Procured under the ‘Buy (Indian)’ category, these new 5.56x45mm carbines are set to replace the army’s aging Sterling models, which are considered obsolete for modern close-quarter combat operations.
New Delhi: Indian Army will begin inducting 4.25 lakh close quarters battle (CQB) carbines worth Rs 27,770 crore within two years, starting September 2026. The contract was signed for the 5.56×45 mm CQB Carbine between the defence ministry and Kalyani Strategic System’s subsidiary Bharat Forge and the PLR Systems last month. As per the contract, Bharat Forge has to deliver 60 percent of 4.25 lakh CQB carbines while the remaining to be supplied by PLR Systems, a joint venture between Adani Group and Israel Weapon Industries (IWI). Indian Army’s Infantry wing director general Lieutenant General Ajay Kumar said: “As per the contract, the companies have to supply entire lot of CQB in two years’ time.”
‘Buy Indian’
As per the ministry of defence’s Acceptance of Necessity (AON) issued in 2022 mentioned that the Indian Army required 4,25,213 units of 5.56 x 45mm CQB Carbine, which have to be procured under the category ‘Buy (Indian)’. ‘Buy (Indian)’ category refers to the procurement of products from an Indian vendor meeting one of the two conditions – products that have been indigenously designed, developed and manufactured with a minimum of 50 percent Indigenous Content (IC) on cost basis of the total contract value; Or products, which may not have been designed and developed indigenously, having 60 percent IC on cost basis of the total contract value.
The AoN had also mentioned that the effective range of the CQB carbine should “not be less than 200 meters,” and also have a “bayonet of minimum blade length 120-mm” be provided with a suitable cover. Without the magazine and accessories, the CQB carbine weight should not exceed 3-kg + 10 percent. Meant for urban, close range contacts and counter terrorism operations, the CQB carbines are modified to be lighter, easy to handle and smaller than a standard rifle, bearing effectiveness and maneuverability. It must be noted that the Indian Army has been contemplating to phase out its aging 9x19mm Sterling carbines, which have been in service for over 20 years. Originally designed in the 1940s, the Sterling submachine gun is widely considered obsolete in the context of modern close-quarter combat, especially in urban and counter-insurgency operations.