Kerala Police to procure 120 submachine guns

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Kerala Police is set to procure 120 submachine guns capable of firing 600 to 1,200 rounds a minute. The weapons will be used for VIP security and maintaining law and order. Home Additional Chief Secretary Minhaj Alam has issued an order to purchase the 120 guns at a cost of Rs 2.52 crore using central assistance for police modernisation. Each gun costs Rs 2.1 lakh. In addition, the Union Ministry of Home Affairs has granted permission to State Police Chief Ravada Chandrasekhar to purchase 100 automatic pistols and 155 Glock pistols.

Submachine guns are considered suitable for counter-terror operations in cities and populated areas, as well as emergency situations. Compact and lightweight, they can fire rapidly and continuously and are easy to carry. They use the same 9mm ammunition used in pistols. The weapons are considered suitable for VIP security, escort duties, searches of buildings and firing from vehicles.

Submachine guns are manufactured at the Ordnance Factory in Tiruchirappalli in association with the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO). They are also manufactured by Advanced Weapons and Equipment India, as well as through joint ventures involving Larsen & Toubro (L&T), Kalyani Strategic Systems and PLR Systems, including collaborations with Israeli companies.

Up to 20 rounds a second

• A fully automatic submachine gun can fire up to 20 rounds a second. When the trigger is held down, it can continue firing until the ammunition runs out.
• The guns being procured by the police will have similar firepower and a 30-round magazine capacity. They can be fired in single-shot and semi-automatic modes.

“Submachine guns will be used for operations against Maoists and to deal with terrorist attacks. Modern weapons are essential for the police,” said Kerala Police Chief Ravada Chandrasekhar.