The Army has issued a Request for Information (RFI) for the procurement of 30,000 light machine guns (LMG) to equip the infantry.
The RFI, which was issued on Monday, set a four-week timeframe for interested vendors to submit bids. “Tentative date of issue of Request For Proposal (RFP) is October 2018,” it said.
An RFI is the first step in the tendering process which details the broad parameters envisaged. Based on the responses, an RFP with the exact specifications would be issued to qualified vendors. In February, the Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) cleared the procurement of 41,000 LMGs for the three services at a cost of ₹3,000 crore. These are to be procured under the Buy and Make (Indian) category and of the total quantities envisaged, about 30,000 will be through Indian industry and the balance from the Ordnance Factory Board.
The 7.62mm x 51mm LMG should have an effective range of not less than 800 metres and be lethal up to that range in wound profile, energy transferred and penetration. The gun should be compatible with modern sights and accessories with provision for mounting the same.
