In another boost for Atmanirbhar Bharat, the Ugram rifle has cleared key Army and Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) trials. Chambered for the 7.62×51mm cartridge, the rifle is now likely to be procured by several Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) such as the Central Reserve Police Force, Indo‑Tibetan Border Police, Sashastra Seema Bal and the National Security Guard. The rifle was developed by the Armament Research and Development Establishment (ARDE) of the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO). It meets the Army’s General Staff Qualitative Requirement (GSQR) and has cleared Army trials as well. The rifle weighs under four kilograms and has an effective range of 500 metres.Named Ugram — “ferocious” in Sanskrit — it will be manufactured by Hyderabad‑based Dvipa Defence India Private Limited. ARDE designed and developed the weapon in just 100 days, drawing on years of experience with small arms such as the Indian Small Arms System (INSAS) family, which has been widely deployed domestically and abroad.Separately, ARDE’s Close Quarter Battle (CQB) carbine was ordered in large numbers by the Army last year. The CQB carbine will be built by Kalyani Strategic Systems Limited (KSSL). In December, the Ministry of Defence signed contracts worth Rs 2,770 crore for procurement of 4.25 lakh carbines for the Army and Navy; these will be produced by KSSL and PLR Systems Pvt Ltd.Development and production of small arms was once limited to government entities such as ARDE and the Ordnance Factory Board. Today private firms are also developing and manufacturing small arms. Major conglomerates such as Bharat Forge and Adani‑owned PLR Systems are producing weapons domestically, and other companies — including Bengaluru‑based SSS Defence — are likewise active in this sector.Indian forces still operate many foreign‑developed small arms. The AK‑series remains the most widely used across the three services, CAPFs and state police forces; the government’s AK‑203 production plant in Amethi is currently producing that weapon. Israeli Tavor assault rifles used by special forces are now being manufactured by PLR Systems, as is the Negev light machine gun, which is in service with the Army. Meanwhile, all three services use 7.62×51mm SIG Sauer rifles, with over 1,40,000 imported directly from the United States.The development of the Ugram and the CQB carbine points the way forward for Atmanirbhar Bharat in small arms. Because these weapons are issued in large numbers — reaching every soldier — a domestically developed rifle on a soldier’s shoulder may become one of the most visible and widespread symbols of self‑reliance in defence.
