Army chief General Bipin Rawat had declared that his 12-lakh strong force could not be equipped with top-notch rifles due to budgetary constraints

The Army has set the ball rolling for acquiring 6.5 lakh new assault rifles, with “reduced technical specifications”, under what will eventually be an over Rs 12,000 crore “Make in India” project in the years ahead.

The Army on Friday floated a RFI (request for information) for 7.62 x 39 mm calibre assault rifles, with an effective kill range of 300 metres to be produced by the Ordnance Factory Board (OFB) as well as private sector companies, for which responses must be submitted by September 24.

This comes after the defence ministry earlier this year approved the Rs 1,798 crore procurement of 72,400 advanced assault rifles from abroad under the fast-track procedure (FTP) for front-line troops. So, in effect, soldiers deployed on the borders with China and Pakistan will get 7.62 x 51 mm calibre assault rifles with a longer kill range, while other troops will get guns with lower GSQRs (general staff qualitative requirements).

Though eyebrows have been raised at this, Army chief General Bipin Rawat had publicly declared that his entire 12-lakh strong force could not be equipped with top-notch rifles due to budgetary constraints.

The hi-tech 7.62 x 51 mm caliper rifles will be only for infantry battalions deployed on the front, while the bulk of weapons for the force would come through the indigenous route. The Army will initially accept weapon systems with “lower GSQRs” to give a boost to the local industry, but hi-tech weapons must be delivered in the long run, Gen Rawat had said.

The requirement in the Army, Navy and IAF is for 8.16 lakh new 7.62 mm calibre assault rifles to replace the glitch-prone 5.56 mm INSAS rifles. The Army had first asked for new rifles and close-quarter battle carbines for its 382 infantry battalions in 2005, while the case for light machine guns was initiated in 2009.

Army chief General Bipin Rawat had declared that his 12-lakh strong force could not be equipped with top-notch rifles due to budgetary constraints.