Army to Get Additional Sig Sauer Assault Rifles
The Defence Acquisition Council (DAC), on 28 September, approved the procurement of arms and military equipment worth Rs 2,290 crore including around 72,000 Sig Sauer assault rifles from the United States.
Besides clearing the proposal to buy the rifles, the other notable acquisitions approved by the DAC include procurement of smart anti- airfield weapon (SAAW) systems for the Navy and the Indian Air Force (IAF) for Rs 970 crore, Static HF Tans-receiver sets for seamless communication for the field units of the Army and the Air Force at a cost of Rs 540 crore. These two items are being procured under the ‘Buy Indian (IDDM)‘ category of the Defence Procurement Procedure 2016. IDDM stands for Indigenously Designed, Developed, and Manufactured, a procurement category to encourage purchases from domestic vendors.
The government was fast-tracking procurement of 72,000 Sig Sauer assault rifles at a time Indian Army is locked in a bitter border row with China in eastern Ladakh. India and China have been militarily facing off in the over 1,000-km Line of Actual Control in Ladakh region since May this year and there are no signs of a thaw in the confrontation between their armies. The conflict seems to be moving in the direction of a long haul that could extend into the 2020 winter and beyond, unless a miraculous resolution takes place before that.
The cost of procurement of the Sig Sauer assault rifles for the frontline troops of the Indian Army will be Rs 780 crore ($101 mn). The Army is implementing a mega infantry modernisation programme under which a large number of light machine guns, battle carbines and assault rifles are being purchased to replace its ageing and obsolete weapons. Priority is being accorded for infantry modernisation as part of the larger process to further enhance combat capability of the Army.
In October, 2017, the Indian Army began the process to acquire around seven lakh rifles, 44,000 light machine guns (LMGs) and nearly 44,600 carbines. The world’s second largest standing Army has been pushing for fast-tracking the procurement of various weapons systems considering the evolving security challenges along India’s borders with Pakistan and China.
The SIG Sauer SIG716 7.62-mm assault rifles are a replacement for the Indian Small Arms System (or INSAS) 5.56mmX45mm rifles that are the standard personal weapon issued to the Indian armed forces personnel from the four services and is made by the Ordnance Factory Board. The assault rifles purchase is the second tranche of acquisition of this battle-proven weapon. The first tranche of the same number of rifles were bought in the recent years. The decision to buy these assault rifles has been taken after successfully deploying and using them in Kashmir during homeland security and low intensity conflict.
India is also currently pursuing a joint production for Russian-origin AK-203 Kalashnikov rifles at a plant in Amethi in Uttar Pradesh.
UAE Firm Caracal Selected for Carbines
The fast track procurement of close quarter battle (CQB) carbines to replace the Indian Army’s current 9mm Sterling carbines, with higher bullet velocity and reduced weight compared to the Sterling carbines, is at a tricky juncture. At a meeting held in September, chaired by the defence secretary, it was decided that the plan to import a limited number of carbines to meet immediate requirements would be shelved in favour of a Make in India plan.
However, the high-powered Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) still has to ratify the decision and the army has been of the opinion that a larger order for 350,000 carbines can be processed under the Make in India initiative but the fast track procurement of 93,895 should go ahead due to the urgent nature of the requirement.
Caracal was awarded the CQB Carbine contract in 2018 to supply the Indian Army with the CAR 816, after having undergone a rigorous selection process. The company has agreed to fast track the supply but the contract and formalities were still under discussion.
The UAE government-owned entity, Caracal International, says that is in talks with major Indian defence players to set up manufacturing facilities from which it can source up to 60% of the components needed. It can also make 100% in India in the future if the government-owned intellectual property (IP) is assured to be protected.
The CAR 816 is a center-fire, gas-operated tactical rifle, chambered in 5.56×45 mm NATO. The CAR 816 assault rifle is a tactical weapon designed for the high-end use of law enforcement and military applications. CAR 816 operates on short-stroke piston system with three settings. It has semi-automatic only and select-fire models and the rifle is available in multiple barrel lengths with full ambidextrous configuration.
OFB Carbine
A carbine produced by the Ordnance Factory Board at its facility in Ishapore has been offered to the armed forces who are now evaluating it for acquisition.
If selected, the OFB carbine will undergo rigorous testing and initially be inducted in limited numbers only by the defence forces.
Dragunov Sniper Rifle Upgrade
The long-awaited upgrade of the legendary Dragunov sniper rifle, commonly known in the armed forces as DSR, could soon be a reality as an Indian private company – SSS Defence – has come out with an upgrade, with night-firing capability and reduced recoil, besides giving it a bipod.
The Northern Command came out with a Request for Proposal for the upgrade of 90 pieces of the nearly three-decade-old rifle. The Army is estimated to have anywhere between 6,000-7,000 pieces.
The DSR has an effective range of around 800 metres. The mission criteria and nature of operations has changed over time. The sniper scopes that can be used in conjunction are limited to a 4x magnification and modern day sniper scopes cannot be mounted at all.
Also, the weapon cannot use stability-imparting accessories like a bipod.
The barrel of a DSR can easily fire up to 7,000 rounds and most have not done more than 3,000 each, thus having potential for upgrade with a long life ahead. The Army will easily take a few years to acquire and induct a more lethal sniper weapon with effective ranges of 1.2 km and above.
Case for SPAD-GMS System Withheld
The acquisition case for Self Propelled Air Defence Gun Missile System (SPAD-GMS) – the Indian Army wants five regiments of the guns that can be deployed with forward moving forces and can be quickly relocated on the basis of threat perception – has also been cancelled after South Korean company Hanwa’s K 30 Biho was shortlisted by the Army.
The estimated $ 2.5 billion contract for new air defence systems for the Army has been hanging fire since last year after Russia protested that it had been unfairly disqualified from the competition in which the Korean company was shortlisted.
Both the Russian upgraded Tunguska M1 and Pantsir missile systems failed to qualify for the acquisition of 104 system that are needed by the Army, promoting a formal complaint to the Independent Monitors (IMs) set up within the MoD to monitor acquisition cases.
The IMs recommended that the Russians be given another chance to prove the system. This however, was found to be unfair by the acquisition wing that had pointed out that a re-trial opportunity at this late stage would set a dangerous new precedent and would vitiate the principle of a level playing field.
While the recommendation was to expedite the contract negotiation or move for a retrial at the earliest, the contract has now been scrapped keeping in mind new plans under the Make in India initiative.
The two programmes would come as a welcome surprise for the Indian industry, particularly the private sector, which has developed capabilities over the past few years to manufacture such systems domestically.
