The current tender opened by the Indian Government can be considered the largest procurement process for light weapons currently underway in the world.
Within the framework of its
Make in India vision, the
Indian Government is carrying out a mega tender to acquire
425,000 rifles to retrofit its Armed and Security Forces. On May 30, new tests were carried out with the weapons in contention, including the Brazilian
T4 rifle proposed by
Jindal Defense (JD) and
Taurus Weapons.
The so-called '
summer tests' were carried out at the
Mhow Infantry School , and have aimed to verify accuracy, probability of success, and resistance in conditions of high ambient temperature.
The heat around the school has been very intense, and record temperatures of up to 52.9ºC were recorded in India in the last week of May.
During the test day, the
JD Taurus T4 rifle showed stable and reliable performance in all tests, obtaining a score of 100% in target shooting at 100 meters (10/10) and target shooting at 200 meters (10/10); and achieving an important mark in the resistance test, 2000 shots without failure.
During the tests, the JD Taurus team was made up of 12 professionals, including Brazilian technicians.
Mega tender for 425,000 rifles
The current tender opened by the Indian Government for the acquisition of
CQB carbines (rifles) can be considered the largest procurement process for light weapons currently underway in the world.
The weapon selected, in 5.56 mm caliber, must have
MIL-STD1913 Picatinny rails and mounts for a 120mm bayonet. The standard mass and grip of the sight should be adjustable for shooting up to 200 meters.
The JD Taurus Weapons T4 in configuration with MIL-STD1913 Picatinny rails and mounts for a 120mm bayonet. Signature: JD Taurus Weapons
Around 20 companies responded to the request for information opened by the
Indian Ministry of Defense (MoD), and 15 of them, including Brazil's
Taurus Armas SA (associated with
Jindal Defense ), responded to its
restricted request for proposals to supply
425. 213 close combat carbines (CQB) for the
Indian Army (418,455 units) and
Indian Navy (6,758 units), worth an estimated
$ 424 million , incorporating at least 60% indigenous design and content, being held the competition within the
Buy Indian category of the
Defense Public Procurement Procedure - 2020.
According to the
RFP published on November 29, 2022, the global order will ultimately be divided between the two lowest bidders – or
L1 and L2 – the first producing
255,128 rifles and the other the
remaining 170,085 .
However, in case L2 (second lowest bidder) does not meet the costs, terms and conditions of supplier L1, the entire batch of CQB carbines will be supplied by the latter.
The selected supplier or suppliers will have to provide all training to the Army and Navy in the handling and maintenance of the carbines, as well as provide general product support for at least 15 years.
All competing rifles are undergoing rigorous technical evaluation, maintenance and user testing, and delivery of the winning model is expected to begin eight months after contract signing, with completion scheduled for 90 months later.
Amit Bavejaa (center), the JD Taurus Indian pro who led the team during the T4 testing in Mhow. Signature: JD Taurus Armas
Amit Bavejaa , the JD Taurus Indian pro who led the team during the trials in Mhow, praised the team's performance on social media: “When we achieve superior individual performance and learn to have esprit de corps, incredible results are achieved. The excellent classification in another battery of tests qualifies the
JD Taurus T4 rifle for the next phase, which will take place on July 17," he stated.
If the Brazilian rifle passes this phase and is approved again, the last phase before the winner is announced will take place in the mountains of the Indian Himalayas in December, with winter tests carried out in extremely difficult and demanding atmospheric conditions.
Indian Army Infantry School
The
Mhow Infantry School , located in the town of Mhow, in the state of Madhya Pradesh, is the alma mater of the Indian
Army Infantry and constitutes the largest and oldest military training center of this armed body.
The institution is responsible for developing the entire spectrum of tactical exercises and concepts related to infantry operating in varied terrain and environments, and presents them from time to time. The Infantry School, which provides tactical, weapons and leadership training to young infantry officers, NCOs and non-commissioned officers and enables them to effectively lead a subunit (company) in any tactical level operation in a decentralized environment, has achieved global recognition for its competition and infrastructure.
