Hubballi (Karnataka): A mechanical engineering graduate from Karnataka's Hubballi has come up with the country's first indigenous pistol. Addressing the media in Hubballi on Tuesday, Ankush Koravi, CEO of Astr Defence Private Limited, said that he will be showcasing the indigenously developed ATAL Modular Pistol at the Indian Pavilion of Defence Expo organized by the Ministry of Defence.
It is the world's safest and most portable pistol, said Ankush. The pistol is lightweight and features three magazine capacity (15,17,21 rounds) options. It is designed for two calibers, 9x19mm for use by the armed forces and 0.32 caliber for licensed civilians.
"This weapon is suitable for modern as well as local demands. It is an alternative to the old pistols currently in use and the overpriced imported pistols. This will increase the capacity of our armed forces, central armed police forces and state police forces," he said.
The 'DefExpo 2022', slated to be held in Gujarat's Gandhinagar from October 18-22, is set to be the first-ever edition exclusively for Indian companies. The ATAL pistol has fire control that can be changed according to the situation. It has a unique triple action mechanism which makes it useful for on-the-go and concealed use during duty.
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"A young man cannot easily manufacture defense sector materials especially when it comes to weapons. It has a lot of controls. However, without being disappointed at any stage, he has reached this stage with his courage. It has been prototyped for now. After the government and related authorities see and approve it, they will be able to prepare it," said retired army officer Major CS Anand.
With a dream to indigenously design an assault rifle for the Indian Army, Ankush started his research in 2018 when he was in final year of BE at KLE Technical University, Hubballi. After graduation, he founded Astr Defense Startup with support from KLE CTIE. Despite not having its own manufacturing setup, Astr Defense built its own assault rifles against all odds. It was exhibited at the Defence Expo in 2020 and test-fired the weapon at DGQA (Defence) firing range.
Recognizing the research capabilities of Astr Defence, the Department of Defense Production has given an opportunity to showcase the innovative products in DefExpo 2022.
