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.
Machine pistols are primarily self-loading versions of pistols which are either fully automatic or can also fire bursts of bullets.
The Asmi machine pistol fires the in-service 9 mm ammunition and has an upper receiver made from aircraft-grade aluminum and lower receiver from carbon fibre. The 3D printing technology has been used in designing and prototyping of various parts, including trigger components which have been made by metal 3D printing.
DRDO’s Pune-based facility Armament Research and Development Establishment (ARDE) and the Infantry School designed and developed this weapon utilising their respective areas of expertise in a record time of four months.
A press statement from the Ministry of Defence read, “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 Machine Pistol is likely to have production cost under Rs 50,000 each and has potential for exports. The weapon is aptly named Asmi, which means pride, self respect and also hard work.”
The announcement of machine pistol development comes nearly a month after a Carbine jointly developed by the ARDE and the Ordnance Factory Board (OFB) completed the final phase of user trials by the Army and was ready ready for induction. The Carbine is not just slated to replace the ageing 9 mm carbine currently in use by the armed forces, but also modernise the armoury of the Central Armed Police Forces and state police forces.