Indian Army set to float tender for carbines, bulletproof vests

The Indian Army has expressed a fresh demand for carbines and sought information from domestic arms manufacturers for the possible supply more than 425,000 guns of prescribed specifications ahead of floating a tender for the purchase in November, officials familiar with the matter said on Friday.

The close-quarter carbines will be for frontline soldiers, including the Line of Actual Control (LAC) with China where the two countries have been locked in a tense standoff since May 2020, the officials said.

The force is looking to acquire 5.56mm carbines with an effective range of at least 200 metre, the army said in their request for information (RFI). The document, published on Thursday, also spells out other desired parameters of the weapon, including accuracy and reliability.

The development comes months after the defence ministry cleared indigenous defence purchases worth ₹28,732 crore, including carbines, armed drone swarms and bullet-proof jackets. The army has also issued an RFI for 47,627 bulletproof jackets.

The defence acquisition council (DAC) had in July accorded its acceptance of necessity for the military hardware to provide a boost to self-reliance in the defence manufacturing sector.