‘Asmi’- India’s First Indigenous Machine Pistol – Free PDF Download

• A machine gun is a rapid-firing, rifled long-barrel autoloading firearm designed for sustained direct fire with fully powered cartridges.
• Other automatic firearms such as assault rifles and automatic riflesare really designed more for unleashing short bursts rather than continuous firepower, and not considered machine guns.

• A machine pistol is a self-loading pistol capable of burst fire or fully automatic.
• It can also be used to describe a stockless handgun-style submachine gun.

What has happened?

• The Pune-based facility of the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and the Indian
• Army’s Mhow-based Infantry School,
• Have jointly developed India’s first indigenous 9mm machine pistol named ‘Asmi’.
• The pistol is likely to have a production cost lower than Rs 50,000 each and has export potential as well.
• DRDO and Army designed and developed this weapon utilising their respective areas of expertise in a record time of four months.
• 3D Printing process has been used in designing and prototyping of various parts including trigger components made by metal 3D printing.
• It was designed by Lt Colonel Prasad Bansod of the army’s Mhow-based Infantry school.
• Some of the world’s best small arms have been designed by military personnel.
• The legendary AK-47 was designed by a tank commander, General Mikhail Kalashnikov, during World War 2.
• Israel’s iconic Uzi submachine gun was designed by Major Uziel Gal in the late

Press statement from the Ministry of Defence

• “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 weapon is aptly named Asmi, which means pride, self respect and also hard work.”

New fire power

• The ‘Made in India’ sub-machine gun is expected to replace the standard 9mm gun in the armoury of the defence forces.
• The indigenously developed sub-machine gun that weighs around 3.0 kg, can fire up to a range of 100 meters and is in the same class as the UZI series guns of Isreal.
• The sub-machine gun prototype has fired over 300 rounds throughout the last four months of its development process.

Not for frontline

• The Asmi will not replace primary assault rifles like the AK-47 and the INSAS which are in frontline service and
• which fire high-velocity ammunition.
• It is designed for use as a second-line personal weapon for tank and aircraft crews and in close combat situations like-
• Counter-terrorist operations and room interventions, in confined spaces like warships and merchant vessels and by VIP protection forces.
• Because it fires a subsonic 9×19 mm round, it could potentially find a huge market with the Central Police Organisations, state police forces as well as exports.
• With a likely production cost of between Rs 40,000 and 50,000 a weapon it is just one-third the cost of imported sub-machine guns like the MP5.

Lighter version

• A smaller, sub-compact version of the weapon weighing less than 1.5 kg is in development.
• (An empty AK-47 type rifle weighs 3.4 kg).
• The weapon operates on a simple blowback principle, has a 33-round high-capacity magazine, a range of 100 metres and a rate of fire of 600 rounds per minute.

Challenges

• The key challenge for the Asmi will begin when the weapon enters mass production.
• This is where issues like consistency of production, quality control and manufacturing processes will come into play.
• Kalashnikov’s during World War 2, was successful because it was backed by the resources of the Soviet state which put it into mass production and stabilised the design.

Conclusion

• For decades, the Indian Army struggled to replace its vintage Sterling carbine, a weapon that entered service in the closing stages of World War 2.
• Over the past 15 years, the has often resorted to piecemeal imports of alternatives like the German H&K MP5, MP9 and the Uzi.

Q) Indradhanush is a bilateral air exercise between India which country?

1. UK
2. Indonesia
3. Thailand
4. USA

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