A Boost to Indigenisation

A FORCE report

Indian forces are particularly in need of small weapons, which can come handy in self-defence. At a time when India-China tensions were high and the soldier engaged in hand-to-hand combat, the Indian Army brought to the fore that they required a ‘limited number of close-quarter battle rifles on an immediate basis’.

The army was without a close-quarter battle weapon for years and it was reported that the force had been using regular assault rifles for the purpose, reducing the operational efficiency of the troops. The two types of small weapons—rifles and close quarter carbines—have different uses and serve different purposes. Carbines are used for close quarter battles, whereas rifles, which have long barrels, are generally used for long-range targets due to their ability of giving the user the benefit of distance and accuracy due to the rifle’s ‘spiral groove’ which spins the bullet when fired, for it to reach a further target. On the other hand, carbines are rifles that have compact, short barrels which is less than 20 inches in length and are comparatively light weight.

Small weapons of different varieties are considered personal to soldiers and act as security cover for them in adverse situations. In India, the procurement of small arms has been a long-drawn issue, which has compelled forces to make makeshift arrangements or operate without these arms. For India to satisfy its huge appetite of approximately 3.5 lakh small arms, if the paramilitary and the state police forces are included, it becomes imperative to take up production within the country.

For long, India had been depending upon Fast Track Procedure (FTP), however given the huge demand, FTPs don