India’s push for self-reliance in military manufacturing has marked a major milestone as the indigenous UGRAM 7.62×51mm battle rifle successfully cleared critical evaluation trials by the Indian Army and the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA).
Co-developed by Hyderabad-based startup Dvipa Defence and the Defence Research and Development Organisation’s (DRDO) Armament Research and Development Establishment (ARDE), the weapon is now advancing into the procurement phase for various Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs).
Reports indicate that major forces, including the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP), Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB), and the National Security Guard (NSG), are poised to induct the rifle.
Named after the Sanskrit word for "ferocious," the UGRAM rifle stands out for its remarkably fast creation, moving from design to prototype in merely 100 days.
This accelerated timeline is one of the fastest in the history of Indian arms development, highlighting the private sector's increasing ability to deliver advanced defence technology in partnership with the DRDO.
Built to fire the powerful 7.62×51mm NATO cartridge, the rifle features a modern gas-operated, rotating bolt mechanism, weighs under four kilograms, and boasts an effective firing range of 500 metres with a 20-round magazine capacity.
The rifle's path to procurement was paved by its success in the Indian Army’s General Staff Qualitative Requirements (GSQR) trials. These stringent tests verified the weapon's accuracy, durability, and overall operational reliability.
Furthermore, the UGRAM was subjected to severe environmental testing across India's extreme climates, from freezing high-altitude regions to scorching deserts, eventually passing the MHA Board trials and qualifying for use by the nation's internal security forces.
Sibu Joseph, the Managing Director of Dvipa Defence, noted that the firm secured its manufacturing licence in 2021 and subsequently built a state-of-the-art production plant on a 13-acre site provided by the Telangana government in Hyderabad.
This facility is geared towards producing a broad spectrum of infantry weapons, directly supporting the government's Atmanirbhar Bharat mission to cut down on foreign arms imports, such as the imported SIG Sauer 716 and the older domestic INSAS rifles.
The approval of the UGRAM rifle by both the Army and the MHA is a strong endorsement of India's maturing private defence industry.
For decades, the nation's small arms supply was heavily reliant on state-run factories and international vendors.
Now, domestic private enterprises are demonstrating they can independently design, test, and manufacture cutting-edge military hardware that meets the highest tactical standards.
Established in 2018, Dvipa Defence is continuously expanding its catalogue beyond the flagship UGRAM platform.
The company is actively developing an entirely indigenous family of firearms, which includes the U-19 sub-machine gun, the U-45 assault rifle, the Ultra-Light Machine Gun (ULMG), and the U-39 platform.
Additionally, to address the modern threat of unmanned aerial vehicles, they are creating a specialised anti-drone weapon system based on the UGRAM architecture.
The UGRAM’s swift progression from a rapid development project to securing CAPF procurement illustrates the deep trust security forces are placing in homegrown weaponry.
As large-scale orders move forward, this battle rifle is set to become a highly visible symbol of India's self-sufficiency and the successful synergy between the DRDO and private defence manufacturers.
