Indian Army signs Rs 2,700 crore deal for 4.25 lakh close-quarter carbines

In a major success for the indigenously-produced rifles, the Indian Army has signed a contract to buy 4.25 lakh close-quarter carbines, of which 2.5 lakh would be supplied by Bharat Forge, while the remaining would be provided by the AdPLR systems.

The carbines for DRDO-developed rifles would be replacing the vintage carbines, which were phased out a long time ago.

The Indian Army has signed a contract worth Rs 2,700 crore to buy 4.25 lakh carbines from Bharat Forge and PLR Systems. The weapons can fire 5.56 mm bullets and will help in enhancing the capability of the troops in operations," Indian Army's Director General (Infantry) Lt Gen Ajay Kumar told reporters at a briefing.


The guns will start being delivered by vendors from next year onwards.

The contract was signed last month, Lt Gen Kumar said, adding that the infantry has moved towards the motto of 'shoot to kill' and replaced its older 5.56 mm rifles with the 7.62 mm American Sig Sauer and Russian-origin AK-203 assault rifles.

The Indian Army has taken various steps to address the shortage of advanced rifles for its troops and plans to induct weapons that will be in service for the next 20-30 years.