Economic Explosives Ltd (EEL), a Nagpur-based private company, on Tuesday handed over the first batch of one lakh privately 'made-in-India' modern hand grenades to the Indian Army in the presence of Defence Minister Rajnath Singh.
The consignment of multi-mode hand grenades (MMHG) was handed over to the Army at a function in Nagpur, a defence release said.
This is the first instance of ammunition being manufactured by the private industry in India, the release said.
EEL, a wholly-owned subsidiary company of Solar Industries India Ltd, commenced deliveries of modern hand grenades to the armed forces last month.
The first consignment of 1 lakh MMHG had been tested satisfactorily for quality by users and delivered, the release said.
Rajnath Singh was handed over a scale replica of MMHG by chairman of EEL SN Nuwal to mark the first delivery of ammunition from the private sector to the armed forces, it said.
Chief of Army Staff General MM Naravane, Chairman of DRDO Dr G Satheesh Reddy and Infantry DG Lt Gen AK Samantra were present on the occasion.
EEL had signed a contract with the Ministry of Defence (MoD) on October 1, 2020, to supply 10 lakh modern hand grenades for use by the Army and the Indian Air Force (IAF), the release said.
The deliveries would be spread over two years from the bulk production clearance (BPC) which was accorded to EEL in March 2021, it said.
"These new grenades will replace Grenade No 36 of World War I vintage design, which had been continuing in service till date. The MMHGs have a distinctive design giving flexibility of employment in both defensive (fragmentation) and offensive (stun) modes."
"They have highly accurate delay time, very high reliability in usage and are safe for carriage. These modern grenades were designed by Terminal Ballistics Research Laboratory of DRDO," the release said.
EEL had taken the technology from DRDO in 2016.
Extensive trials of the grenades were successfully undertaken by the Indian Army and DGQA (Directorate General Of Quality Assurance) in 2017-18 in plains, deserts and high altitude over summer and winter, the release said.
Against a General Staff Qualitative Requirement (GSQR) of 95 per cent reliability, the grenades manufactured by EEL had highly superior reliability of 99.8 per cent, it added.
The success of the MMHG story is further amplified by its usage of 100 per cent indigenous content, the release added.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
Applications Invited From Unmarried Law Graduates In Indian Army For Judge Advocate Top Army Commander Urges More MSMEs From Bengal To Work In Defence Sector Army "Successfully" Completes Patrolling To Key Point In Ladakh's Depsang Aligarh Muslim University A Minority Institution? Supreme Court's Key 4:3 Verdict Elon Musk Replies To 'We Need Your Help Removing Trudeau' Post "Did Entire World A Favour": Minister On Why India Buys Russian Oil India Deserves To Be In List Of Global Superpowers: Vladimir Putin DY Chandrachud's Last Working Day: What Do Chief Justices Do After Term Ends 2024 Maruti Suzuki Dzire Bags 5-Star GNCAP Rating, Delivers 25.71 Kmpl Track Latest News Live on NDTV.com and get news updates from India and around the world.