MOSCOW (Sputnik) – The rifles will need to be able to take down targets at 1,200 meters (0.7 miles) and the Indian Army needs about 5,000 of them, which is too high a number to produce domestically in a cost beneficial manner, The Economic Times said on Thursday.
7 December 2016, 19:02 GMT
The rifles will be given to India's infantry units stationed along the border, the newspaper specified, saying that a wider range could help save lives.
Over the past few weeks, dozens of Indian and Pakistani soldiers and civilians have been killed in cross-border firing.
Tensions have been simmering between India and Pakistan after a deadly attack on the Uri military base in the India-administered Kashmir in September. New Delhi has accused Islamabad of backing terrorism in the disputed region, but Pakistan denied any role in the insurgency.
