Defence Acquisition Council nod to procurement of assault rifles, carbines worth Rs 3,547 crore

NEW DELHI: The Defence Acquisition Council chaired by Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Tuesday cleared the procurement of over 72,000 assault rifles and 93,000 odd carbines worth Rs 3,547 crore on a fast-track basis for troops deployed at the borders.

A statement issued by the Defence Ministry said, “The DAC cleared the procurement of 72,400 assault rifles and 93,895 carbines on a fast-track basis for Rs 3,547 crore to enable the defence forces to meet their immediate requirement for the troops deployed on the borders.”

The fast-track process of the defence procurement procedure (DPP) is to ensure expeditious procurement of urgent requirements of the regular and special forces, “foreseen as imminent during war and peace”. It can also be for cases where undue delay is adversely impacting the preparedness of the forces.


It covers acquisitions under the ‘buy category’ or outright purchase. For close to a decade, the Army had been trying to replace the INSAS rifle, which was inducted around the time of the Kargil war. The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) had showcased its Excalibur and Ghatak rifles to replace the INSAS.

The Army rejected both due to not being able to meet the firepower requirements. Mid-2017, another indigenous rifle also failed tests. Now, the new assault rifle having a 7.62mm calibre will replace the INSAS, which is a 5.56mm.