Joint Venture Protective Carbine

Joint Venture Protective Carbine Modern Submachine Carbine
MSMC submachine gun
Type	Carbine
Place of origin	India
Service history
Used by	See Users
Production history
Designed	2005
Manufacturer	Advanced Weapons and Equipment India Limited (AWEIL) Kalyani Strategic Systems Limited (KSSL)
Produced	2005 – present
Specifications
Mass	2.98 kg (6.6 lb) empty
Length	552 mm (21.7 in) closed stock 745 mm (29.3 in) open stock[1]
Barrel length	300 mm (12 in)
Cartridge	5.56×30mm MINSAS[2]
Caliber	5.56 mm (0.219 in)
Action	Gas operated, long stroke piston rotating bolt
Rate of fire	800–900 round/min[3][2]
Effective firing range	200–300 m (220–330 yd)[4]
Feed system	30 round box magazine[2]
Sights	Iron sights, reflex sights, IR sights, laser sights[2]

The Joint Venture Protective Carbine (JVPC),^[5] also known as Modern Sub Machine Carbine (MSMC) until 2014,^[6] is a gas-operated, magazine-fed, select fire carbine designed to chamber the 5.56×30mm MINSAS cartridge.^[7] It was designed by the Armament Research and Development Establishment of the Defence Research and Development Organisation,^[5] and manufactured by Advanced Weapons and Equipment India Limited^[7] and by Kalyani Strategic Systems Limited.^[8] It was intended as a replacement for the 9mm Sterling submachine gun in service with the Indian Armed Forces.^[7]

The development of the JVPC began in 2010, being an offshoot of the INSAS small arms program.^[9] Its trials were commenced in 2016 and completed in 2021. The JVPC cleared the final phase of user trials by the Indian Army.^[7] The weapon's accuracy and reliability were tested in extreme hot weather and high-altitude winter conditions, by the Army's user trials.^[10]

The JVPC already cleared user trials conducted by the Ministry of Home Affairs and is currently being procured for the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) and State Police Forces in the country.^[10]

History

The development of a carbine was one of the objectives of the Indian Small Arms System (INSAS) programme, which developed the INSAS assault rifle.^[11] An INSAS based carbine said to have been developed in early 2000s, but was rejected.^[11][12] The INSAS based carbine was designed to chamber the same 5.56×45mm NATO cartridge used in the INSAS assault rifle and the LMG, hence it had a higher recoil than a carbine of its size should normally have.^[11] In 2002, the Indian Army has issued a General Staff Qualitative Requirement (GSQR) for a new submachine carbine with revised specification.^[11] In response to the new GSQR, both OFB and ARDE independently developed two carbines – Amogh carbine and MSMC respectively.^[12]

Both carbines were designed to chamber much lighter 5.56×30mm MINSAS cartridge.^[11] The prototypes underwent a series of trials – first in 2006, then in late 2007 and finally in early 2009.^[11] Both of the carbines failed to meet the requirement set by the Army.^[12] In 2010, DRDO's ARDE lab and OFB collaborated to iron out the problems with the MSMC design.^[12] The redesigned MSMC was now redesignated as Joint Venture Protective Carbine or JVPC. The prototypes of JVPC was offered to the Army for user trials in 2013.^[13] Also in this time period an exigency for a carbine has arisen.^[7]

The user trials by Indian Army commenced in 2016 and completed by 2021. The JVPC was subjected to accuracy and reliability test at extreme temperature conditions of India. The final user trials were conducted at the sub-zero cold desert of Ladakh.^[7][10]

The JVPC was earlier cleared user trials by CAPF. In 2017, the then-Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh ceremonially accepted a JVPC from the then-Minister of Defence Nirmala Sitharaman, marking its service induction into the CAPF, Paramilitary forces and Police forces under the Ministry of Home affairs.^[14] The JVPC is currently being procured for the CAPF.^[10]

The AWEIL-made JVPC was displayed in public at the DSEI 2023 convention in the UK.^[15]

Design

MSMC/JVPC equipped with BEL Trinetra reflex sight

The MSMC or JVPC is a highly compact weapon that is less than 22 inches long with the stock collapsed,^[16] making it ideal for personal defence, close quarter battle and counter insurgency/counter terrorism operations.^[7] Like machine pistols such as the Uzi, the JVPC has a pistol grip with a magazine well. A 30-round MSMC magazine is inserted through this pistol grip.^[16]

The JVPC's ergonomic pistol grip design, low recoil and compact size allows the user to fire it like a pistol.^[7] It has a retractable stock and ambidextrous fire selector located above the trigger.^[16] The upper receiver of the prototypes were made of stamped metal sheet,^[16] while production models are manufactured using metal injection molding technique.^[1] It has multiple MIL-STD-1913 picatinny rail system^[10] – one on the upper receiver for mounting modern optics and sights and one on the lower for mounting forward hand grip.^[16] The lower receiver is mostly made of polymer.^[16]

The JVPC has an overall length of 745 mm when stock is extended and 552 mm when stock is collapsed, making it a highly compact weapon.^[1] It has a barrel length of 300 mm^[1] and an effective range of 200 to 300 metre.^[16] JVPC has provision to equip barrel attachments such as suppressor and bayonet.^[1] The JVPC is designed to fire 5.56×30mm MINSAS round and have a muzzle velocity of 650 meters per second.^[1] The 5.56×30mm ammunition used in JVPC is said to be superior to both FN 5.7×28mm and HK 4.6×30mm cartridges.^[1]

The JVPC has gas operated rotating bolt mechanism and features two modes of fire – single and full auto, which fires at a rate of 800^[1]–900 round/min.^[3]

Operators

Final trials by Indian Army was successfully completed in Dec 2020

 India

• Central Industrial Security Force^[17]
• Central Reserve Police Force^[18]
• Chhattisgarh Police^[3]
• Delhi Police^[19]
• Special Protection Group - In 2019 December 2 issue of the Mail Today, journalist Sandeep Unnithan reported that JVPC has cleared user trials by Special Protection Group and likely to get an order from the aforementioned unit.^[20]
• Indian Army - JVPC cleared the General Staff Qualitative Requirement set by the Indian Army, with the final trial in December 2020. This paves the way for JVPCs induction into the Indian Army.^[21][22]

Popular culture

The Modern Sub Machine Carbine first appeared in Call of Duty: Black Ops 2.^[3]

See also

• Amogh carbine
• ASMI – Machine Pistol

References

1. "Small Arms and Ammunition - JVPC". Technology Focus. 29 (5): 7–8. October 2021. ISSN 0971-4413.
2. "JVPC-5.56 mm | SMALL ARMS FACTORY | Government of India". Ordnance Factory Board. Archived from the original on 2 December 2019. Retrieved 2 December 2019.
3. Unnithan, Sandeep (8 September 2017). "This Made in India gun, with a cult following among gamers, soon to join Army's arsenal". India Today. Archived from the original on 23 May 2019. Retrieved 2 December 2019.
4. Max Popenker (2010). "MSMC". Archived from the original on 4 March 2011. Retrieved 20 March 2011.
5. "Joint Venture Protective Carbine (JVPC)". DRDO. Archived from the original on 4 December 2019. Retrieved 11 May 2021.
6. IANS (11 January 2015). "India-made automatic rifle production stuck in red tape". business-standard.com. Archived from the original on 21 February 2016. Retrieved 6 March 2015.
7. "DRDO's new carbine clears Army's final trials, ready for use". The Indian Express. 25 December 2020. Retrieved 23 October 2021.
8. "Pune based Kalyani Group showcases the extensive portfolio at East Tech 2022 - NE India Broadcast". 7 July 2022.
9. "Indian Army to unveil machine gun". AmmoLand.com Shooting Sports News. 21 August 2009. Archived from the original on 5 October 2015. Retrieved 4 October 2015.
10. Siddiqui, Huma (10 December 2020). "Indian Army to get 'Made in India' carbines designed by DRDO". The Financial Express. Retrieved 23 October 2021.
11. Anand, Oinam (21 August 2009). "City institute ready with new gun for Army". Indian Express. Archived from the original on 18 October 2019. Retrieved 20 March 2011.
12. Sandeep Unnithan (20 August 2010). "The Ghost Guns". India Today. Archived from the original on 18 October 2019. Retrieved 20 March 2011.
13. IANS (11 January 2015). "India-made automatic rifle production stuck in red tape". Business Standard India. Retrieved 24 October 2021.
14. "Nirmala Sitharaman takes charge as country's first woman Defence Minister". The New Indian Express. Archived from the original on 8 September 2017. Retrieved 8 September 2017.
15. "Show Report: DSEi 2023 Announcements from KAC, PGZ, and more – Small Arms Defense Journal".
16. Popenker, Maxim; Williams, Anthony G. (15 January 2012). Sub-Machine Gun: The Development of Sub-Machine Guns and their Ammunition from World War 1 to the Present Day. The Crowood Press UK. ISBN 978-1847972934.^{[page needed]}
17. "Monthly Summary for the Cabinet for the month of August 2019" (PDF). Department of Defence Production. August 2019. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2 December 2019. Retrieved 2 December 2019.
18. "ANNUAL PROCUREMENT PLAN 2019–20 LIST OF ITEMS TO BE CENTRALLY PROCURED" (PDF). Central Reserve Police Force. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2 December 2019. Retrieved 2 December 2019.
19. https://www.drdo.gov.in/sites/default/files/drdo-news-documents/NPC02_04April2022.pdf ^{[bare URL PDF]}
20. Unnithan, Sandeep (2 December 2019). "SPG opt for desi JVPC". Mail Today: 11.
21. "Indian Army to get 'Made in India' carbines designed by DRDO". Financialexpress. 10 December 2020. Retrieved 13 December 2024.
22. "Why the successful trials of a desi carbine is such a big deal". India Today. 30 December 2020. Retrieved 13 December 2024.

External links

• JVPC-5.56 mm at the Wayback Machine (archived 11 December 2020)