Megha arm, CARACAL open small arms manufacturing facility in Hyderabad
Hyderabad: Megha Engineering & Infrastructures Ltd group company, ICOMM Tele Ltd, in collaboration with UAE-based small arms manufacturer
CARACAL
, which is part of EDGE Group, has kicked off a small arms manufacturing facility at ICOMM's integrated engineering facility in Hyderabad.
The exclusive facility has been set up as part of a transfer of technology (ToT) between CARACAL and ICOMM and marks the first ever ToT for defence articles from UAE to India. The new facility will serve as a local manufacturing hub for advanced weapons under a technology transfer agreement with the UAE-based player and will produce CAR 816 close-quarters battle rifle, CAR817 assault rifle, as well as CSR338, CSR 308, and CSR 50 bolt-action sniper rifles.
The facility will also make CMP9 submachine gun and Caracal EF and Caracal F Gen II combat pistols. The arms manufactured will cater to the
Indian armed forces
, central armed police forces (CAPFs), special forces, state police forces, and SPG, while also catering to the global export requirements of CARACAL.
ICOMM Tele Ltd managing director Sumanth Paturu said an investment of 200 crore was committed for the facility that covers infrastructure, technology transfer, assembly lines, and the upcoming underground shooting range. "This is a phase-wise investment, and we are fully prepared to scale further based on demand and future requirements from both domestic and global stakeholders," Paturu said.
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He said the ICOMM-CARACAL has already completed multiple user trials with elite agencies like NSG, CRPF, and Indian Army. "While we are in advanced stages of discussions, we will continue to actively engage with the Indian armed forces, paramilitary units, and state police forces to pitch our full range of weapons," he said.
The pact between MEIL Group and CARACAL was inked in Oct 2022 at the DEFEXPO 2022 in Gandhinagar.
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