ae/news_details.php?lang=en&news_id=7

Images from www.caracal.ae