Adani Defence And Aerospace Delivers First Batch Of 'Prahar' Guns To Indian Army

The Indian Army received the first batch of 2,000 indigenously manufactured 'Prahar' light machine guns (LMGs) from Adani Defence and Aerospace in partnership with Israel Weapon Industries on Saturday.

The 7.62 mm-calibre weapons are part of a larger order of over 40,000 guns and have been produced in India under the 'Make in India' programme.

With the delivery completed 11 months ahead of schedule, the LMGs were handed over at the company's small arms complex in Gwalior.

Additional Secretary and Director General (Acquisition) in the Defence Ministry, A Anbarasu, flagged off trucks carrying the first consignment alongside CEO of Adani Defence and Aerospace, Ashish Rajvanshi.

Speaking to NDTV, Rajvanshi said the delivery came 11 months ahead of the contractual timeline. "The journey that has begun today took us six years, starting from bid submission, and we have delivered it ahead of schedule. The original timeline given to us was over seven years, but I can assure you that in the next three years, the full order will be delivered," he said.

Rajvanshi said the programme was aimed at building long-term capability. "The focus was not about supplying a product, but to build a deep capability in India across the whole portfolio of small arms," he said, adding that the company has transitioned from a component manufacturer to a full original equipment manufacturer (OEM), with capabilities across light machine guns, assault rifles, pistols, sniper systems and carbines.

He said the facility can manufacture up to 1,00,000 firearms annually, supported by Industry 4.0-enabled systems to ensure high quality, with defect and rejection rates below 0.5 per cent. "What policymakers have witnessed today is the future of Indian defence manufacturing," Rajvanshi said, pointing to both domestic demand and export potential.

Anbarasu said the project demonstrates the ability to "race and fire" against time in converting contracts into deliveries. "The scale and speed are very critical for improving the Indian defence industry ecosystem," he said, adding that the government stands "shoulder-to-shoulder" with industry partners. He also said changes to the Defence Acquisition Procedure are being worked on to better align with industry needs.

"The NEGEV LMG is significant for the infantry, upgrading their capabilities. We believe it will support the Indian troops very much, as it did in the last supply of 16,000 LMGs, which took place in 2020. Now that it is produced in India, it is a very big pride for the Indian nation, and it supports the self-resilience of the Indian Army and the Indian Defence Forces," said Shuki Schwartz, CEO of Israel Weapon Industries.

Addressing concerns over supply disruptions amid tensions in West Asia, Schwartz said there would be no impact. "We have a very significant facility in Israel that can support Indian needs, and we are also making the Precision, Lethality, Reliability (PLR) joint venture in India an independent company that can serve its needs under any circumstances," he said.

The Prahar LMG (known in Israel as the Negev NG7) is designed to enhance infantry firepower. It operates from an open bolt mechanism and features a rotating bolt with gas impact on the piston head. The weapon has a 508 mm barrel and an overall length of 1,000 mm, which can be reduced to 820 mm with the stock folded, allowing paratroopers to deploy with it more easily. Weighing 7.6 kg without a magazine, it is lighter than comparable systems, with some alternatives weighing 22 to 38 per cent more.

(Disclaimer: New Delhi Television is a subsidiary of AMG Media Networks Limited, an Adani Group Company.)