India cuts the prospect of extra SIG 716 rifles
India will not order additional SIG 716 Patrol 7.62mm assault rifles. (SIG Sauer)
For various reasons, Indian soldiers still have a long wait on their hands to get new assault rifles.
India has decided against progressing an INR7 billion ($91.9 million) repeat order, approved in late 2020, for 72,400 SIG Sauer assault rifles from the US.
Official sources said the MoD’s decision followed ‘snags’ that had surfaced in the earlier import of an equal number of SIG 716 Patrol 7.62mm rifles in late 2019. The weapons were issued to Indian Army units deployed along the border with Pakistan in Kashmir and on counterinsurgency operations in the same region.
Problems included higher recoil, jamming and accuracy in burst-mode firing when using locally sourced ammunition, as imported stocks had largely been depleted. Army
Already have an account? Log in
Want to keep reading this article?
Read this Article
Get access to this article with a Free Basic Account
- Original curated content, daily across air, land and naval domains
- 2 free stories per week
- Daily news round-up email service
- Access to all Decisive Edge email newsletters
Unlimited Access
Access to all our premium news as a Premium News 365 Member. Corporate subscriptions available.
- Original curated content, daily across air, land and naval domains
- 14-day free trial (cancel at any time)
- Unlimited access to all published premium news
More from Land Warfare
-
![Romania opens the chequebook and reorganises as it watches Russian aggression]()
Romania opens the chequebook and reorganises as it watches Russian aggression
Romania is retiring old systems, some Soviet, and replacing them with western equipment from countries such as Sweden and Turkey and boosting existing modern fleets.
-
![UK fires Archer for first time in live-fire exercise]()
UK fires Archer for first time in live-fire exercise
Exercise Dynamic Front 25 is part of a series of NATO exercises that will run until 26 November.
-
![Milrem picks Texelis for partnership in drive to develop large UGV]()
Milrem picks Texelis for partnership in drive to develop large UGV
Milrem has delivered or is building a total of 200 Tracked Hybrid Modular Infantry System UGVs and has chosen Texelis as partner in its effort to develop a UGV.
-
![Sweden takes delivery of first M3 amphibious bridge and ferry system]()
Sweden takes delivery of first M3 amphibious bridge and ferry system
The most recent nation to join NATO has joined other member nations in using the M3 system.
-
![CV90 delivery to Slovakia imminent]()
CV90 delivery to Slovakia imminent
Slovakia is undergoing a radical refresh of its equipment, like many central and eastern European countries, and the arrival of new vehicles will form a substantial part of this.
-
![Mortar mobility: Patria’s TREMOS takes aim at the modern battlespace]()
Mortar mobility: Patria’s TREMOS takes aim at the modern battlespace
In conversation... Patria’s Lauri Pauniaho talks to Shephard's Gerrard Cowan about how high mobility levels are essential for mortar systems in the face of modern counter-battery fire, and how a new platform-agnostic module can combine existing vehicles and mortar barrels into a cost-effective new weapon system.
