Hello, Warriors. India hosts some of the best Special Forces in the world. With the growing influence of western entertainment, we are made to believe how mighty the Navy Seals are. But, as a matter of fact, its Indian counterpart, the Marcos or Marine Commandos are even better than what Navy Seals are in their fields.
India hosts Special Forces ranging from Special Protection Group which protects the VIPS, The Garud Commando Force of IAF, the elite National Security Guard and my favourites, The Para Special Forces of Parachute Regiment.
Comparing and concluding one to be better than the other will be wrong as they all are the best in their respective line of work. But every force has one thing in common, the lethal weapons they use to tackle any threat.
Here we bring to you 10 world-class lethal weapons used by the Indian Special Forces:
Glock 17: The Glock pistol is a series of polymer-framed, short recoil-operated, locked breech semi-automatic pistols. It first entered Austrian military and police service in 1982. Since then, it evolved generations before coming to the present fourth generation pistols. Glocks are currently used in India by Maharashtra’s Force One, the National Security Guards, MARCOS and Para Commandos. Glocks are also popular firearms among civilians for recreational/competition shooting, home/self-defence, and concealed or open carry.
Micro-Uzi: Uzi is from a family of Israeli open-bolt, blowback-operated submachine guns, smaller variants being machine pistols. The Uzi was one of the first weapons to use a telescoping bolt design which allows the magazine to be housed in the pistol grip for a shorter weapon. The first Uzi submachine gun was designed in the late 1940s and first introduced to Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) Special Forces in 1954. The Uzi has found use as a personal defence weapon by rear-echelon troops, officers, artillery troops and tankers, as well as a frontline weapon by elite light infantry assault forces. In India Uzi variant was used by the Special Protection Group until 2008, when it was replaced with the FN P90. The Micro-Uzi variant is currently used by Indian Army Para Commandos.
Heckler & Koch MP5: The Heckler & Koch is a 9mm submachine gun of German design, developed in the 1960s by a team of engineers from the German small arms manufacturer Heckler & Koch GmbH (H&K). There are over 100 variants of the MP5, including a semi-automatic version. The MP5 is one of the most widely used submachine guns in the world, having been adopted by 40 nations and numerous military, law enforcement, intelligence, and security organizations. It is widely used by MARCOS, NSG, Force One along with the Indian Army.
IMI Tavor TAR-21: Manufactured by Israel Weapon Industries (IWI), the TAR-21 is an Israeli bullpup assault rifle chambered for 5.56×45mm NATO ammunition with a selective fire system. It can switch between semi-automatic mode and full automatic fire mode. The Tavor was designed to maximize reliability, durability, and ease of maintenance, particularly under adverse or battlefield conditions. In late 2002, India signed an INR 880 million (about USD 17.7 million) deal with Israel Military Industries for 3,070 manufactured Tavor assault rifles to be issued to India’s Special Forces personnel, India’s northern Special Frontier Force (SFF) and MARCOS (Marine Commandos) along with the CRPF.
M4A1 Carbine: The M4 is a 5.56×45mm NATO, air-cooled, direct impingement gas-operated, magazine-fed carbine. It has a 14.5 in (370 mm) barrel and a telescoping stock. The M4 is also capable of mounting the M203 grenade launcher. The distinctive step in their barrel is for mounting the M203 with the standard hardware. The M4 is capable of firing in semi-automatic and three-round burst (like the M16A2 and M16A4), while the M4A1 is capable of firing in semi-auto and full automatic (like the M16A1 and M16A3). In India, M4A1 is used by the Mizoram Armed Police, and Force One of the Mumbai Police.
T91 assault rifle: The T91 assault is based on the proven T86 assault rifle incorporating features from the M16 and AR-18 rifles with more modern features. The T91 is lighter and shorter than the T65 it replaces and has a 6-position telescopic stock to allow adjustment based on individual requirements. T91 has a MIL-STD-1913 rail on the top of the receiver, handguard, and the front-sight block. The standard-issue detachable handle may be removed to accommodate a variety of optical sights and scopes. T91 can also be equipped with the T85 40mm grenade launcher to serve as squad-level fire support. It is used as the standard issue Special Forces assault rifle in India.
IMI Galil 7.62 Sniper: The rifle design has a modified gas diversion system to reduce the recoil of the rifle making it easier to fire especially in automatic mode. The weapon system consists of a line chambered for the intermediate 5.56×45mm NATO caliber with either the M193 or SS109 ball cartridge and several models designed for use with the 7.62×51mm NATO rifle round. It is in use with the snipers of the Indian Special Forces.
IMI Negev: It is an Israeli 5.56 mm and 7.62 mm light machine gun, developed by Israel Military Industries Ltd. (IMI). Design work on this new indigenous firearm began in 1985, it was inspired by the Belgian FN Minimi and it was officially adopted by the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) in 1997. India has inducted it for use by Marcos and Para(SF).
PKM: The PK stands for Pulemyot Kalashnikova meaning “Kalashnikov’s Machinegun”. It is a 7.62 mm general-purpose machine gun designed in the Soviet Union and currently in production in Russia. It remains in use as a front-line infantry and vehicle-mounted weapon with Russia’s armed forces. The PK has been exported extensively and produced in several other countries under license. India used PKMs for PARA SF. The PKT Manufactured at Ordnance Factory Tiruchirappalli in India.
B-300 Shipon: The B-300 is a reusable man-portable anti-tank weapon system developed by Israeli Military Industries in the late 1970s for use by the Israel Defense Forces. The B-300 can be carried and operated by a single operator and is effective to approximately 400 meters (1,312 ft). Pre-packaged munitions and simple operating mechanisms make the weapon quite versatile, permitting use by airborne, motorized, and ground troops alike. It is used by Marcos and Para (SF).
