Inspired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s clarion call for an Aatmanirbhar Bharat, Ammunition Factory Khadki, Pune, wrote a new chapter on self-reliance and indigenisation of 40mm Under Barrel Grenade Launcher (UBGL) ammunition production on 11 August 2020 by sending the first consignment to Border Security Force. This ammunition is fired from a launcher fitted under the barrel of 5.56 mm Rifle (INSAS). The advantages of 40 mm UBGL ammunition vis-à-vis traditional hand grenade are:
1)It is light weight
2)Range is 400m in place of 30m of hand grenade.
3)It can be fired by same equipment by the soldier.
4)It is also a very safe ammunition for carrying by soldiers.
There are four varieties of this ammunition:
a)40 mm UBGL (Practice)
b)40 mm UBGL (HEAP)
c)40 mm UBGL (HEDP
d) 40 mm UBGL (RP)
40 mm UBGL ammunition is designed and manufac – tured by Ammunition Factory, Khadki with the components sourced from Indian industries. This ammunition has been imported by Army and Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) units. Thus, there was a perceived need to indigenise the design and manufacture the said ammunition.
M.K. Mohapatra, Sr General Manager, Ammunition Factory, Khadki had handed over the inspection note of the 40 mm UBGL (Practice) manufactured at AFK to BSF DIG Ashok Kumar Jha on 4 August 2020. Hari Mohan, DGOF & Chairman, Ordnance Factory Board, and M.K. Mohapatra, Sr GM Ammunition Factory, Khadki flagged off the first consignment of 40 mm UBGL (Practice) to BSF in the presence of Senior Officers of OFB, AFK and Members of JCM, works committee and unions &associations on 11 August 20.
With this event, Ammunition Factory Khadki joined the national endeavour to make India self-reliant in direction of defence production and save valuable foreign exchanges by way of import substitution.