Indian Army Set To Abort UAE Battle Carbine Deal?
Is the Indian Army rethinking plans to procure 93,895 battle carbines from the United Arab Emirates? While clarity on contract remains elusive, there’s reason to believe that things have hit a wall. Next month it will be two years since the Indian Army chose UAE’s government-owned Caracal International LLC as the winner for a fast-track CAR 816 carbine supply contract.
Perplexed by the delay, especially since the contest was for an ‘urgent’ requirement, the Emirati company has written to the Indian MoD seeking clarity. Reported
first here,
Livefist has had a chance to view the contents of the letter written on August 27, in which a senior executive at Caracal writes, “
As you are aware the program is a fast track procurement which puts Caracal resources under stress as it has to account for production of the weapons on a continuous basis which creates an issue for us when considering to undertake tenders or take on larger orders for our products. We are therefore at a commercial disadvantage on being able to optimise our resources due to the program.”
Referring to ‘conflicting reports’ in Indian media, Caracal writes, “
We are ready willing and able to provide the weapons… Caracal would therefore humbly request an update from the Indian MoD on when it will proceed with the program. Caracal remains 100 per cent committed to the program and would appreciate if you could kindly expedite the case and provide an update on the MoD’s status with the program.”
Apart from the conspicuous drift in a procurement that was to be under fast-track procedures, Caracal’s consternation is bolstered by another fact. Caracal’s CAR 816 won the carbine selection contest at the same time that US firearms firm Sig Sauer Inc. was selected as winner for a supply contract of 72,000 battlefield assault rifles. But while Sig Sauer Inc
was awarded its ‘fast track’ contract just four months later in February 2019, no deal was signed with Caracal for the carbines. Last month, the Indian Army went ahead and doubled its order with Sig Sauer, but has yet to conclude a deal with Caracal.
Caracal’s anxiety over the delay should also be seen in light of how the UAE firm was chosen winner after a particularly ill-tempered selection process that involved multiple contenders walking away from the contest. But the Indian Army’s decision to power through the contest in light of stated urgencies seemed an assurance that there was a contract at the end. For two years now, that hasn’t happened. While the deal with Caracal may have initially slowed on cost issues, it is unclear if the government’s emphasis on ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’ (self-reliant India) in recent months has contributed to a rethink. Either way, Caracal isn’t unjustified in seeking clarity on what it had been led to believe was a specifically quick process.
The deal for 93,895 was meant to be only a fraction of a much larger requirement for combat carbines. As
Livefist reported last year, the Indian Army is looking for at least 3,60,000 more carbines.
The other major firearms program, an India-Russia joint venture to license manufacture Kalashnikov AK-203 assault rifles in Amethi, India is
said to be at an ‘advanced stage’, according a statement out from the Indian MoD during defence minister Rajnath Singh’s ongoing visit to the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) ministerial summit in Moscow.
One of
Livefist’s most read posts this year has been
this recent one on an Indian private sector firm’s answer to the Kalashnikov rifle. Read our full interview with the company’s CEO over at our YouTube channel, where he also has plenty to say about the Indian Army’s choice of the Caracal CAR 816 carbine:
This post has been updated on Sept 21 with the latest updates from the firm in question. The post follows chronology of developments, with the latest last. Is the Indian Army rethinking plans to procure 93,895 battle carbines from the United Arab Emirates? While clarity on contract remains...
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