The Indian Army is rerunning a competition for a general assault rifle to replace the problematic Indian Small Arms System (INSAS).
The specifications for the new rifle have now settled on a weapon of 7.62mm x 51 calibre instead of the 5.56mm/7.62mm convertible type it initially sought.
A new RFI for a replacement 7.62mm assault rifle with a minimum 500m range was issued in September, and submissions closed on 7 November. A tentative date for an RFP for 185,000 rifles was listed as April 2017, with 65,000 of these required within four-28 months of contract signature.
Few Indian procurements proceed smoothly,
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The new artillery and howitzer factory pre-dates the emphasis on this capability from this month’s Strategic Defence Review (SDR). The first joint industry-government meeting outlined in the review took place this week.
Romania received its first Cobra MkII 4×4 light tactical armoured vehicles, ordered Abrams main battle tanks (MBTs) and VAMTAC light vehicles, and is set to invest billions-of-dollars in infantry fighting vehicles.
The Italian Army operates Pumas in 6×6 and 4×4 configurations but the platforms are ageing and numbers have fallen with obsolescence also being an issue. Any replacement is likely to have a focus on the involvement of local industry.
The VAMTAC (Vehículo de Alta Movilidad Táctico or High Mobility Tactical Vehicle) 4×4 by Urovesa is in service with or has been ordered by eight countries, the most recent being Spain this month and Romania last month.
Lockheed Martin’s Precision Strike Missile (PrSM) is a next-generation surface-to-surface missile with the solid rocket motor (SRM) provided by Northrop Grumman. The company is working to boost its SRM production capability.
The CV90 is in service with or ordered by ten countries. The agreement between six of these countries is designed to create commonality to provide economies of scale and a reduced training burden.
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