The Northern Command of Indian Army, based in Udhampur city of Union Territory (UT) of J&K, has inducted an indigenously developed pistol cum machinegun in its arsenal. To begin with, 550 of Asmi pistol cum machineguns, made by Hyderabad-based Lokesh Machines Limited have been provided to different field formations. The firm is involved in making CNC (Computer Numerical Control) machines which are used for creating high-precision parts and prototypes for a variety of industries.
The ADG PI of Army shared details regarding this induction in a post on X. It said: In a significant boost to the nation’s #Atmanirbharata initiative, #IndianArmy inducted 550 `Asmi’ machine pistols into #NorthernCommand. The weapon which has been developed by Colonel Prasad Bansod of the #IndianArmy, in collaboration with #DRDO is being manufactured indigenously by Lokesh Machine #Hyderabad, @ADG PI Indian Army has posted on its X handle.
Incidentally, Lokesh Machine is one of the 19 entities that was recently sanctioned by the US for exporting tools to Russia. The US had imposed sanctions on the Hyderabad-based firm it openly advertised that it was involved in exports to Russia. However, this is clear that the firm has not violated any Indian law.
The post further said: The `Asmi’ pistol is a robust, compact and reliable weapon designed for close quarter battles and specialised operations. Its unique semi-bullpup design allows for single handed operation both as a pistol and a sub machinegun.
The 100% Made in India weapon’s induction demonstrates the unwavering commitment of #IndianArmy towards #AtmanirbharBharat to propel the Nation towards self sufficiency in defence manufacturing.
The firm, Lokesh Machines Limited, was founded in 1983 and invoked wrath of the US Treasury Department as it has been exporting machine tools to Russia on regular basis. The US says that by doing so, the firm is involved in helping Moscow’s weapons manufacturing capabilities.
Earlier this year, the firm had delivered 550 9x19mm calibre Asmi submachine guns to the Udhampur-based Northern Command. Whole of the Kashmir region, Ladakh and large parts of the Jammu region are the area of responsibility (AoR) of this command set up in 1972. The Jammu city and areas east of it are covered by the Western Command.
It is being said that given the performance of Asmi in field trials, and now induction into the Army, some state police forces, the National Security Guard (NSG) and the Border Security Force (BSF) have shown interest in its acquisition.
The Asmi pistol is lighter in weight than other comparable weapons of its class like Uzi made by Israel and German Heckler and Koch. It is said that Asmi has been designed, developed and manufactured in less than three years. A private firm Lokesh Machines has partnered with government-owned DRDO and the venture is considered a prime example of success of PPP (Public Private Partnership) model.
According to the website of Lokesh Machines (https://www.lokeshmachines.com), it was incorporated on 17th December 1983 and started commercial operations in 1985 at Hyderabad. It exports CNC machines to Japan, Germany, Netherlands, Italy, Turkey and Russia. The website further adds that the mission of the firm is to provide innovative and cost effective solutions satisfying all stakeholders in a unique manner.
Regarding its credentials, the firm says: We supply machines to more than 300 clients and still counting. The best part is that, our 25 years old machines are still delivering the finished parts with the original accuracies at Ashok Leyland, Mahindra & Mahindra and other OEMs.
