Procuring small arms for the army (English Version) Rakshak News 29 Mar 18
The rifle for a soldier is an extension of his body. It is the weapon on which he must possess maximum trust. Every soldier, irrespective of his nature of duties has a service weapon allocated to him, which is termed his personal weapon. It is this which he fires during peace to build confidence to operate the same in war. A soldier unsure of his personal weapon would never be effective in battle. That had been the bane of the army for decades.
The Indian army presently equips its soldiers with the INSAS family of small arms, manufactured by Ordnance factories, which were upgraded from the 7.62 mm SLR, also manufactured by them. The quality and capability of this weapon, like most other Ordnance factory products remains suspect. Captain Amarinder Singh, the Chief Minister of Punjab and a former army officer, stated that soldiers in his own battalion, presently deployed in the valley, prefer employing the AK series of weapons captured from terrorists to the INSAS rifles. Such is their dependability.
The Indian army’s hunt for a suitable rifle has been in progress for some time. The army had first asked for new assault rifles and carbines way back in 2005 and light machine guns in 2009. The army’s initial demands were for these weapons for all its 382 infantry battalions. The procurement process was scrapped multiple times for graft allegations, unrealistic technical parameters and even lack of indigenous options. As stated by the chief recently, the weapons now under procurement are now being earmarked for troops deployed along the borders, while for the balance it would be post the make in India option takes hold.
As per the laid down procedure, the Request for Proposal (RFP) is to be issued within 10 days of the case being cleared by the Defence Acquisition Council (DAC). The case was cleared by the DAC in Feb, while the RFP has just been issued, clearly another case of delay without justification. The initial demand has been toned down to approximately 72,000 rifles, 94,000 carbines and 16,500 Light Machine Guns, involving a cost of approximately 5,400 crores.
The suggested weapon should be of the 7.62mm calibre, which is far more lethal than the present 5.56mm. Its ammunition has a longer range, the army seeks 500m, and better accuracy. There were a few major internal hurdles which led to a delay in firming the army’s requirement. Firstly, within the army itself there were multiple views on what the calibre and capability of the weapon should be. This took time for finalization. This was essential as once inducted, the weapons would remain in service for a prolonged period.
Secondly was the DRDO insisting on offering its own developmental prototypes, Excalibur and Ghatak, for trials. There were trial tested on multiple occasions but found unsuitable for employment. To convince the MoD against the DRDO offers and demands for in-house development was equally time consuming. Even in the present context, it would still involve multiple steps before final orders are placed. These steps involve accepting offers, trial testing of all prototypes in every nature of terrain in harsh weather conditions, technical evaluations and maintainability trials.
It is only on completion of all these stages would the army decide on its final choice, which would then be pursued for clearance and negotiations opened with the vendor. In case there are complaints of kickbacks or illegal offers during the process, the entire system may collapse and recommenced from scratch. Such instances are common in defence procurements for multiple reasons.
Firstly, is fiscal impact of the deals. Secondly, these weapons would enhance own defence capability. Thus jealous neighbours would employ very possible means to ensure that the process is stalled or fails. Finally, is the battle between the contenders. Each company would seek to blame the other for kickbacks, hoping to be the sole contender. The MoD needs to be clearheaded and monitor the progress of trials with a hawk’s eye. Pushing the deal away solely for minor reasons or rumours, which are bound to surface, would deny the army the capability it desperately needs with growing threats.
About the Author
Maj Gen Harsha Kakkar
Retired Major General Indian Army