CARACAL and ICOMM inaugurate state-of-the-art small arms manufacturing facility in Hyderabad
EDGE entity CARACAL sign Licensing Agreement with India's ICOMM (Group Company of MEIL) for localised production of CARACAL firearms
The agreement marks the first-ever Transfer of Technology for defence articles from UAE to India
Hyderabad, India/Abu Dhabi, UAE – CARACAL, a leading small arms manufacturer from the UAE and an entity within EDGE Group, in collaboration with ICOMM Tele Ltd, a group company of Megha Engineering & Infrastructures Ltd (MEIL), today inaugurated a world-class small arms manufacturing facility at ICOMM's Integrated Engineering Facility in Hyderabad.
This exclusive facility will serve as a local manufacturing hub for a comprehensive portfolio of advanced weapons under a historic Technology Transfer (ToT) agreement with CARACAL, marking a landmark milestone in UAE–India defence collaboration.
Under this initiative, the facility will produce:
The mission-proven CAR 816 close-quarters battle rifle, chambered in 5.56x45mm NATO
The highly-reliable CAR 817 assault rifle, chambered in 7.62x51mm NATO
The lightweight CSR 338 bolt-action sniper rifle, chambered in .338 Lapua Magnum
The lightweight CSR 308 bolt-action sniper rifle, chambered in .308 Winchester
The highly-accurate CSR 50 bolt-action anti-materiel sniper rifle, chambered in 12.7x99mm NATO
The modern CMP9 submachine gun, chambered in 9x19mm
The versatile CARACAL EF and CARACAL F GEN II combat pistols, chambered in 9x19mm
These next-generation weapons will serve the critical needs of: Indian Armed Forces, Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs), Special Forces, State Police Forces, and SPG, and also cater to global export requirements of CARACAL.
Sumanth Paturu, Managing Director, ICOMM Tele Ltd, said: 'This facility stands as a testament to our unwavering commitment to India's defence forces and our belief in the vision of our Hon'ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi Ji for Aatmanirbhar Bharat. At ICOMM, we are not just making in India, we are making for India and for the world, with precision, pride and purpose.
With CARACAL by our side as a trusted and visionary partner, we are building more than world-class weapons—we are building a bold, self-reliant India. This is our salute to every soldier, and our promise to deliver quality that protects, empowers and inspires.'
Hamad Alameri, CEO of CARACAL, said: 'The launch of the ICOMM CARACAL Small Arms Complex marks a milestone in our efforts to support the Indian market and defence industry.
As the first small arms technology transfer from the UAE to India, the factory further highlights our commitment to Prime Minister Modi's Make in India initiative. With successful technical qualification by two Special Forces units and strong progress in army trials, we are proud to deepen our role in India's defence ecosystem. ICOMM has proven to be a highly capable and reliable partner, with world-class manufacturing expertise and a deep commitment to national self-reliance."
The facility is a cornerstone in India's Aatmanirbhar Bharat and Make in India journey, blending global technology with Indian manufacturing excellence. It will also support CARACAL's international programmes, strengthening India's role as a trusted global defence production hub.
About EDGE
Launched in November 2019, the UAE's EDGE is one of the world's leading advanced technology groups, established to develop agile, bold and disruptive solutions for defence and beyond, and to be a catalyst for change and transformation. It is dedicated to bringing breakthrough innovations, products, and services to market with greater speed and efficiency, to position the UAE as a leading global hub for future industries, and to creating clear paths within the sector for the next generation of highly-skilled talent to thrive.
With a focus on the adoption of 4IR technologies, EDGE is driving the development of sovereign capabilities for global export and for the preservation of national security, working with front-line operators, international partners, and adopting advanced technologies such as autonomous capabilities, cyber-physical systems, advanced propulsion systems, robotics and smart materials. EDGE converges R&D, emerging technologies, digital transformation, and commercial market innovations with military capabilities to develop disruptive solutions tailored to the specific requirements of its customers. Headquartered in Abu Dhabi, capital of the UAE, EDGE consolidates more than 35 entities into six core clusters: Platforms & Systems, Missiles & Weapons, Space & Cyber Technologies, Trading & Mission Support, Technology & Innovation, and Homeland Security.
For more information, visit edgegroup.ae
For media enquiries, please contact:
EDGE Group Press Office
media@edgegroup.ae
About CARACAL
Established in 2007, CARACAL is a regional leader in high-performance small arms. The company designs, manufactures, tests, and maintains small mission-proven firearms, including combat pistols, modern submachine guns, tactical assault rifles, and precision sniper rifles for law enforcement, security, and military forces.
CARACAL's production legacy of 15+ years is reflected in the quality, performance, and dependability of its growing range of weapons, incorporating the latest technological advances, developed to address the evolving challenges of modern warfare as well as the diverse mission requirements of customers in the UAE and abroad.
CARACAL is part of the Missiles & Weapons cluster of EDGE Group, one of the world's leading advanced technology and defence groups.
For more information, please visit caracal.ae
About ICOMM
ICOMM is one of India's leading defence & integrated engineering firms, with deep expertise across missiles & sub-systems, Airborne Systems, Electronic Warfare Communications, radars, drones, electro-optics, Shelters and Composites systems. Its 110-acre facility in Hyderabad is a centre of excellence for high-end defence manufacturing. For more information, please visit https://icommtele.com
About MEIL (Megha Engineering & Infrastructures Ltd)
MEIL is one of India's largest infrastructure conglomerates, operating in sectors including irrigation, water, hydrocarbons, transport, power, telecom, and defence. With a global footprint in over 20 countries and a workforce of 40,000+, MEIL delivers complex, large-scale infrastructure with unmatched speed & quality. For more information visit https://meil.in
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The National
a day ago
- The National
Trump hosts Germany's Merz at White House to discuss Ukraine and tariffs
President Donald Trump hosted Germany's new leader Chancellor Friedrich Merz at the White House on Thursday, to discuss Ukraine and defence spending, as well as tariffs. Mr Merz, whose visit is partially aimed at convincing the US to continue supporting Kyiv, said Mr Trump would be a vital figure in bringing an end to the conflict. 'We both agree on this war and how terrible this war that is going on, and we are both looking for ways to stop it very soon,' Mr Merz said. 'And I told the President before we came in that he is the key person in the world who can really do that now by putting pressure on Russia.' The US President called Mr Merz a 'very good man to deal with'. The visit comes a day after Mr Trump held a phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin, during which he said there would be no 'immediate peace' in the three-year-old war. It was a stark turnaround for the US President, who took office this year on a promise to swiftly end the war in Ukraine. He said that Mr Putin has vowed to retaliate after Kyiv unleashed a surprise drone offensive that hit Russian airfields across the country, taking out many heavy bombers and surveillance planes. Mr Trump is set to attend the Nato summit later this month, a meeting that is expected to be dominated by the war in Ukraine. The meetings will come shortly after Mr Trump is scheduled to attend the Group of Seven leaders' summit in Canada, where allies are also expected to discuss ways to end the conflict. Germany, the biggest economy in the EU, is eager to ease trade tension with the US after Mr Trump announced sweeping tariffs on the bloc on April 2. A 50 per cent levy on European goods is scheduled to take effect on July 9. 'We'll have a big trade deal,' Mr Trump said. 'I guess that will be mostly determined by the European Union, but you're a very big part of that.' During the meeting, Mr Trump also said the two leaders would discuss the roughly 45,000 US troops stationed in Germany. 'We have a lot of them, about 45,000, it's a lot of troops,' Mr Trump said. 'That's good economic development, they're highly paid troops and they spend a lot of money in Germany.'
Dubai Eye
a day ago
- Dubai Eye
US announces pick for NATO's next Supreme Allied Commander
President Donald Trump's administration announced on Thursday its nomination for the next top US general in Europe and said the US military officer would also assume the traditional role of Supreme Allied Commander Europe. Trump's decision to nominate US Air Force Lieutenant General Alexus Grynkewich to both roles, which was first reported by Reuters, will relieve European NATO allies and even some of Trump's fellow Republicans amid concerns about a retrenchment in American military leadership of NATO. Grynkewich must be confirmed by the US Senate. The position of SACEUR, which oversees all NATO operations in Europe, has been filled by a US general since its creation after World War Two. US Army General Dwight D. Eisenhower became the alliance's first SACEUR in 1951. Still, since taking office in January, Trump's administration has pressured NATO allies to ramp up their defense spending, saying Europe should be primarily responsible for defense on the European continent. Trump has also said he wants NATO allies to boost investment in defence to 5 per cent of gross domestic product, up from the current target of 2 per cent. Speaking at NATO headquarters earlier on Thursday, US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said he was confident that members of the NATO alliance would agree to a major boost in defense spending. No country is yet at 5 per cent, not even the US, but Hegseth said there was progress on agreeing to the target. "I'm very encouraged by what we heard in there," Hegseth said after a morning meeting of NATO defense ministers on Thursday in Brussels. "Countries in there are well exceeding 2 per cent and we think very close, almost near consensus, on a 5 per cent commitment to NATO." Grynkewich, who is now the director for operations at the US military's Joint Staff, would succeed Army General Christopher Cavoli, who has been in the role since shortly after Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine, helping oversee billions of dollars in U.S. security assistance to Kyiv.
Khaleej Times
a day ago
- Khaleej Times
Germany to boost military by up to 60,000 troops under new Nato targets
Germany needs up to 60,000 additional troops under new Nato targets for weapons and personnel, Defence Minister Boris Pistorius said on Thursday, as the alliance beefs up its forces to respond to what it sees as an increased threat from Russia. "We are stepping up to our responsibility as Europe's largest economy," Pistorius told reporters ahead of a meeting with his Nato counterparts in Brussels that signed off on the new targets. The fresh demands are tailored to the alliance's new defence plans - thousands of pages of secret documents drawn up for the first time since the end of the Cold War — that detail how allied forces would respond to a Russian attack on Nato. Translating these plans into the military tools needed, Nato found severe shortfalls in various areas - ranging from large formations of combat-ready ground troops to long-range weapons, sufficient ammunition stockpiles and secure communications. Pointing to the secret nature of the targets, Nato chief Mark Rutte only gave a rough outline of the gaps the alliance seeks to plug. "We have to invest in our air defence systems, we have to invest in our long-range missiles, we have to invest in our manoeuvrable land-formations, command and control systems - all of this has to happen," Rutte told reporters, adding that all this would require huge investments. In total, the Bundeswehr, Germany's armed forces, will need roughly 50,000 to 60,000 additional active soldiers across all branches of the military, said Pistorius. This would put the future strength of Germany's armed forces at between 250,000 and 260,000 troops. BIG CHALLENGE Last week, Reuters reported that Nato would ask Germany to provide seven more army brigades alone, or some 40,000 troops. Sources, who all spoke on condition of anonymity, put the target for the total number of brigades that Natoallies will have to provide in future at between 120 and 130, a hike of some 50% from the current target of around 80 brigades. Recruiting tens of thousands of extra troops will be a big challenge for Berlin, however, and will likely spark a fresh debate on whether conscription - suspended in 2011 - should be reintroduced. The Bundeswehr has not yet met a target of 203,000 troops set in 2018, and is currently short-staffed by some 20,000 regular troops, according to defence ministry data. Pistorius said the government would be faced with the question of whether the voluntary military service it aims to introduce will be sufficient to fill the Bundeswehr's ranks. Still, he warned that the military currently could not absorb a larger number of conscripts due to a lack of barracks and trainers. "Until we have such capacities, we'll have a voluntary service - and maybe beyond that if we are an attractive employer and win enough young men and women for the military who agree to serve for a longer time."
