The India-Russia joint venture to produce AK-203 assault rifles for the Indian Armed Forces has produced the first batch of rifles for the Indian Army. This was announced by Rosoboronexport on January 17. The Indian Army has a requirement for about 671,000 rifles. [Read More…]
In September the Indian Army launched a fresh search for a ‘5.56MM X 45 MM CQB CARBINE’. Initially, there had been a desire to procure these close quarters carbines internationally, just as with the purchase of 716i rifles from SIG Sauer. However, the [Read More…]
India has long sought a modern 5.56x45mm carbine and has launched numerous efforts to procure one internationally and locally. The latest initiative will see a competition launched to find indigenous Indian companies who can manufacture hundreds of thousands of [Read More…]
Various Indian media outlets have reported that the Indian Army has received delivery of the first batch of IWI Negev light machine guns which were ordered back in March 2020. The order for more than 16,0000 Negevs was a part of a series of purchases by the Indian [Read More…]
India has introduced a new 9x19mm submachine gun – the ASMI. Indigenously designed the new weapon uses modern materials and manufacturing techniques and it even takes Glock magazines, feeding from the extended 33 round magazines. It is claimed that the weapon will [Read More…]
Indian small arms procurement is a complex business. Not only is the Indian Army extremely large, standing at around 1.2 million men, but it also has a complex procurement structure and an indigenous small arms manufacturing base that has failed to provide weapons that [Read More…]
Back in 2018, the Indian Army began its latest effort to modernise its small arms. A tender for 5.56x45mm carbines was awarded to UAE-based Caracal. The tender called for 93,895 CAR 816 carbines but news of the contract has been scarce ever since. Now it seems that the [Read More…]
India and Russia media reports suggest that the deal for India to procure and produce the AK-203 rifle has been agreed upon. The deal will provide the Indian Armed Forces with a much needed new service rifle. We have covered the trials and tribulations of India’s [Read More…]
Back in February India’s Ishapore Rifle Factory unveiled their 7.62x51mm Sniper Rifle. A wooden-stocked bolt action rifle with an adjustable stock and back up iron sights. The Rifle Factory Ishapore, perhaps best known for their Lee-Enfield-pattern rifles, is part [Read More…]
As India continues its unprecedented effort to modernise its Army’s small arms, fresh news of one of the early procurement efforts has emerged. Could a deal with Caracal for nearly 100,000 carbines be close to fruition? Back in early 2019 news of a flurry of [Read More…]
Over the past couple of years, India’s military has embarked on its most serious attempt to modernise its small arms to date. One of the key early successes in this effort was the selection and procurement of over 72,000 SIG Sauer 716i 7.62x51mm rifles in February [Read More…]
We have been closely following India’s tentative steps towards modernisation of her Army’s small arms and the replacement of the INSAS rifle. It seemed that with the selection of Kalashnikov Concern’s AK-203 that India had selected a rifle suited to [Read More…]
Almost a year ago TFB reported that the Indian Army was on a tour to source 16,400 Light Machine Guns. The tour included visits to three (to our knowledge) firearms manufacturers, including Arsenal in Bulgaria and S&T Motiv in South Korea. The winner has now been [Read More…]
For years we at TFB have closely followed India’s struggles to select a new service rifle to replace the 5.56x45mm INSAS which has gained a questionable reputation over the years. Numerous home-grown rifles such as the Indian Ordnance Factories Board-designed [Read More…]
Normally, when you report from a defense expo, you only talk about new products, updates and stuff that was never seen before. But when you take a path less travelled to go to regional defense exhibitions like DEFEXPO, there are a lot of weapons there that have been [Read More…]
After you’ve been to dozens of defense expos all around the globe, you don’t really expect to see anything new and exciting. The time when “big reveals” of new products were done at exhibitions are almost gone, there is the internet for that. And [Read More…]
Last month during the US India Yudh Abhyas 19 training exercise Indian Army snipers had an opportunity to get acquainted with the US Army’s M2010 Enhanced Sniper Rifle. The exercise took place at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, in Washington State, aiming [Read More…]
In an effort to find a new light machine gun a team of Indian Army and Defense Officials have started a tour to visit firearms manufacturers, including Arsenal in Bulgaria. The tour then continues to Israel and Israel Weapon Industries (IWI), before heading on to South [Read More…]
News Agencies from both India and Russia have confirmed that India will adopt the 7.62x39mm AK-203, with production to be established at a plant in India. Production of as many as 750,000 rifles is planned. In recent weeks we’ve seen a lot of progress in [Read More…]
Earlier this month we reported that India had entered into a major contract with SIG Sauer for procurement of over 70,000 7.62x51mm rifles. SIG Sauer have now confirmed the agreement of a contract reportedly worth $72 million. SIG Sauer will manufacture 72,400 SIG716 [Read More…]
India is reportedly poised to purchase a large number of 5.56x45mm carbines from the United Arab Emirates small arms manufacturer Caracal. A deal to buy almost 95,000 Caracal CAR816 rifles is said to have been agreed. India Today reports that the negotiation of the [Read More…]
Back in 2012 the Indian Army purchased just over 1,500 B&T MP9 submachine gun after serious equipment shortfalls were highlighted by senior army officers. It’s unclear if India have made subsequent MP9 orders. These were issued to the Indian Army’s [Read More…]
Punj Lloyd Raksha Systems, India’s first privately owned small arms manufacturer, are set to begin building IWI X95s in Madhya Pradesh. The new joint venture with IWI will produce not just the X95 but also the Galil designated marksman variant, the Negev light machine [Read More…]
In an ongoing national conference where the top Indian Army generals are convening to discuss issues and ways to improve the military, one of the top issues is small arms program reform, especially in regards to the 5.56x45mm INSAS infantry rifle currently in use by [Read More…]
The Indian Army has released an RFI that is requesting interested companies to submit a proposal for 1500 Anti-Material Rifles (AMR as per Indian Army). The rifles must be in a 12.7mm caliber (x108mm or .50 BMG wasn’t specified) and must weigh lighter than the [Read More…]
Earlier on TFB we reported on the South Korean Military’s insistence on picking up every single brass cartridge fired while conducting live fire training. Soon after, we received an Indian reader that emailed us with these photographs showing the brass catching [Read More…]
Hot on the heels of requesting an RFI for 36,000 thermal optics for GPMGs, Indian Army Infantry Procurement officials are putting out another RFI solicitation, this time for 5,000 rifles in .338 Lapua, no mention of scopes or thermal optics. In fact, the solicitation is [Read More…]
The Indian Army has issued an RFI for 36,000 thermal optics to mount on the services Indian Ordnance Factory licensed production of 7.62x51mm NATO MAG 2A1 General Purpose Machine Guns (GPMG). Pictured is a MAG-58 6-1, lacking the picatinny rail top cover that the 2A1 [Read More…]
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