India cuts the prospect of extra SIG 716 rifles
India will not order additional SIG 716 Patrol 7.62mm assault rifles. (SIG Sauer)
For various reasons, Indian soldiers still have a long wait on their hands to get new assault rifles.
India has decided against progressing an INR7 billion ($91.9 million) repeat order, approved in late 2020, for 72,400 SIG Sauer assault rifles from the US.
Official sources said the MoD’s decision followed ‘snags’ that had surfaced in the earlier import of an equal number of SIG 716 Patrol 7.62mm rifles in late 2019. The weapons were issued to Indian Army units deployed along the border with Pakistan in Kashmir and on counterinsurgency operations in the same region.
Problems included higher recoil, jamming and accuracy in burst-mode firing when using locally sourced ammunition, as imported stocks had largely been depleted. Army
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