Now, carbines for armies will be manufactured in India under the ‘Make in India’ program. For this, UAE company Karakal has offered to manufacture close quarter carbine in India itself. Now on this condition, India is ready to buy 93,895 carbines by reviving the deal that was canceled five months ago for the armed forces. Yes, for this, Request for Information (RFI) has also been issued for fresh fast track procurement. Significantly, in September 2020, import contracts with UAE arms manufacturer Qarakal were canceled in the final phase, saying.
The process of buying carbine was started in 2018
The process was initiated in 2018 to purchase carbines, keeping in mind the needs of Indian forces. In this, UAE arms manufacturer Qarakal was shortlisted to supply 93,895 close quarter carbines to the army. According to the Ministry of Defense, this company had the lowest bid for fast track purchases. The deal was almost in the final stages, but in the meantime the Ministry of Defense banned the import of arms to strengthen the defense industry under ‘Self-reliant India’. The deal was canceled in a meeting held in September under the chairmanship of Defense Secretary Dr. Ajay Kumar, the head of the Defense Procurement Board. At the same meeting, Chief of Defense Staff (CDS) General Bipin Rawat had said that the deal will now be completed under the ‘Make in India’ initiative to give a boost to the domestic industry.
UAE’s company Qarakal wants to manufacture close quarter carbine in India
The rationale behind the cancellation of the deal was that this UAE carbine was costlier than US-made Sig-716 assault rifles. The second reason was that the Ministry of Defense stated that no part of the carbine was being manufactured indigenously. After the Carbine deal was canceled in the final stages, UAE-based Caracal offered to make all the rifles in the country as part of the government’s ‘Make in India’ initiative. As before, the Army still wants a new carbine chamber for 5.56×45 mm cartridges. Therefore, a fresh request for information (RFI) has been issued for companies including UAE’s Caracal, Italy’s Beretta, American Sig Sauer, France’s Thalasthiyar, including India’s Adani Defense.
Indian Army’s latest request letter is simpler than the RFI issued in 2018
The latest request letter of the Indian Army is much simpler this time, compared to the three-page RFI issued in 2018. According to the RFI, arms procurement is to be done within one year of signing the contract. The size of the deal is not yet known, but if estimated from Qarakal’s 2018 bid, the deal would be worth more than Rs 800 crore. Of the 93,895 carbines purchased, 3,400 would be for the Air Force and 1,200 for the Navy and the rest would be for the Army.
WhatsApp us