MoD has failed to push through several earlier tenders for assault rifles and
carbines (above DRDO's new INSAS rifle)
By Ajai Shukla
Business Standard, 14th Feb 18
Two days after yet
another deadly terrorist strike in Jammu claimed six Indian lives, the
government restarted a faltering procurement aimed at strengthening the firepower
of the frontline infantry soldier, who bears the brunt of counter-insurgency
operations and deployment along the Pakistan and China borders.
On Tuesday, the
ministry’s apex Defence Acquisition Council (DAC), chaired by Defence Minister
Nirmala Sitharaman, cleared the capital purchase of assault rifles, sniper rifles
and light machine guns worth about Rs 15,935 crore ($2.5 billion).
“In the last one
month, to equip the soldiers on the border with modern and more effective
equipment, the DAC has fast tracked procurement of the three main personal
weapons, i.e., rifles, carbines and light machine guns”, a
defence ministry release stated.
The “Fast Track
Process” of the Defence Procurement Policy of 2016 (DPP-2016), is directed at
concluding an acquisition within a year.
Over the preceding
decade, the defence ministry has gone through several long-running acquisition
processes for small arms – which include assault rifles, carbines and light
machine guns – but cancelled them all, most recently last year.
The core of the
approvals accorded today relate to the infantry’s basic weapon – the assault
rifle. Approval was accorded for procuring 740,000 assault rifles for an
estimated cost of Rs 12,280 crore ($1.91 billion).
The ministry stated
the rifles will be procured under the category of “Buy and Make (Indian)”. This
involves buying a limited number of fully-built rifles from the chosen global
vendor, who then transfers technology to India to build the bulk of the order
in the public sector Ordnance Factory Board (OFB) and by private firms.
The DAC also approved
procurement of 5,719 sniper rifles for long-range shooting by the army and the
air force at a cost of Rs 982 crore ($153 million). Given the complexity of
these high precision weapons, they will not be built in India; but procured fully-built
under the “Buy Global” category of the DPP.
However, “the
ammunition for these will be initially procured [from abroad] and subsequently
manufactured in India”, said the defence ministry release.
The DAC also cleared
the purchase of an “essential quantity” of light machine guns for an estimated
cost of Rs 1,819 crore ($283 million). This initial procurement is intended to meet
the immediate “operational requirement of the troops deployed on the borders…
[while a] concurrent proposal is being processed for the [remaining
requirement] to be procured under the ‘Buy and Make (Indian)’ categorisation,”
said the ministry.
As Business Standard earlier
reported (November 4, “Infantry to get foreign rifles, others to get 'made
in India'”), the government is proceeding on two parallel acquisition
tracks to procure small arms at affordable prices. Frontline combat soldiers will
be armed with sophisticated, relatively expensive foreign-origin rifles, with
reflex sights, to give them an edge on the battlefield. These will be heavier
7.62 millimetre (mm) rifles, designed to kill rather than merely injure enemy
soldiers.
Meanwhile, non-frontline soldiers will get indigenous rifles. In procuring
these, the army would choose between the INSAS-1C, developed by the Defence
R&D Organisation (DRDO), and the OFB-developed Ghatak rifle. These are 5.56
mm rifles, lighter and less lethal than the infantry’s 7.62 mm assault rifles.
But, with an estimated cost of about Rs 50,000 apiece, these will be
significantly cheaper.
“Since a state-of-the-art assault rifle
will cost about Rs 200,000 each in the global market, let us issue these only
to frontline infantry soldiers who confront the enemy armed only with their
rifles,” army chief, General Bipin Rawat had told Business Standard in November. “Let us provide a
cheaper indigenous option to other soldiers, for whom the rifle is not a
primary weapon,” he said.
Besides green-lighting the acquisition of
rifles and light machine guns, the DAC also approved the procurement of an Advanced Torpedo Decoy Systems (ATDS) for
the Indian Navy. This system, named the “Mareech” has been developed
indigenously by the DRDO and has successfully completed extensive trial
evaluations.
“The 'Mareech' systems
will be produced by Bharat Electronics Limited, Bengaluru at an estimated cost
of Rs 850 crore”, announced the defence ministry.
Whenever army is attacked by pak terror groups , govt will clear some thing for weapons , otherwise we don't get on ontime . we have two bloody neighbors both side waiting like werewolf anytime . but india is very cool on speaking two front wars.
ReplyDeleteEven though it goes this way , every year MoD returning unspent money . its really shameful , defence dept already getting very low in budget but we are easily returning unspent money again to finance dept .its a burning problem but no one realizing it , even media keeping mum .
Govt should make rules harder not to return unspent and it should be utilized in fast track
This is the latest in the long line of small arms purchase announcements. No certainties here.
ReplyDeleteSometimes you wonder if the bureaucrats are only interested in keeping the defense news pot boiling to show there they holding their jobs. Not much real concern or progress here. Sab dikhava hai!
This was in the offing for long....as usual more 10-15 years. Just that some announcement coincided with a terror attack.
ReplyDeleteIt would have an achievement if they has announced the weapon selected !
Hope that is done and MoD says Ok and completes all formalities as DPP and RM signs it in next few months.
The bigger issue is perimeter protection, this is delayed by huge amount.
We have been having attack since 1990s.
this acquisition is like another jumla...there will be EOI, RFI, RFP, endless trials all across the country, then nobody fulfilling the requirement and then back to square one...
ReplyDeletewhy do we have this AON and DAC approval concept in the first place!! this nonsensical approvals which mean nothing...the army has already tested all rifles in the world and all they need is select the best and go for G2G and close the deal with local manufacturing option. pity that even Pakistan army is better equipped and overcame such requirements whereas we are struggling to get the basics right. blame not only MoD but also army as they like IAF and not clear what they want....so much for GSQR which nobody in the world can fulfil!!
bring the MoD under PMO like DAE and Dept of Space, that's the only hope....