New Delhi: In a major breakthrough for Indian small arms company SSS Defence, it has bagged multiple contracts with the Indian Army for its T-12 semi-automatic shotguns, delivery of which is set to begin next month.
“We are happy to tell you that deliveries of our shotguns to the Indian Army will begin next month,” Vivek Krishnan, CEO of SSS Defence told ThePrint in an interview in the national capital.
Asked if the procurement was by Army Headquarters or individual units, he said various Army units are procuring it besides two directorates.
This is the first time the Indian Army will be using a product of the SSS Defence, which has emerged as India’s only homegrown brand in small arms across the spectrum.
Incidentally, SSS Defence has already exported its sniper rifles and is close to bagging more foreign orders for both its sniper and shotgun models.
The Army, since 2014, has been making large scale procurements of assault rifles and light machine guns. While SSS Defence now has a range of assault rifles which are in use with various police forces including the elite NSG, they did not have one when the Army was procuring.
SSS Defence has also not manufactured a light machine gun (LMG) yet.
Meanwhile, speaking about its shotgun, Krishnan said that it weighs about 3.8 kg and has a magazine with a capacity of five rounds.
SSS Defence also manufactures the ammunition for the shotgun which is also being supplied.
Chambered in 12-gauge and employing a gas-operated system, the T12 delivers a wide spectrum of ammunition—from low-recoil training loads to heavy breaching rounds. Its 20-inch barrel with multi-choke capability provides tunable pattern control for close-quarter engagements and deliberate reach at extended distances.
The shotgun comes with a picatinny rail, which means a sight, lights or any mission specific attachment can be fitted on it when needed. The shotgun has an effective range of 50 metres and can go up to 100 metres.
Krishnan said the shotgun is a perfect weapon to take down approaching drones because of the kind of ammunition used—rounds which spit out pellets.
Asked if this meant that at least two infantry soldiers in a section (10-12 personnel strong) would carry this weapon to take down approaching drones, Krishnan said that in the Russia-Ukraine war, the shotgun has emerged as the main weapon, with the AK being the second.
This is because the Ukrainians rely heavily on FPV (first person view) drones to take down Russian soldiers.
(Edited by Viny Mishra)