In a major boost to efforts to improve the Indian Army’s arsenal, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) yesterday (20 March) approved a mammoth project to acquire 10 lakh ‘Made in India’ multi-mode hand grenades, reports Mint.

The HE-36 hand grenades which are currently in use by the army will be replaced by the new hand grenades, which have been developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO). A production agency has already been chosen to mass produce the multi-mode grenades.

The cost of the project is estimated to be more than Rs 500 crore. This new acquisition was one remaining critical component of upgrading the conventional fighting capabilities of the army, as the main personal firearms requirements of soldiers had already been taken care of with the signing of two contracts for modern rifles.

Hand grenades are critical in modern infantry warfare as they can not only cause direct damage to enemy troops but also help in taking out their bunkers and positions.