Northern Army Commander Lt General M V Suchindra Kumar on Saturday reviewed and carried out firing of the newly inducted indigenous ASMI (Asmita) machine pistols at Udhampur.

The weapon has been jointly developed by Colonel Prasad Bansod and the Pune based Armament Research & Development Establishment (ARDE).

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The induction of the Made-in-India weapon highlights the unwavering commitment of the Indian Army to Atmanirbhar Bharat, said the Northern Command.

The ASMI submachine gun that is a close-quarter battle weapon has the capacity to fire 600 rounds in a minute and its effective firing range is 100 meters.

The Indian Army on 5 November inducted 550 ASMIs that were delivered to the Para Special Forces for being used in the Northern Command. The Special Forces are engaged in counter terror operations, besides the troops are deployed on the borders with China and Pakistan.

Border Security Force (BSF), National Security Guard (NSG) and Assam Rifles have also acquired the weapon on trial basis.

BSF ordered 4 ASMIs, NSG and Assam Rifles got 10 each for trials. The weapon is being manufactured by the Hyderabad based Lokesh Machines Ltd.

The government is giving boost to the indigenously made weapons instead of spending huge amounts of money on imports.

The Indian Army, in collaboration with the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI), recently conducted the highly anticipated HIM-DRONE-A-THON 2 at the Wari La Pass, Ladakh, at altitudes exceeding 15,000 feet. The event offered an exclusive platform for over 20 drone manufacturers to showcase a spectrum of drone solutions designed for high-altitude applications.