On Tuesday, the Indian Army said that 550 locally produced Asmi machine pistols have been incorporated into its Northern command, which is based in Udhampur as serves as the hub for counterterrorism operations in Jammu and Kashmir. The army also stated that the introduction of weapons has greatly increased the nation’s defense manufacturing sector’s level of independence.
On October 30, the US authorities sanctioned 19 Indian companies for trade with Russian entities, including Hyderabad-based Lokesh Machines, which produced the machine guns. The Indian enterprises were among roughly 400 organizations and individuals sanctioned by the US government for “supporting Russia’s military industrial base”.
The army said in a post on X, “In a significant boost to the nation’s #Atmanirbharta initiative, #IndianArmy inducted 550 ‘Asmi’ machine pistols into #NorthernCommand. The weapon which has been developed by Colonel Prasad Bansod of the #IndianArmy, in collaboration with #DRDO is being manufactured indigenously by Lokesh Machine #Hyderabad. This 100% Made-in-India weapon’s induction demonstrates the unwavering commitment of #IndianArmy towards #AtmanirbharBharat to propel the Nation towards self-sufficiency in defense manufacturing”.
The army added that the machine pistol is a sturdy, small, and dependable weapon made for specialized operations and close quarters combat. Its unusual design enables one-handed use as a submachine gun and a handgun. According to the quantities inducted, the weapon was ordered in order to strengthen the army’s military capabilities through the emergency acquisition method.
Thousands of subsystems and components, as well as hundreds of weapons and systems, have been subject to gradual import bans in recent years as part of India’s efforts to increase self-reliance in the defense manufacturing sector. Improving ease of doing business, raising foreign direct investment (FDI) from 49% to 74%, and setting up a specific budget for purchasing domestically produced military hardware are the other actions. The value of domestic defense manufacturing in India increased to about ₹1.27 lakh crore in the fiscal year 2023–2024, marking the largest increase in the country’s history due to supportive policy initiatives.
The defense public sector undertakings and other PSUs contributed 79.2% of the total value of production in 2023–2024, with the private sector accounting for the remaining 20.8%. In comparison to the previous fiscal year, the value of defense output increased by around 17%. In FY 2024–2025, India hopes to generate ₹1.75 lakh crore in defense manufacturing revenue. The Tejas light combat aircraft (LCA), various helicopters, tanks, artillery guns, warships, missiles, rockets, and a range of military vehicles are among the many weapons and systems that India manufactures.
According to sources, many of the 19 Indian businesses that the US had sanctioned claimed that the sanctions had little effect on them because they solely conducted business with Russia and the Indian government had not imposed any limitations on such exchanges.
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