Defence Acquisition Council has cleared purchase of assault rifles/carbines for Rs. 3,547 crores

The armed forces had first accepted the need for new carbines 11 years earlier but an attempt to make the purchase finally collapsed in 2016 because only one bidder cleared the trials. The wait for the assault rifles is a little shorter, 7 years

NEW DELHI: A top government panel led by Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Tuesday decided to purchase 1,66,000 assault rifles and battle carbines, the basic weapon used by soldiers, on a fast-track basis for the armed forces.

The armed forces had first accepted the need for new carbines 11 years earlier but an attempt to make the purchase finally collapsed in 2016 because only one bidder cleared the trials. The wait for the assault rifles is a little shorter, 7 years.

On Tuesday, the Defence Acquisition Council - the defence ministry's highest decision-making body on procurement - decided to cut the red tape and make sure that the armed forces get at least some of the weapons that they have sought without any more delay.

As part of this decision, the forces will now conduct trials, shortlist guns and sign a contract as soon as possible to buy 93,895 carbines and 72,400 assault rifles.

Indian soldiers currently use AK-47s and INSAS or Indian Small Arms System rifles, which are made in India, and were inducted in the Army in 1988 and were meant to be replaced this year with deadlier assault rifles of higher calibre, especially for use along borders and in counter-insurgency operations.

In case of the assault rifle, sources told NDTV, the armed forces outlined the need for a multi-calibre gun, which could fire both 5.56 mm and 7.62 rounds.

Bids were sought in 2014 but had to be withdrawn because no one could give the army the gun with the specifications they wanted. In June 2016, the forces toned down their requirements for a 7.62 x 51mm calibre rifle that had an effective kill range of 500 metres.