India orders additional 73,000 SIG716 rifles from US firearms maker Sig Sauer

New Delhi: India has ordered an additional 73,000 SIG716 rifles from US firearms maker Sig Sauer, the company has said, asserting that it is proud to be a partner in the "modernisation effort" of the Indian Army.

The move comes amid a lingering border row between India and China in eastern Ladakh.

The Defence Acquisitions Council (DAC) had given the nod for the procurement for the additional 73,000 SiG716 rifles last December.

In a statement issued in the US, Sig Sauer said it is "honoured to announce a second procurement contract" with the government of India, Ministry of Defence to supply an additional 73,000 SIG716 rifles.

When completed, 1,45,400 SIG716 rifles will be in service with the Indian Army, it said.

India first awarded Sig Sauer a contract for the SIG716 in 2019 for 72,400 riles.

"The successful fielding and overwhelming soldier acceptance led to this follow-on award for an additional 73,000 rifles," the statement said.

The SIG716 is an "enhanced AR platform chambered in 7.62 NATO featuring a 16-inch barrel, M-LOK handguard, and a 6-position telescoping stock", the company said.

"We are proud to be a partner in the modernisation effort of the Indian Army, and prouder still that the SIG716 rifle achieves the Ministry of Defence's modernisation goals with the second largest army in the world," Ron Cohen, President and CEO, SIG SAUER, Inc., was quoted as saying in the statement.

"Since the initial fielding of the SIG716, we have received phenomenal end-user feedback on the performance and reliability of the platform. Throughout this time, we have strengthened and further solidified our partnership with the Indian Ministry of Defence and are honoured to earn their continued trust equipping their frontline infantrymen," it said.

Sig Sauer designs and builds the SIG716 rifles for the Indian Army and for all of its customers in the US, firearms maker said.

The Sig Sauer assault rifles procurement is a step in the direction to replace the indigenously manufactured INSAS rifles.

The Indian Small Arms System (INSAS) was inducted in the army 1988.

In 1993, the design of the rifle was changed before being introduced in the army in 1996. The rifle was put to use during the 1999 Kargil war.