SIG 716/7.62x51mm
- It is a grave mistake to not make a 7.62x51mm rifle a standard issue across whole army,navy,airforce.It is one rifle whose TOT and large scale manufacturing should be done.Even ITBP,BSF should have adopted a 7.62x51mm rifle,considering the terrain they usually operate in.
- If we compare the figure and statistics on hand then there is not much difference between AK 203 and a modern 7.62x51mm rifle.The SIG 716 which I consider a bit on heavier side weigh 4.3kg ,as compared to an AK 203 weighing 4.1kg .If we compare the Galil ace 7.62x51mm ,weight -3.9kg ,length -914mm to AK 203 7.62x39mm ,weight -4.1kg,length -940mm ,then the 7.62x51mm rifle turned out to be more lighter as well as shorter .Even the recoil of galil ace is much softer than an AK,if we take the opinion of the people that have used it in consideration.
- Again it is a failure of government ,for not refining the system and making one time deal for complete TOT and manufacturing.
- I don't believe the argument that a 7.62x51mm rifle would have turned out to be too expensive,all the fact and figure point to that SIG 716 at $990 is much cheaper than the 5.56 car 816 and AK 203 at $1000.
Here is a photo of sig 716g2 patrol with m-lok hand guard.It is when SIG was experimenting with m-lok hand guard on patrol 716,the hand guard is similar to the one found in Sig 6.5 DMR ,however for final version of patrol g2 ,the hand guard was trimmed and modified.
Here is how SIG deliver SIG 716g2 patrol to customer in US :
Caliber :
Regarding caliber choices I would like to admit that I have not explored too deep into this,hence my knowledge is very limited,however some point to ponder are :
1 Despite of all the hype around 300 blackout ,GIGN chose to go with 7.62x39mm.
2 British decided to go with 7.62x51mm for their l129A1, even Estonia as well as New Zealand chose 7.62x51mm for their DMR. US army seriously considered it before opting for a modified 6.8.
3 Pakistan,Vietnam,Egypt and Finland are few among many countries which are acquiring modern 7.62x39mm platform in large numbers.(Finland has decided to continue with their 7.62X39mm rifles in modified form)
The 5.56x45mm is superior to 7.62x39mm on paper but the real world combat experience shows that people prefer 7.62x39mm over 5.56x45mm (Iraq,Afganishtan,Kashmir).The 7.62x39mm and 7.62x51mm are combat proven rounds with a assortment of platforms based on them.They are known to remain effective with a 16 inch barrel,assault rifle platform.New round may turn out good in combat or may not be,it remain to be seen.However the 7.62x39mm and 7.62x51mm are known to work for their intended range and purpose,you can't go wrong with them in combat.Please do note that beside ballistics,reliability, wear and tear of barrel,knock down power,cost,real world performance are few other factors which need to be kept in mind.
There is no easy solution when it comes to selecting a standard caliber for military use,all have to compromise on something.
5.56x45mm is a good with low recoil,low weight but it does not have enough knock down power at medium to long range ,personally I am very happy that army dumped this caliber as standard issue.Don't get me wrong, I have heard many end users praising it,but then I have heard other way also,so my informed opinion is no major army will continue with it in near future.US has already shown its intention to move away from it,once it does rest assure other NATO nations to follow,I predict even Russia moving away from 5.56x39mm in future,as well as the Chinese.
7.62x39mm - Excellent caliber for combat up to medium range,not so good at long range.Excellent round for fighting in buildup areas and heavy vegetation,a compromise between 5.56x45mm and 7.62x51mm.
7.62x51mm - Excellent caliber for medium to long range knock down power,a bit problematic for CQB in confined places due to huge muzzle blast.More recoil and weight are the downside.However modern platform have mitigated it,to a large extent.
6.5 cm - This was a round worth considering,a more flatter shooting round than the 7.62x51mm .More knock down power than a 5.56x45mm,however lower recoil than a 7.62x51mm .It is a good compromise between 5.56 and 7.62x51mm .
So all said and done, I would have love to see the 6.5cm tested extensively before finalizing on caliber, having said that I am fine with the current choice of 7.62x39mm and 7.62x51mm as they are combat proven and known to work,only problem for me is that I would have loved to see 7.62x51mm in much larger numbers.
Please do note all of the above is my informed opinion ,so please do take it with a pinch of salt,I am not claiming to be the final authority on this but I have very strong reasons for what I have said and believe.
LMG /7.62X51MM
Excellent caliber for LMG ,it provide both range and knock down power.The tender is yet to be accomplished.I feel we should go for two type of LMG ,one a lightweight and compact like Negev NG-7 SF or Kalashnikov RPK 16 chambered in 7.62x51mm apt for CQB and compliment it with a bit larger,and heavier LMG like OFB MAG copy/FN mag or the PKP (chambered in 7.62x51mm) with longer barrel and ability to sustain volume of fire at distance.I feel we need both type in a section.A bullpup PKP should also be considered.
Sniper rifles
Caliber .50 BMG - Barrett M95
.338 Lapua Magnum - Scorpio TcT
Great choice both in caliber and rifles,among all the small arms procurement it is the best and most sensible weapon selection,it had to be since the Army was the final authority in this(commander fund).
However the down side to it is that a very small number of rifles have been purchased ,rest will come through a tender,where we will have to compromise due to L1 over quality.
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Pakistan Army rifle selection :
Since Pakistan army is our arch rival and they are also looking for new rifles,let me post my observation regarding it :
As I have said in my previous post ,they had already selected rifles but due to financial problems the decision was postponed.Now with India going ahead with its purchase,I am sure that Pakistan army by either hook or crook ,will get someone to bankroll this purchase,rest assured they will make a announcement soon.
Scar-H was the winner in 7.62x51mm and AK 103 in 7.62x39mm.
In 7.62x51mm AK 308 was specifically developed for Pakistan,I am sure it is undergoing trial in Pakistan right now.If it is able to pass,then there are high chances of AK 308 for Pakistan.
scar-H despite of being expensive cannot be written off,there is still chances of this deal going through.
If not AK 308 or SCAR H then I am convinced that CZ bren 2 will be the rifle chosen.
So, in 7.62x51mm my predictions are AK 308,scar H ,Cz bren 2 with Berreta 200 as a last minute surprise .
In 7.62x39mm ,since India has gone with AK 203 ,I don't see Pakistan buying AK 103 now.Most probably they will purchase AK 15.
If not AK 15 then they will go with either CZ 807 or Beretta arx 160.As I have said earlier CZ 807 had performed very poorly in trials ,however since CZ might have made improvements since then and CZ was going out of its way to offer concession and best deal to Pakistan ,there are high chances of CZ bagging the deal.
For 7.62x39mm my predictions are AK 15,CZ 807,Berreta arx 160 with SCAR 7.62x39mm as surprise if they decided to go with SCAR H as primary rifle.
I would also like to applaud Pakistan army for their professionalism ,despite Turkey being their blood brother and China being their love,they did not let it influence their weapon procurement .The Turkish and Chinese rifles were rejected based on their performance in the trials,it would have made a great strategic and economic sense to go with the rifle of any of these two countries but Pakistan army did not let its relations influence the quality of the rifle selection.
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Now,if I had to be in charge of the small arms development in India, will do this -
1 I will hire at least a dozen small arms expert from around the world ,will request,purchase,steal ,bribe- whatever it takes to get top class metallurgy from Finland ,Russia or anywhere else in the world offering the best metallurgy. Will scrap all the rifle factories .Will establish a new small arms manufacturing unit which will be called ARKA - which means sunbeam,fire and flash of lightning in Sanskrit,will have a cool brand logo for it :
ARKA will have state of the art factories for small arms manufacturing ,a R&D division including facilities for various test,A university where two set of people will be selected through entrance exam ,here one set will be prepared and trained as future small arm engineers -they will be taught by the foreign and Indian small arms expert of ARKA.After two year of theoretical knowledge ,from third year they will join the on going small arms development project as intern for 6 month,and for the next six month they will have to develop a working prototype of a small arms of their own.On completion of their course they will render their service to ARKA as small arms development engineer. These very set of engineers will work with top engineers from around the world ,after sometime when these engineer will mature in their field they will take over the role of lead small arms engineer and faculty of the AKRA university .This will create a cycle of trained small arm engineer,and faculty in ARKA.
The second set of people will be trained as factory workers involved in the manufacturing units- they will be trained for discipline,efficiency,workmanship and to prioritize the quality.All of the students of this university will be instilled with the fact that ARKA is them and they are the ARKA .ARKA will be their pride their identity.
Good working conditions will be ensured for workers,provision of rewards and bonus will be there to keep workers motivated and encourage healthy work culture.Medical,housing and other facility will be provided to employees family.However any type of union,strike will be completely banned,non performing workers will be terminated. Discipline will be maintained at highest priority.
Beside these ,few ex special forces soldiers will also be hired to be part of R&D team,who will be involved in the development of the prototypes from the beginning ,by giving their feedback and requirements based on their real world combat experience.They will carry out extensive test of the prototypes and suggest the necessary improvements based on these.
There will be a marketing division -which will promote the products throughout the world through online promotions,you tubers,print and electronic marketing.All the major def expo will be covered by it ,as well as their will be aggressive marketing campaign for the forces all over the world right from private security guards to special forces .
There will be a top notch customer service department which will ensure that everyone right from a individual to a big military force ,whoever invest in a ARKA product is not only satisfied but also overwhelmed by his whole experience .All the problems will be addressed on priority basis ,regular feedback will be taken from all the customers.And customer will be rewarded through free ammo,range day,free accessories ,free ARKA clothing from time to time so that owning a ARKA product is a pleasant and memorable experience for them.
Basically work on Brand ARKA from day one ,people should relate it with coolness,quality,workmanship,engineering and trust.
Now coming to rifles ,I would have taken either one of these approach towards it.
1 Will direct the newly formed team of expert to work on MCIWS ,if they see some merit and scope in it.They will be directed to spawn out two version of it a 7.62x51mm and 7.62x39mm .The 7.62 nato will cover the long range while 7.62x39mm for the cqb,I believe instead of a 5.56x45mm carbine a 7.62x39mm carbine will be more apt,as a carbine is meant for CQB and 7.62x39mm is good enough upto 300m .
The other approach could be to design and develop a new 7.62x51mm and 7.62x39mm rifle from ground up within 6 month and sent those for field trials to various special forces and army units .After the end of six month of trials ,as per the feedback improvement will be made on those rifles,and these will be send for further six month of trials to the field units.These rifles will be send all across the country for field use right from siachen ,to dessert of Rajasthan , plains of Punjab , jungles of northeast ,to humid region of kerala.Once it will get a green signal from those using it in the field, only then it will enter into mass production and adopted as the new rifle for the army.
2 If somehow we are not ready to invest time in developing new weapon platform or refining the MCIWS ,then we will go for rifle procurement from international market including TOT.The good thing with newly acquired pool of small arm engineers and faculty of ACRA will be that they will not only able to absorb the TOT for these rifles ,but work on it, to further improve them as per feedback from our forces.
ARKA R&D division will indulge in development of all type of small arms,right from rifles,pistol,grenades,RCL to motar etc.Instead of waiting for the GSQR from the army,they will develop products on their own,keeping in mind the needs of the user and their own vision of future.
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Regarding deal with US government for Special forces rifles :
This deal is under Foreign military sales ,which is a US government program to circumvent various logistics,bureaucratic and other security procedure for weapons sales to the friendly nations.Here the US department of defence make the purchase on behalf of other country.This is done either from money provided by the other country(like India) or by the fund provided by the US government itself ,when it has to donate weapons to friendly nations.For example US government has provided Nepal army with m4 and m16a4 rifles on their own expense,though this route as a friendly gesture.The much touted sig716g2 DMR deal of the US army was also through this route meant for some foreign country ,not the US army.
The mention of Belgium manufacturer(FN),rifles used by SPG(can't be FN 2000),a recent requirement of 7.62x51mm rifles by the special forces, all of it point towards the rifle being SCAR-H most probably.
