<p class="title">In a major move towards infantry modernisation, the Defence Ministry has cleared a long-pending proposal of the Army to procure around 73,000 assault rifles from the US under fast track mode, official sources said on Saturday.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman approved procurement of the Sig Sauer rifles which will be used by troops deployed along the nearly 3,600-km border with China, the sources told PTI.</p>.<p class="bodytext">They said the rifles, being used by the US forces as well as several other European countries, are being bought under the fast track procurement procedure.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"The contract is expected to be finalized within a week. The US firm will have to deliver the rifles within one year from the date of finalising the deal," said a senior official involved in the negotiation of the deal said.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Army sources said the US-manufactured rifles will replace the Insas rifles.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The world’s second largest standing Army has been pressing for fast-tracking the procurement of various weapons systems considering the evolving security threats including along India’s borders with Pakistan and China.</p>.<p class="bodytext">In October 2017, the Army began the process to acquire around 7 lakh rifles, 44,000 light machine guns (LMGs) and nearly 44,600 carbines.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Around 18 months ago, the Army had rejected an assault rifle built by the state-run Rifle Factory, Ishapore, after the guns miserably failed the firing tests.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Following it, the Army started scouting for rifles from the global market.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The procurement of assault rifles has witnessed significant delays due to a variety of reasons including the Army’s failure to finalise the specifications for it. The Army needs around 7 lakh 7.62x51 mm assault guns to replace its INSAS rifles.</p>
<p class="title">In a major move towards infantry modernisation, the Defence Ministry has cleared a long-pending proposal of the Army to procure around 73,000 assault rifles from the US under fast track mode, official sources said on Saturday.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman approved procurement of the Sig Sauer rifles which will be used by troops deployed along the nearly 3,600-km border with China, the sources told PTI.</p>.<p class="bodytext">They said the rifles, being used by the US forces as well as several other European countries, are being bought under the fast track procurement procedure.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"The contract is expected to be finalized within a week. The US firm will have to deliver the rifles within one year from the date of finalising the deal," said a senior official involved in the negotiation of the deal said.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Army sources said the US-manufactured rifles will replace the Insas rifles.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The world’s second largest standing Army has been pressing for fast-tracking the procurement of various weapons systems considering the evolving security threats including along India’s borders with Pakistan and China.</p>.<p class="bodytext">In October 2017, the Army began the process to acquire around 7 lakh rifles, 44,000 light machine guns (LMGs) and nearly 44,600 carbines.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Around 18 months ago, the Army had rejected an assault rifle built by the state-run Rifle Factory, Ishapore, after the guns miserably failed the firing tests.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Following it, the Army started scouting for rifles from the global market.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The procurement of assault rifles has witnessed significant delays due to a variety of reasons including the Army’s failure to finalise the specifications for it. The Army needs around 7 lakh 7.62x51 mm assault guns to replace its INSAS rifles.</p>