Indian Army inducts Asmi sub-machine guns

The Asmi sub-machine gun was jointly developed by the Indian Army and the Defence Research and Development Organisation. (PIB)

The Indian Army has inducted 550 Asmi 9×19 mm sub-machine guns (SMGs) manufactured by Hyderabad-based Lokesh Machines, the service's Additional Directorate General of Public Information (ADGPI) has said.

ADGPI said in a social media post on 5 November that the guns are being operated by the Indian Army's Northern Command, which is responsible for the defence of the strategic region in northern India that adjoins Pakistan and China.

“The Asmi machine pistol is a robust, compact, and reliable weapon designed for close-quarter battles and specialised operations,” ADGPI said. “Its unique semi-bullpup design allows for single-handed operation both as a pistol and sub-machine gun.”

ADGPI said the weapon was developed jointly by the Indian Army and the state-run Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO).

Development of the Asmi SMG was announced by the DRDO in January 2021. The weapon was designed and developed for use by India's military and paramilitary forces.

The Indian government's Press Information Bureau (PIB) also reported in January 2021 that the production cost of each Asmi unit is under INR50,000 (USD593).

The PIB added that the Asmi is intended as a weapon for “heavy weapon detachments, commanders, tank and aircraft crews, drivers/dispatch riders, radio/radar operators, Closed Quarter Battle, [and] counter-insurgency and counter-terrorism operations”.

Named Asmi (‘Pride'), the weapon was referenced by the DRDO as a ‘machine pistol'. The PIB added that the weapon fires in-service 9 mm ammunition and features an upper receiver “made from aircraft-grade aluminium and a lower receiver [made] from carbon fibre”.

It also noted that a 3D printing process was used to make prototypes of various parts of the weapon, including trigger components.