(MENAFN- AsiaNet News) New Delhi: The Defence Ministry has secured a contract with the US defense giant SIG SAUER to acquire an additional 73,000 SiG716 rifles for the Indian Army, valued at approximately Rs 800 crore.
This order follows a previous one, bringing the total number of SiG716 rifles of 7.62 x 51mm caliber in the Army's arsenal to 1,45,400 after the completion of this procurement. The announcement coincided with Defence Minister Rajnath Singh's four-day visit to the United States.
In a statement, Ron Cohen, President and CEO, SIG SAUER, Inc said,“We are proud to be a partner in the modernization effort of the Indian Army, and prouder still that the SIG716 rifle achieves the Ministry of Defence's modernization goals with the second largest army in the world.”
In February 2019, the Defence Ministry placed its initial order for 72,400 rifles from SIG SAUER through the fast-track procedure (FTP).
“Since the initial fielding of the SIG716, we have received phenomenal end-user feedback on the performance and reliability of the platform.
Throughout this time, we have strengthened and further solidified our partnership with the Indian Ministry of Defence and are honored to earn their continued trust equipping their frontline infantrymen.”
In December 2023, the Defence Acquisition Council (DAC), chaired by Rajnath Singh, approved a proposal to procure an additional 70,000 rifles at a cost of around Rs 800 crore.
This acquisition of state-of-the-art assault rifles is part of the Army's ongoing modernization efforts to enhance the firepower of troops, particularly those stationed along the borders.
These new rifles will replace the indigenous 5.56 x 45 mm INSAS rifles.
The Sig Sauer rifles, initially purchased in 2019, have already been deployed to troops guarding India's borders with Pakistan and China.
The deal for procuring a second batch of Sig Sauer rifles was initially approved by the ministry in 2020. However, as reported earlier by Asianet Newsable, the deal was not finalized at that time.
"The same deal has now been renewed," sources had told Asianet News in December 2023.
The repeat order for the Sig Sauer rifles is driven by their longer range and enhanced operational ease, with an emphasis on 'shoot to kill' capability.
The Indian Armed Forces, including the Army, Navy, and Air Force, require a total of 8.1 lakh combat rifles, with the Indian Army alone needing 7.6 lakh of these.
From the initial procurement of 72,400 SiG-716 rifles in 2019, the Indian Army received 66,400 rifles, while the Air Force and Navy were allocated 4,000 and 2,000 rifles respectively.
Apart from this, the Indian Army is procuring a total of 6.70 lakh AK-203 rifles, of which 70,000 has already been procured from Russia in January 2022 and the remaining six lakh is being manufactured under a transfer of technology agreement at Uttar Pradesh's Korwa.
In July this year, Indo-Russian Rifles Private Limited, an Indian-registered company, delivered 35,000 AK-203 assault rifles to the Indian Army.
The Kalashnikov AK-203 assault rifle is a version of the AK-200 rifle chambered for the 7.62×39mm cartridge used in the Indian Army.
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