Nagpur-based Indian Army officer Lt Col Prasad Bansod has developed the country’s first indigenous 9 mm ‘Machine Pistol’, an official said here on Saturday.
Working with the Infantry School, Mhow (Madhya Pradesh), Bansod, 39, developed the pistol in a record four months with assistance from ARDE, Pune.
Named ‘ASMI’ – symbolizing pride and self-respect – the machine pistol’s empty weight is less than 2 kgs and it costs less than Rs 50,000.
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Unlike the conventional pistols which can fire only one round at a time, ‘ASMI’ can also fire in a machine-mode its entire load of 33 rounds in one shot, almost like a mini-machine gun, explained the official.
Sporting an upper receiver made from aircraft-grade aluminum and a lower receiver of carbon fiber, the pistol has been manufactured through a 3D printing process including trigger components made by 3D metal printing.
The barrel is 8 inches long with 33 rounds of a high-capacity magazine and the weapon fires the in-service 9 mm ammunition.
“The weapon has a huge potential in the armed forces as a personal weapon for commanders, tank and aircraft crew, radio-radar operators, other categories of security workers, besides VVIP protection and policing duties and in the civilian domain,” said the official.
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Officials are optimistic that Bansod’s ‘ASMI’ is likely to find huge employability within the central and state police organizations, besides a huge export potential as the production cost would be well under Rs 50,000 per weapon. (IANS)