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infantrymen. India has also started receiving the American SiG Army.” The Indian Army has been looking to [ SMALL ARMS SYSTEMS ]
Sauer assault rifles. The Indian Army received the first batch of move to a rifle that fires a larger, more powerful
10,000 SiG 716 assault rifles in December last. Another batch of rifle cartridge than the 5.56x45mm intermedi-
10,000 rifles is expected by the end of this year. ate cartridge used by the INSAS. The SIG716
uses the more powerful 7.62x51mm cartridge.
India had signed a Rs 700 crore deal in 2019 to buy 72,000 of “The global importance of this contract for
these rifles from the U.S. The SIG716 G2 Patrol is an enhanced SIG SAUER is far reaching based on the size,
assault rifle featuring a 16-inch barrel, M-LOK handguard, and a location, and economic strength of India in the
6-position telescoping stock The guns will be manufactured at the global market. We are very proud, and hon-
Sig Sauer’s facility in New Hampshire, and will be supplied within oured that the SIG716 was chosen for use by
a year since the contract for the new guns is being made under the fighting forces of the Indian Army, and we
fast-track procurement (FTP). The Sig Sauer SIG716 7.62x51 mm are looking forward to developing a strong
assault rifles will replace the Indian-made 5.56x45mm INSAS rifles. partnership with India’s Ministry of Defence,”
adds Cohen.

The SIG716 is meant to complement their pur-
chase of AK-103 rifles from Russia and Caracal
CAR 816 carbines from the Middle East. This
will mean that the Indian Army will field ser-
vice rifles in three different calibers in the near
future: 7.62x51 in the Sig, 7.62x39 in the AK,
and 5.56x45 in the Caracal.
India is also in the brink of acquiring a huge
number of close-quarter-battle (CQB) carbines.
The RFP that was issued, was for the procure-
ment of 93,895 CQB. The MoD has shortlisted
the United Arab Emirates small arms manufac-
turer Caracal to supply CQB carbines to the
Indian Army. India is expected to formally sign a
contract to buy the CAR816 5.56x45 mm CQB
from Caracal before the end of this year. The
“This is the first large firearms procurement of the Indian deal, worth about US$110 million, is first in a
Government in decades, and the explicit mission for this tender series of contracts to acquire almost 650,000
was to modernize the infantry troopers of the Indian Army with infantry weapons of 5.56 and 7.62 calibers in
the best rifle available,” says Ron Cohen, President and CEO, SIG the coming years, as part of the ongoing mod-
SAUER, Inc. “We competed in an open tender with small arms ernization of the Indian armed forces. “Delivery
manufacturers from around the world. The SIG716 rifle underwent of the CQB will start as soon the agreement
a comprehensive and exhaustive testing and evaluation process is signed and the deliveries will be completed
where it outperformed the competition, and was ultimately chosen, within 12 months,” a source privy to the deal
and met all the criteria, as the best rifle to modernize the Indian tells GBP Defence &Aerospace. The army is

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