Page 17 - ADT MARCH / APRIL 2020 Digital Magazine | GBP

Small is Big [ SMALL ARMS SYSTEMS ]

THE INDIAN ARMY IS CURRENTLY UNDERGOING he adds. IWI pipped Bulgaria ’s Arsenal and
A COMPREHENSIVE FIREARMS PROCUREMENT South Korea’s S&T Motiv to win the contract.
PROCESS “THE NEGEV (5.56X45MM AND

7.62X51MM) IS A ROBUST AND
Jay Menon
RELIABLE ASSAULT LMG WITH
The Indian Armed Forces' long-standing requirement of a modern POWERFUL TARGET ACQUISITION
state-of-the-art Light Machine Gun (LMG) has finally fructified. AND ACCURATE PERFORMANCE.
The Ministry of Defence (MoD) has signed a capital acquisition THE NEGEV IS NOT ONLY THE
contract with Israel Weapons Industries (IWI) for the procurement WORLD’S LIGHTEST MACHINE
of 16,479 LMGs at a cost of Rs880 crore. The contracted Negev
7.62X51 mm LMG is a combat proven weapon and currently used GUN BUT IT IS THE ONLY SEMI-
by several countries around the globe. AUTOMATIC MODE VERSION IN
THE MARKET TO DATE. DEPLOYED
“The provisioning of this operationally urgent and very critically BY THE IDF, THE NEGEV’S SEMI-
needed weapon will boost the confidence of the frontline troops
and provide much needed combat power to the Armed Forces,” AUTOMATIC FEATURES EMPOWER
says a spokesman for the MoD. This LMG will greatly enhance the ITS OPERATORS WITH SAFER CLOSE
lethality and range of a soldier vis-a-vis the presently used weapon, QUARTER BATTLE (CQB),”
IWI Spokesperson.

The NEGEV LMG has been battle-proven
worldwide under adverse and extreme envi-
ronmental conditions. Being light-weight, the
Negev enables agile movement and accurate
targeting, particularly in urban areas. Its large
caliber contributes to better fire power as well
as advanced penetration of walls and light-ar-
moured vehicles, he claims.

Large Requirements
The Indian Army, the second largest standing
army in the world with more than 1.2 million
active troops, is currently undergoing a com-
prehensive firearms procurement process to
advance the capabilities of the Indian Army’s

ASIAN DEFENCE TECHNOLOGY March/April 2020 | 17