Adani Defence delivers 2000 Prahar light machine guns to Indian military

Adani Defence and Aerospace, operating in a partnership with Israel Weapon Industries (IWI), handed over the initial collection of 2,000 Prahar Light Machine Guns to the Indian military on Saturday. This shipment represents a segment of a larger procurement for 41,000 LMGs requested by India’s security forces.

Additional Secretary and Director General (Acquisition) within the Ministry of Defence, A Anbarasu, commended the private military suppliers, highlighting that this early rollout has saved 20 months off the original schedule for the Indian troops.

"Today, we have flagged off the dispatch of 2000 LMG Prahar guns by saving 600 days and dispatching them well ahead of schedule. The scale and speed are very critical for improving the Indian defence industry ecosystem, and I'm optimistic that in the coming days, the private industries and public sector industries, all defence industries, will rise to the occasion and meet their potential. From the policymaking side, the Defence Acquisition Procedure (DAP) is in the process of being amended, and we are working on it. We will ensure that the new Defence Acquisition Procedure meets the aspirations of the industry and helps in adding to the Indian defence ecosystem," said Anbarasu.

This distribution, executed under the Make in India initiative, serves as a vital milestone in bolstering domestic arms production and meeting the tactical requirements of the Indian Armed Forces.

Ashish Rajvanshi, the CEO of Adani Defence and Aerospace, emphasized that their objective extended beyond delivering hardware to establishing a comprehensive manufacturing infrastructure in India for diverse small arms. He further noted that Adani Defence and Aerospace possesses the capacity to produce one lakh firearms every year.

Rajvanshi said: "It has taken us 6 years to reach this point. The journey, which started in 2020 with the vision and the dream of 'Aatmanirbharta', we were not sure where we were going to land. With the perseverance and hard work of the team, and the support of the policymakers over the last five years, we can proudly say that we have moved from a component manufacturer to a full gun OEM. The whole focus was not about supplying a product or a gun, but to build a deep capability in India across the whole portfolio of small arms. What started as a light machine gun contract was actually establishing a full capability across light machine gun assault rifles, pistols, snipers, and carbines within the country."

"Today, proudly, we can say we can manufacture 100,000 guns per year. This is something which is completely driven by the most reliable, accurate, highly driven quality management systems, which will ensure that there is no defect and no rejection beyond 0.5 to 0.4 per cent. This is done under Industry 4.0 digitisation. What the policymakers have witnessed today is the future of Indian defence, and factory after factory, what you're going to do from Adani Defence is something which is going to drive the future of India's dreams when it comes to becoming a global power, not only for the captive demand, but for the global exports," he added.

Shuki Schwartz, IWI's CEO, mentioned that the Prahar LMGs are set to enhance the operational power of Indian soldiers.

Schwartz said: "The NEGEV LMG is significant for the infantry, upgrading their capabilities. We believe it will support the Indian troops very much, as it did in the last supply of 16,000 LMGs, which took place in 2020. Now that it is produced in India, it is a very big pride for the Indian nation, and it supports the self-resilience of the Indian Army and the Indian Defence Forces."

About Prahar LMGs

The Prahar (identified as the Negev NG7 in Israel) functions via an open-bolt system and utilizes a rotating bolt driven by gas pressure on the piston. It features a 508 mm barrel (20 inches) with a total length of 1,000 mm, enabling paratroopers to perform jumps easily, as the size contracts to 820 mm when the stock is collapsed. The NG7 has a weight of 7.6 kg excluding the magazine, whereas its primary market rivals weigh 22 percent and 38 percent more, respectively.