A new joint venture protective carbine (JVPC) has successfully passed the final phase of user trials, meeting all criteria of the General Service Qualitative Requirement, the Ordnance Factory Board (OFB) has announced.
The compact gas-operated weapon has an effective range of more than 100 metres and weighs less than three kilos. During the tests, the ammunition penetrated 3.5 mm thick mild steel plate and 23 layers of soft armour at 100 metres, the OFB said in a statement.
The weapon can be fired with one hand. It has a rate of fire of 800 rounds per minute. The JVPC, which feeds through the pistol grip unlike any other indigenously developed weapon in 5.56 x30 mm calibre, is being issued to Central paramilitary forces and state police organisations, Gagan Chaturvedi, deputy director general, OFB, said in a statement.
The weapon features a 30-round steel magazine, semi bull-pup design, retractable butt, low recoil and multiple rails for mounting lights, laser pointers and optical sights.
The carbine has been jointly developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and the OFB which has its headquarters in Kolkata. It is manufactured at the Small Arms Factory, Kanpur, while the ammunition is produced by Ammunition Factory Khadki in Pune.
The weapons earlier cleared the trials of the Directorate General of Quality Assurance, Chaturvedi said.
