Gwalior: A Anbarasu, DG Acquisition, Ministry of Defence, Ashish Rajvanshi, CEO of Adani Defence and Aerospace, and other senior officials flag off trucks carrying ‘Prahar’ light machine guns (LMGs) after the first batch was handed over to the Indian Army by Adani Defence and Aerospace, at its Small Arms Complex, in Gwalior, Madhya Pradesh, Saturday, March 28, 2026.
| Photo Credit:
PTI
The LMG is manufactured at Gwalior by the PLR System, the joint venture between Adani Defence & Aerospace and Israeli Weapon Industries (IWI).
The delivery of Prahar or Negev is 11 months ahead of the contracted supply schedule, Adani said in a statement. The First-of-Production Model (FOPM) was realised in six months against a stipulated 18-month development timeline and the Bulk Production Clearance (BPC) followed, enabling a rapid transition to full-scale manufacturing.
A. Anbarasu, DG Acquisition & Additional Secretary, Ministry of Defence, who was present on the occasion, said, today, we have flagged off the dispatch of 2,000 LMG Prahar guns by saving 600 days and dispatching them well ahead of schedule.
“The scale and speed are very critical for improving the Indian defence industry ecosystem, and I’m optimistic that in the coming days, the private industries and public sector industries, all defence industries, will rise to the occasion and meet their potential,” Anbarasu stated.
“From the policymaking side, the Defence Acquisition Procedure (DAP) is in the process of being amended, and we are working on it. We will ensure that the new Defence Acquisition Procedure meets the aspirations of the industry and helps in adding to the Indian defence ecosystem…,” he added.
Manufactured at the Adani Defence’s fully integrated Small Arms Facility in Gwalior, Madhya Pradesh, the Prahar LMG significantly reduces reliance on imported infantry weapons and strengthens defence self-reliance. The LMG’s own weight is 8 kg and has effective range of 1000 m, as per the Adani.
Ashish Rajwanshi, President and CEO of Adani Aerospace and Defence, said that with the perseverance and hard work of the team, and the support of the policymakers over the last 5 years, we can proudly say that we have moved from a component manufacturer to a full gun OEM.
“The whole focus was not about supplying a product or a gun, but to build a deep capability in India across the whole portfolio of small arms. What started as a light machine gun contract was actually establishing a full capability across light machine gun assault rifles, pistols, snipers, and carbines within the country,” he told reporters.
He also stated the facility can manufacture 100,000 guns per year.
Spread across 100 acres, the facility integrates barrel manufacturing, bolt carrier and receiver fabrication, advanced computer numerical control (CNC) machining, robotics, surface treatment, precision metrology, a metallurgy laboratory and a 25-metre underground firing range.
Published on March 28, 2026