Abu Dhabi (UAE): In India’s defence manufacturing growth story ICOMM, a group company of Megha Engineering & Infrastructures Ltd (MEIL), has taken centre stage. On February 21, 2023, ICOMM signed a partnership, and licensing agreement, with UAE-based EDGE entity CARACAL for the first-ever Transfer of Technology (ToT) in defence articles. As per the agreement, ICOMM will locally manufacture CARACAL’s complete line of small arms for the Indian market under the ‘Make in India’ and Aatmanirbhar Bharat initiatives.
The signing took place at the ongoing IDEX 2023 in Abu Dhabi, UAE, one of the largest tri-service defence exhibitions in the world.
ICOMM will manufacture the full range of CARACAL small arms, including the versatile CARACAL EF pistol, modern CMP 9 submachine gun, CAR 814, CAR 816 and CAR 817 tactical rifles, CAR 817 DMR tactical sniper rifle, CSR 50 anti-material sniper rifle, CSR 338 and CSR 308 bolt action sniper rifles and the CSA 338 semi-automatic sniper rifle.
Sumanth P, Chief of ICOMM, said, “India’s Defence industry is on a strong path to develop its sovereign manufacturing capabilities. This agreement exemplifies the commitment shown by CARACAL to aid India’s ambitions towards making the defence sector self-sufficient.”
The Indian Government seriously took up the indigenisation of Defence manufacturing, allowing the private sector to manufacture weapons, breaking the age-old view to ensure no disruptions in the supply chain. Sumanth added, “Our entry into small arms production is a proud moment for us.”
CARACAL’s complete line of small arms will be produced in ICOMM’s world-class design, development and manufacturing centre in Hyderabad. ICOMM is one of the largest companies manufacturing missiles & sub-systems, communications & EW systems, radars, electro-optics, composites, loitering munitions, shelters, drone & counter-drone systems.
Hamad Al Ameri, CEO of CARACAL, said, “This strategically important signing with ICOMM for collaboration in the Indian market is a key objective for CARACAL. As India continues to realise its sovereign defence ambitions, we look forward to partnering with ICOMM, whose capabilities in providing end-to-end solutions across multiple sectors, including engineering and defence, complement CARACAL’s portfolio of advanced small arms.
About the companies, striking the deal
ICOMM is a group company of Megha Engineering & Infrastructures Ltd (MEIL), which is one of the largest infrastructure companies in India, with Annual Sales of over USD 4.0 Bn with over 40,000 employees and working on various projects, spread across 18 offices across the Globe.
Whereas Megha Engineering and Infrastructures Ltd. (MEIL) established in 1989, is one of the fastest-growing infra companies in India. Globally the company has its footprint in over 20 countries.
Established in 2007, CARACAL is a regional and international leader in high-performance small arms. The company designs, engineers, innovates and manufactures mission-proven firearms for law enforcement, security and military forces, with a production legacy spanning more than 15 years. CARACAL is part of the Missiles & Weapons cluster of EDGE Group, an advanced technology group that ranks among the top 25 military suppliers in the world.
Launched in November 2019, the UAE’s EDGE is one of the world’s leading advanced technology groups, established to develop agile, bold and disruptive solutions for defence and beyond, and to be a catalyst for change and transformation. Headquartered in Abu Dhabi, the capital of the UAE, EDGE consolidates more than 20 entities into four core clusters: Platforms & Systems, Missiles & Weapons, Electronic Warfare & Cyber Technologies, and Trading & Mission Support.
