These personal weapons will be used by the troops deployed in all terrains: plains, desert and high-altitude (upto 18000 feet) mountainous terrain and associated environmental conditions.

The plan is to initiate licensed production of the pistols along with accessories after acquiring the Transfer of Technology (if applicable).

The DRDO and Indian Army have already designed a 9-mm weapon for counter-insurgency and counter-terrorism, incorporating 3D-printed parts and a high rate of fire.

As per the RFI, the 9-mm pistol should function day and night in common weather conditions across all terrains. It should also be operational in temperature conditions ranging from (-) 30 to 55 Celsius.

As far as the design concept is concerned, the RFI stated that the pistol must be modular in design for future upgrades through simple modifications, not leading to design or structural change.

The 9mm Pistol follows the induction of LMGs and Carbines The Indian Army's infantry, TNIE earlier reported, will receive a significant firepower boost beginning early next year, with Israel Weapon Industries (IWI) confirming the delivery of the first batch of 40,000 light machine guns (LMGs). The supply contract was signed last year.

IWI is also in the final stages of securing another major contract to supply nearly 1.7 lakh new-age Close Quarter Battle (CQB) carbines, part of the Ministry of Defence's (MoD) requirement of 4.25 lakh 5.56x45 mm carbines under the 'Buy (Indian)' category. While Bharat Forge is the primary bidder, PLR Systems-an Adani Group subsidiary with IWI partnership-will supply 40 per cent of the carbines.