Army’s Spl Forces to get assault rifles, parachutes from US
| Date :20-Mar-2019 |
NEW DELHI,
IN A major boost to the firepower of Army’s elite Special Forces, India is going to buy assault rifles, ammunition, and several other specialised equipment from the United States. “Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman is going to chair an important meeting where the proposal to buy the equipment worth over Rs 1,000 crore from the American Department of Defence is expected to be discussed,” sources told ANI.
“The meeting is likely to discuss an array of equipment including assault rifles, ammunition and combat free fall parachutes for the Special Forces units of the Parachute Regiment of the Army,” sources said. “If the proposal goes through, the equipment would be acquired from the United States in a government-to-government deal under the Foreign Military Sales route,” they said. The Indian Army already has American M4A1 assault rifles, which have been specially used in counter-terrorist operations and they have been successful.
The Army is also looking at buying more carbines for the Special Forces in the form of Belgian rifles which are used by the Special Protection Group (SPG) guarding the Prime Minister, which are easy to carry.