Hyderabad-based engineering company Lokesh Machines has secured a ₹3.14 crore order from the Indian Army for the supply of 9 mm carbines. The order was placed by Headquarters Eastern Command of the Indian Army. The company disclosed the order in a regulatory filing on October 23, 2026.

The Indian Army's Northern Command placed the first order for the SMG-- 550 units for ₹4.26 crore in 2024. The latest order from Eastern Command indicates that the company's 9 mm weapons are also being procured for a second major operational command of the Army.

The order adds to Lokesh Machines' growing presence in India's small arms market. The company has been known for manufacturing machine tools and CNC machinery and has expanded into firearms manufacturing in recent years. Lokesh Machines has also secured orders from other central armed police forces. Assam Rifles placed a ₹6.30 crore order with the company in February 2026 for 9x19 mm carbines, along with accessories, spares and gauges. The Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) also placed a ₹9.50 crore order in March for 9x19 mm carbines and associated equipment.

Lokesh Machines produces the ASMI 9x19 mm submachine gun with inputs from the Defence Research and Development Organisation's Armament Research and Development Establishment and the Indian Army. The weapon is designed by a serving army officer Colonel Prasad Bansod and is the first indigenously designed 9x19 mm SMG to be inducted into service. The ASMI has been designed as a low-cost replacement to potentially replace all World War 2 era 9 mm Sterling carbines. Over 600,000 license-built Sterlings were produced at the Small Arms Factory, Kanpur, since the 1960s and most continue to remain in use in India with the various state police, paramilitaries and central police forces.  

The development comes as India continues to increase domestic production of small arms and reduce dependence on imported weapons and components. The repeated orders indicate an expanding market for domestically manufactured 9 mm carbines and submachine guns among India's military and security forces, and Indian alternatives to expensive imports like the Heckler & Koch MP5.

Savio Rodrigues

Savio Rodrigues is a Research Analyst at Escape Velocity MediaWorks Pvt Ltd and writes for Chakra News on Defence, Geopolitics, National Security. He holds a Master’s degree in International Relations from the University of Mumbai.