The ministry of defence, on Tuesday, placed an order for 73,000 SIG Sauer assault rifles with US weapons manufacturer Sig Sauer, as part of the Army's plan to modernise its weapons. The ministry had ordered 72,400 SIG Sauer rifles from the arms manufacturer in 2019.
The government had given its approval for the purchase of the rifles, with effective ‘kill’ range of 500-metre, in December.
“SIG SAUER, Inc., is honoured to announce a second procurement contract with the Government of India, Ministry of Defence to supply an additional 73,000 SIG716 rifles,” a statement from Sig Sauer read.
Ron Cohen, president and CEO of Sig Sauer, said the company is proud to be part of Indian Army's modernisation attempts. "...prouder still that the SIG 716 rifle achieves the Ministry of Defence’s modernisation goals with the second largest army in the world," he added.
“Since the initial fielding of the SIG716, we have received phenomenal end-user feedback on the performance and reliability of the platform. Throughout this time, we have strengthened and further solidified our partnership with the Indian Ministry of Defence and are honoured to earn their continued trust in equipping their frontline infantrymen,” the company said.
Of the 72,400 SIG 716 rifles purchased in 2019, 66,400 were for the Army, 4,000 were given for the Air Force and 2,000 for the Navy.
Defence ministry sources have been quoted as saying that the ministry decided to reorder the gun because of its performance. The gun is specifically suited for various operational environments, including counter-terrorism operations in Jammu and Kashmir.
Known for its robustness and reliability, SIG716 has “longer effective range, more lethality and higher recoil” than the INSAS rifles, which are indigenously produced.
When completed, 1,45,400 SIG716 rifles will be in service with the Indian Army.
