CARACAL CAR-816 Carbine: UAE’s small arms manufacturer Caracal Monday said that it is ready to supply over 93,000 CAR 816 assault rifles to Indian Army within a year as it has already identified the land and local partners.
Reiterating its commitment to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s flagship ‘Make in India’ scheme, the UAE based company, which emerged as the winner of Indian Army’s 2018 tender to supply 93,895 CAR 816 assault rifles, said the complete manufacturing will take place in India as against the initial phase-wise approach.
“CARACAL has already identified the required land, facility and local partners to be able to commence production immediately,” Caracal said in a statement sent to Defence Star.
The company said that over 20% of the components fitted on the CAR 816 are already manufactured in India and it was committed to fully manufacture the rifles in the country, in alignment with the ‘Make in India’ initiative.
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“CARACALwas awarded the Close-Quarter Carbine contract in 2018 to supply the Indian Army with the CAR 816, after having undergone a rigorous selection process. Having agreed to fast track the supply, and with the formalities still under discussion, we would like to reiterate our commitment to our bid and to the ‘Make in India’ initiative,” said Hamad Al Ameri, Chief Executive Officer of CARACAL.
Hamad Al Ameri, Caracal.
“With strong bilateral ties between our two nations, and with India being a key market for CARACAL, we remain on standby to supply the product to the customer upon instruction,” Hamad Al Ameri added.
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According to the small arms manufacturer, the initiative will also see CARACAL oversee technology transfer.
The company already surpassed global competitors in terms of performance and technicalities to win the bid two years ago, and now confirms its readiness to service the fast track order from India within 12 months, Caracal said.
Carcal said its CAR 816 carbines, which are intended to replace the Indian Army’s current 9mm Sterling carbines, has higher bullet velocity and reduced weight compared to the Sterling carbines.
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The assault rifle has secured a number of contracts from customers across the Middle East, Europe, and Asia, and has been adapted to suit the Indian Army’s needs, incorporating the latest technological advances, said the UAE based defence manufacturer.
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CARACAL CAR 816 Assault Carbine
The CAR 816 is a center-fire, gas-operated tactical rifle, chambered in 5.56×45 mm NATO. The CAR 816 assault rifle is a tactical weapon designed for the high-end use of law enforcement and military applications. According to the company website, the weapon is available in semi-automatic and select-fire configurations.
CARACAL’s CAR 816 operates on short-stroke piston system with three settings. It has semi-automatic only and select-fire models and the rifle is available in multiple barrel lengths from 7.5” personal defence weapon (PDW) to 16” full-length barrel, with full ambidextrous configuration.
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