Army official twitter release, I think.

I am more interested in the QZ combat T-shirts and of course the snow camo. The current camo used in Siachen isn't bad, but it could be so much better.
For the benefit of everyone including me. Can you list the type of dress uniform that a soldier/office wears ie like General Duty , official etc - i aware that they have about 3 -4 type depending on the occasion
 
For the benefit of everyone including me. Can you list the type of dress uniform that a soldier/office wears ie like General Duty , official etc - i aware that they have about 3 -4 type depending on the occasion
I am not sure but from what I've seen there are :

Ceremonial dress: For marching, receiving awards etc.
Mess dress: For events in officer's mess
Service dress: For general duty and combat duty
PT/training dress: For exercising and non-duty work

I am sure there are more like say for cultural events etc. But I can't recall any at the moment.

Our ceremonial, mess & PT dresses are fine. No problems whatsoever. All the problems in in the combat & service dresses. The Quarter zip T-shirts are for combat duties and the photos show the general duty dresses. Until now the general service dress and combat dress were the same. That's going to change. There will be separate dresses for these two roles, but both the dresses will carry the same camo pattern. There was some thoughts about merging the PT dress and Quarter zips. I don't know if that will happen.
 
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India, Russia finalise AK-47 203 rifles deal: Report
September 03, 2020

77912395.jpg

File photo used for representation (Reuters)

MOSCOW: India and Russia have finalised a major deal for manufacturing AK-47 203 rifles in India during defence minister Rajnath Singh's ongoing visit here, the official Russian media reported on Thursday.

The AK-47 203 is the latest and most advanced version of the AK-47 rifle, which will replace the Indian Small Arms System (INSAS) 5.56x45 mm assault rifle.

The Indian Army has a requirement for around 770,000 AK-47 203 rifles, of which 100,000 will be imported and the rest will be manufactured in India, Russia's state-run Sputnik news agency said.

The rifles will be manufactured in India as part of the joint venture Indo-Russia Rifles Private Limited (IRRPL), established between the Ordnance Factory Board (OFB), the Kalashnikov Concern and Rosoboronexport — the Russian state agency for military exports, it said.
There was no official confirmation from the Indian government on the finalisation of the deal.

The OFB would own a majority stake of 50.5 per cent in IRRPL while the Kalashnikov Group would have a 42 per cent share. Russia's state-owned export agency, Rosoboronexport, would own the remaining 7.5 per cent, the report said.

The 7.62×39 mm Russian weapon will be produced at the Korwa Ordnance Factory in Uttar Pradesh, which was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi last year, the report said.

The cost of per rifle is expected to be around $1,100, including the cost of technology transfer and of setting up the manufacturing unit, according to the report.

The INSAS, which is use since 1996, has developed some issues such as jamming and magazine cracking at higher altitudes in the Himalayas, the Sputnik report said.

=========================================================
Source: Times of India
 
While the new SIG 716 would be a major step up from the INSAS, should IA have gone with a AR pattern rifle with a gas piston instead of a DI ?



Except for some weight difference, a DI rifle seems to run hotter and get dirtier requiring more maintenance over a gas piston rifle .
What i think is that either officers went to select these firearms are not having much knowledge about firearms or corruption is involved again.
Per round wait is 25 gms. so if a soldier is carrying 180 rounds then it means he is carrying 5 kgs of weight. In mountainous region weight and size of gear matters a lot. That too recoil is too high. Shri Ram hi rakhshak hai...
 
I am not sure but from what I've seen there are :

Ceremonial dress: For marching, receiving awards etc.
Mess dress: For events in officer's mess
Service dress: For general duty and combat duty
PT/training dress: For exercising and non-duty work

I am sure there are more like say for cultural events etc. But I can't recall any at the moment.

Our ceremonial, mess & PT dresses are fine. No problems whatsoever. All the problems in in the combat & service dresses. The Quarter zip T-shirts are for combat duties and the photos show the general duty dresses. Until now the general service dress and combat dress were the same. That's going to change. There will be separate dresses for these two roles, but both the dresses will carry the same camo pattern. There was some thoughts about merging the PT dress and Quarter zips. I don't know if that will happen.
I am not concerned about other uniforms but field uniform must be digitize camouflage uniform, all weather military clothing, other gears including gloves must be in the same camouflaged pattern, non-skid all terrains boots. these are the must for a modern day army soldier.
 
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View attachment 17694

I always wondered which ballistic vest that was.
Is it any good.
What level plate inserts does it have?
@zapper @Milspec @Parthu

Don't know the brand of the vest itself. But here's a better look at the type - its an FLC with both front & back plate inserts:

DgRYsnqUYAE_Bil.jpg


^^ This one's also got a water bladder.

You can put whatever plates you want in there, vests like these don't come with plates out of the box. My guess, its either a Level III or IIISP HAP from either DRDO (DMRL or DMSRE) or Tata (TAML).
 
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C.G. Haenel MK556 Wins German Army Tender To Replace G36

C.G. Haenel MK556

1600190294650.png


After almost six decades with Heckler & Koch, the German Bundeswehr appears to have selected a new supplier for its assault rifle. TFB has followed the process closely and while the decision had been delayed we knew that a decision from the was due this autumn. We also knew that regardless of the outcome of the German Army’s choice the result would be of great importance for decades to come.


According to several sources (see bottom of page for reference) the German Ministry of Defense has chosen C.G. Haenel GmbH to supply the next German Assault Weapon. The initial report came from the German Press Agency (DPA) and has been widely quoted. At the time of writing neither the Bundeswehr nor Haenel have made official statements.

Haenel is already supplying the Bundeswehr with the Haenel RS9 sniper rifle (designated the G29 in German service), which we reported about on 2016. Despite this they have long been seen as the underdog in the Bundeswehr’s search for a new service rifle.

Haenel_MK556_li-660x212.png


The MK556 (Haenel Defense)

The total deal is probably worth in the region of 245 million euros (over $290 million) and will see the procurement of some 120,000 new firearms. As I am typing this article the Haenel homepage has crashed, most likely due to a server overload.

The bidding process started in 2017, and TFB has followed C.G. Haenel over the years, with several articles covering their products. The company belongs to the Merkel Group, which is part of the Tawazun Holding (United Arab Emirates). The group also owns Caracal.

HK433 & Mk556
The Bundeswehr’s Choices: Heckler & Koch HK433 vs Haenel Mk556

Note that the decision of the award is still subject to a possible complaint or judicial review proceedings. The two companies – Heckler & Koch and C.G. Haenel – were reportedly informed of the decision very recently.
mk556-660x268.png


A MK556 configuration shown on Haenel’s site (Haenel Defense)

As it seems today, the MK556 from C.G. Haenel won over the Heckler & Koch HK416 and the HK433, both of which are believed to have been under consideration. It also beat out the RS556, an entry from Rheinmetall and Steyr Mannlicher.

The “MK” stands for “Maschinenkarabiner” (Machine-Carbine) and was presented in 2017. As you can see in the pictures it follows the AR15 layout, but uses a short-stroke gas piston system with an adjustable gas system.

Just weeks ago, the author had the privilege of instructing some soldiers from an undisclosed unit, from another European nation, on the C.G. Haenel CR223 which is the civilian version of the MK556.

cghaenel-mk556-660x429.jpg


At the range recently with the CR223 – the civilian, semi-automatic version of the MK556.
The exact configuration of the weapons and the accessories they will be equipped with is still unconfirmed. We will continue to monitor the story and report further as we gain confirmation of the selection and more details about the rifle itself.

Sources: Soldat-und-Technik, Focus.de, Spartanat, Zeit

For more in-depth coverage of the topic check TFB’s previous articles:

New Haenel at Enforce-Tac
News (2017) from Heckler & Koch – HK433 A New Rifle
Rheinmetall and Steyr Mannlicher offer new RS556 assault rifle system.
ITAR: SIG Sauer is Out. Withdraws from the German tender.

Eric B

Eric B
Ex-Arctic Ranger. Competitive practical shooter and hunter with a European focus. Always ready to increase my collection of modern semi-automatics, optics and sound suppressors. TCCC Certified medic.

BREAKING: C.G. Haenel MK556 Wins German Army Tender To Replace G36

@Milspec
 
C.G. Haenel MK556 Wins German Army Tender To Replace G36

C.G. Haenel MK556

View attachment 17749

After almost six decades with Heckler & Koch, the German Bundeswehr appears to have selected a new supplier for its assault rifle. TFB has followed the process closely and while the decision had been delayed we knew that a decision from the was due this autumn. We also knew that regardless of the outcome of the German Army’s choice the result would be of great importance for decades to come.


According to several sources (see bottom of page for reference) the German Ministry of Defense has chosen C.G. Haenel GmbH to supply the next German Assault Weapon. The initial report came from the German Press Agency (DPA) and has been widely quoted. At the time of writing neither the Bundeswehr nor Haenel have made official statements.

Haenel is already supplying the Bundeswehr with the Haenel RS9 sniper rifle (designated the G29 in German service), which we reported about on 2016. Despite this they have long been seen as the underdog in the Bundeswehr’s search for a new service rifle.

Haenel_MK556_li-660x212.png


The MK556 (Haenel Defense)

The total deal is probably worth in the region of 245 million euros (over $290 million) and will see the procurement of some 120,000 new firearms. As I am typing this article the Haenel homepage has crashed, most likely due to a server overload.

The bidding process started in 2017, and TFB has followed C.G. Haenel over the years, with several articles covering their products. The company belongs to the Merkel Group, which is part of the Tawazun Holding (United Arab Emirates). The group also owns Caracal.

HK433 & Mk556
The Bundeswehr’s Choices: Heckler & Koch HK433 vs Haenel Mk556

Note that the decision of the award is still subject to a possible complaint or judicial review proceedings. The two companies – Heckler & Koch and C.G. Haenel – were reportedly informed of the decision very recently.
mk556-660x268.png


A MK556 configuration shown on Haenel’s site (Haenel Defense)

As it seems today, the MK556 from C.G. Haenel won over the Heckler & Koch HK416 and the HK433, both of which are believed to have been under consideration. It also beat out the RS556, an entry from Rheinmetall and Steyr Mannlicher.

The “MK” stands for “Maschinenkarabiner” (Machine-Carbine) and was presented in 2017. As you can see in the pictures it follows the AR15 layout, but uses a short-stroke gas piston system with an adjustable gas system.

Just weeks ago, the author had the privilege of instructing some soldiers from an undisclosed unit, from another European nation, on the C.G. Haenel CR223 which is the civilian version of the MK556.

cghaenel-mk556-660x429.jpg


At the range recently with the CR223 – the civilian, semi-automatic version of the MK556.
The exact configuration of the weapons and the accessories they will be equipped with is still unconfirmed. We will continue to monitor the story and report further as we gain confirmation of the selection and more details about the rifle itself.

Sources: Soldat-und-Technik, Focus.de, Spartanat, Zeit

For more in-depth coverage of the topic check TFB’s previous articles:

New Haenel at Enforce-Tac
News (2017) from Heckler & Koch – HK433 A New Rifle
Rheinmetall and Steyr Mannlicher offer new RS556 assault rifle system.
ITAR: SIG Sauer is Out. Withdraws from the German tender.

Eric B

Eric B
Ex-Arctic Ranger. Competitive practical shooter and hunter with a European focus. Always ready to increase my collection of modern semi-automatics, optics and sound suppressors. TCCC Certified medic.

BREAKING: C.G. Haenel MK556 Wins German Army Tender To Replace G36

@Milspec

Wow H&K losing out is quite substantial. Haven't even heard of the name C.G Haenel before.
 
We aren’t buying the 816 right. I heard that the deal was canceled
Don't know there is news that they have cancelled the deal. But now news has come that the deal will be signed by year end.
Thales/Bharat forge offered to produce f90 carbines in India for the same price as car 816. So maybe they might win the next tender for 200,000 carbine order. So a mix of two carbines. Which I have not much problem with. Both of them are good guns.