The agreement was signed at the IDEX 2023 in Abu Dhabi, the UAE, one of the largest tri-service defence exhibitions in the world

ICOMM, a group company of Megha Engineering and Infrastructure Ltd (MEIL), has signed a licensing agreement with UAE-based small-arms manufacturer Caracal to locally manufacture small firearms such as pistols and sniper rifles, the company said on Tuesday. ICOMM signed "a partnership and licensing agreement with Caracal" technology transfer, the company said in a statement.

"As per the agreement, ICOMM will locally manufacture Caracal's complete line of small arms for the Indian market under the 'Make in India' initiative," it said.

"ICOMM will manufacture the full range of Caracal small arms, including the versatile Caracal EF pistol, modern CMP-9 submachine gun, CAR-814, CAR-816 and CAR-817 tactical rifles, CAR-817 DMR tactical sniper rifle, CSR-50 anti-material sniper rifle, CSR-338 and CSR-308 bolt action sniper rifles and the CSA-338 semi-automatic sniper rifle," it said.

ICOMM is part of the USD 4 billion Hyderabad-based infrastructure group MEIL.

Sumanth P, Chief of ICOMM, said Caracal's complete line of small arms will be produced at the company's manufacturing centre in Hyderabad.

This marks the entry of the firm, which till now manufactured missiles, radars and drones, into small firearms.

"India's defence industry is on a strong path to develop its sovereign manufacturing capabilities. This agreement exemplifies the commitment shown by Caracal to aid India's ambitions towards making the defence sector self-sufficient," he said.

Hamad Al Ameri, CEO of Caracal, said, "As India continues to realise its sovereign defence ambitions, we look forward to partnering with ICOMM, whose capabilities in providing end-to-end solutions across multiple sectors, including engineering and defence, complements Caracal's portfolio of advanced small arms."