Indigenous assault weapon “Ugram” created by ARDE & DAIPL in record time.
A native assault rifle known as “Ugram,” or the fierce one, has been developed by the Armament Research and Development Establishment (ARDE), Pune, with assistance from Hyderabad-based Dvipa Armour India Private Limited (DAIPL), in response to the demand for small arms among security forces, including the Indian armed forces, paramilitary, and police forces.
#DRDO (ARDE) has launched it's new "Ugram" 7.62x51mm assault rifle for the #IndianArmy which has been developed in just 100 days in collaboration with a private industry. pic.twitter.com/QI0MtMtnSY
— IADN Centre (@NewsIADN) January 9, 2024
Scientists from ARDE are supervising the assembly of the gun, which DAIPL has shown. (HT PHOTO)
On Monday, January 8, the ARDE officially debuted the weapon during an event held at the laboratory. According to an ARDE official, the laboratory also officially opened its small guns barrel production facility at this time. The facility will supply barrels for small arms manufacture to the Indian armed services as well as the commercial sector.
Scientist Gaurav Verma of ARDE’s small weapons section described the specs of the Ugram as follows: “This rifle is a 7 to 15 mm assault rifle that was developed within 100 days for both the Indian Army and paramilitary forces.” This weapon fires robustly in full auto mode and features a 20-round magazine. The rifle weighs less than 4 kg, including the magazine, and has a 500-meter effective range. It is an entirely native firearm.
Scientists from ARDE are supervising the assembly of the gun, which DAIPL has shown. In order to carry out internal testing on the rifle, the ARDE will now form a board including ARDE specialists and active Army commanders from the Indian Infantry Division.
The director of ARDE, A Raju, stated of the weapon’s trials: “We recently received five rifles for the trials.” We will test this small weapons weapon perhaps this week or the next week. The experiment will verify the amount of bullets to be fired, target temperature, bullet impact dispersion, and target dimensions. During the trials, a high-altitude test will also be carried out. The testing will be carried out in accordance with our list of requirements. All experiments, with the exception of the high-altitude testing, will take place at ARDE facilities. If there is non-compliance, the matter will be resolved right away.
“This product is completely designed and developed in India by Indian people, so it is a 100% indigenous weapon,” stated G Ram Chaitanya Reddy, director of DAIPL. There is now a severe scarcity of small guns, particularly those coming into India due to the numerous geopolitical wars that are ongoing. We now have a great window of opportunity to manufacture small guns, and we have created this weapon to meet the needs of the security services in India. After three months of nonstop labor by tens or perhaps twelve members of our team, this weapon is likely the world’s quickest-developing weapon. We must submit to additional testing after the prototypes from ARDE, the Indian Army, the Ministry of Home Affairs, and other organizations. Following another 15 rifles being sent to ARDE for additional testing, we will start the purchase procedure as soon as we receive the final certification.
“Small guns are undoubtedly in high demand in India. We are also getting inquiries from different organizations. Overall, this is a significant development for India’s small weapons production sector; exporting this weapon is another avenue of consideration, according to Reddy.
Regarding the barrel production plant, Raju stated, “The project was approved three years ago, with an approximate cost of ₹60 crore.” Its main purpose is to provide all Indian private companies access to manufacturing facilities. This is the only facility in India that can currently meet the barrel production demands for all kinds of small businesses, with the exception of the ordinance factory.