Foot Soldiers at Borders to Get New Rifles and LMGs Soon

Initial tenders issued to foreign manufacturers were for 72,400 assault rifles, 93,895 CQB Carbines and 16,479 LMGs.

India’s Border Security Force (BSF) soldiers on patrol. Image used for representational purposes.

(Photo: Reuters)

The government has finally given the nod for acquisition of new assault rifles, light machine guns (LMGs) and close quarter battle carbines (CQB) that were promised to foot soldiers on duty at the China and Pakistan borders under the fast-track procedure (FTP), Times of India reported.

TOI quoted defence ministry sources as saying that the requests for proposal (RFPs) that were issued to foreign arms manufacturers on Friday were for 72,400 assault rifles, 93,895 CQB Carbines and 16,479 LMGs that will cost the centre an estimated Rs 5,366 crore.

As per the defence procurement procedure’s timelines for FTPs, the RFP has to be issued within 10 days of a procurement being cleared by the Defence Acquisitons Council to ensure the contract after technical and commercial evaluation is linked within a year, the delivery of the weapons is supposed to take place in the next three to 12 months.

But the three RFPs were delayed after the DAC approved the procurement for assault rifles and CQB carbines on 16 January and the one for LMGs on 13 February.

The forces had initially asked for new assault rifles and CQB carbines for the 382 infantry battalions in 2005 whereas the proposal for new LMGs was put forward in 2009.

(With inputs from the Times of India.)