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India Defence Online, New Delhi — The Indian government has made another important acquisition from Israel to step up the operational capability of the marine commandos of the Indian Navy. The elite marine commando’s of the Indian Navy known as MARCOS will now be equipped with assault rifles and sniper rifles for increased operational edge in special operations. According to Indian Defence Ministry, over 500 TAR-21 Tavor assault rifles and another 30 Galil sniper rifles worth around $3.8 million has been delivered to the elite marine commandos of the Indian Navy.
According to the Indian Defence Ministry, the assault and sniper rifles have been sourced from Israeli Military Industries (IMI). As of now, a team from IAI is expected shortly to carry out the joint inspection of the specialist weapons that have been delivered to India. This will ensure that the rifles have reached India in pristine condition and are combat worthy. The marine commandos or MARCOS will begin training on these rifles shortly thereafter.
While the Special Forces unit of the Indian Army and Indian Air Force (IAF) have been using the Tavor assault rifles and Galil sniper rifles for a few years, Indian Navy marine commandos have been using the indigenous INSAS rifles and the Russian Kalashnikov variants. The Tavor is a 5.56mm calibre weapon of NATO specifications and the Galil is a 7.62mm sniper weapon.
The marine commandos or MARCOS are basically a naval Special Force for sea borne missions conjoined with land activities. Basically, it’s a three dimensional task group including sea, air and land unlike the other special units of the Army and IAF. The actual strength of the MARCOS is classified. This Special Forces unit was created by the Indian Navy in 1987. MARCOS are known to be lethal in their operations and they are trained to sabotage enemy vessels and harbour installations. They can operate on beaches, in coastal areas, jungles and ravines. Being divers, they can reach hostile shores swimming underwater. They are equipped with weapons like the 7.62mm assault rifle, Sterling Mk.4 sub-machine gun, AK-47 assault rifles and MP-5 guns.
Indian defence news and strategic intelligence
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