SHOOT TO KILL: RAPID INFANTRY MODERNISATION IS NEED OF THE HOUR

Starting right from automatic rifles, shoulder-fired rocket launchers, sniper rifles, pistols, carbines, under-barrel grenade launchers and ending with light machine guns, the Indian Army requires brand new assault weapons for defending the nation, argues AMARTYA SINHA

- AMARTYA SINHA

Infantry weapons are considered one of the prime requirements of a country’s armed forces without which ground wars cannot be fought and pitched battles with terrorists and anti-national elements cannot be taken to a logical conclusion. Since times immemorial, mainstay weapons of armed forces have been helping nations meet their basic security requirements and handle the emerging challenges in the domain of tactical level battlefield. As the fourth-largest standing army in the world, the Indian Army’s requirements for meeting its operational needs are significantly large. While the budgetary constraints being faced by the government is quite understandable, the Indian Army needs to undergo a massive infantry overhauling drive at the earliest, pending which alarm bells may start ringing in the corridors of power in Delhi. Starting with automatic assault rifles, shoulder-fired rocket launchers, sniper rifles, pistols, carbines, Under- Barrel Grenade Launchers (UBGL) and ending with Light Machine Guns (LMG), the Indian Army requires brand new assault weapons for replacing the ageing Soviet-era vintage tools currently being used in all spheres of operational deployment.

The urge for newer assault rifles