ARMY TO LAUNCH FRESH HUNT FOR WEAPONS WORTH ~45,000 CRORE

NEW DELHI: The army is set to launch a fresh hunt for assault rifles, light machine guns (LMGs) and carbines after a string of failed attempts to equip its soldiers with these basic weapons during the past decade, a senior officer said on Sunday.

The officer said the force’s road map for infantry modernisation was taking shape with the government preparing to release a tender for 7.7 lakh assault rifles and redoubling its efforts to buy over 54,000 LMGs and 44,618 carbines – weapons that are expected to cost upwards of ~45,000 crore.

“Indian soldiers are the best in the world but the worst equipped,” said Lieutenant General Rajender Singh (retd), who was director general of infantry in 2007-08. It was during his tenure the army moved files to buy these weapons. “The delay is shocking. Our casualties can be reduced by half if soldiers are provided better assault rifles,” General Singh told HT.

He said the assault rifles should have come by 2010-11.

The army’s fruitless hunt for new assault rifles to replace the flaw-ridden 5.56mm INSAS (Indian Small Arms System) rifle returned to the drawing board last year. It has once again revised and finalised the qualitative requirements for the new assault rifles and will shortly seek the defence acquisition council’s (DAC) “acceptance of necessity” for the weapon.