15 January– INDIA’S FIRST INDIGENOUS MACHINE PISTOL: ASMI

Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has developed the country’s first indigenous machine pistol ASMI.

• – The pistol is set to replace the 9mm pistols in the defence forces.


• – It was displayed at an event of the Indian Army.


• – It said the Army’s infantry school in Mhow and the DRDO’s Armament Research and Development Establishment (ARDE) in Pune have designed and developed the weapon.


• – The machine pistol can fire at a range of 100 metres and is in the class of the Uzi series guns of Israel.


• – The prototype has fired over 300 rounds in the last four months of its development.


• – The pistol is likely to have a production cost lower than Rs 50,000 each and has export potential as well.


• – Machine pistols are primarily self-loading versions of pistols which are either fully automatic or can also fire bursts of bullets.


• – The Asmi machine pistol fires the in-service 9 mm ammunition and has an upper receiver made from aircraft-grade aluminum and lower receiver from carbon fibre.


• – The 3D printing technology has been used in designing and prototyping of various parts, including trigger components which have been made by metal 3D printing.

SIGNIFICANCE

The weapon has huge potential in armed forces as a personal weapon for heavy weapon detachments, commanders, tank and aircraft crews, drivers and dispatch riders, radio or radar operators, for closed quarter battles, counter-insurgency and counter-terrorism operations etc.

 This is also likely to find huge employability with the central and state police organisations, as well as VIP protection duties and policing.

The Machine Pistol is likely to have production cost under Rs 50,000 each and has potential for exports. The weapon is aptly named Asmi, which means pride, self respect and also hard work. The announcement of machine pistol development comes nearly a month after a Carbine jointly developed by the ARDE and the Ordnance Factory Board (OFB) completed the final phase of user trials by the Army and was ready ready for induction. The Carbine is not just slated to replace the ageing 9 mm carbine currently in use by the armed forces, but also modernise the armoury of the Central Armed Police Forces and state police forces.