 | |
| Company type | Subsidiary |
|---|---|
| Industry | Defense |
| Founded | 2017 [1] |
| Headquarters | Bengaluru, India |
| Products | Firearms, weapon |
| Revenue | unknown |
| Parent | Stumpp Schuele & Somappa Springs |
| Website | www.sssdefence.com |
Stumpp Schuele & Somappa Defence (SSS Defence) [2] is an Indian company that deals in military small arms sectors. It is a subsidiary of Stumpp Schuele & Somappa Springs. Its current focus area is small arms, ammunition and accessories related to small arms. [3]
In 2016, Stumpp Schuele & Somappa Springs, the biggest Indian manufacturer of springs, started deliberating on ways to diversify its business. This led to the creation of SSS Defence. [4] This foray into the business of small arms and ammunition was primarily targeted onto the foreign markets located in Asia, apart from those in India. [5] It became the first private Indian firm to have developed sniper rifles when it’s Viper and Saber rifles were released. [6]
In October 2021, the firm received an order to upgrade some of Indian army's AK-47 rifles to special operations standard. This was the first time a private Indian company received a firearms order. [7] [8]
SSS Defence has developed two sniper rifles and plans to offer them for trials to Indian special forces, being the Viper and the Saber. [9] SSS Defence says that these rifles have been designed to be compatible with the body structures of Indian soldiers. [10] In July 2024, the company secured the first export contract to a friendly foreign nation, though the product remains unknown. [11]
The company has also developed the P-72 family of rifles, with design philosophy similar to the ACR, FN Scar, and Czech CZ Bren 2 Family. [13]
SSS Defence is projected to become the second Indian company to operate a small arms manufacturing facility by the end of 2020. [5] This facility will eventually be capable of producing 80,000 arms per year, starting with an initial 15,000 per year. [10] By 2021, it also plans to operationalise an ammunition manufacturing in Anantapur, Andhra Pradesh. [15]
The firm has established a joint venture with Companhia Brasileira de Cartuchos for this purpose. [16] This facility will produce ammunition, including 12.7mm, 9mm, 7.62×51mm, 7.62×39mm and .338 Lapua Magnum. [10]
The 7.62 mm caliber is a nominal caliber used for a number of different cartridges. Historically, this class of cartridge was commonly known as .30 caliber, the equivalent in Imperial and United States Customary measures. It is most commonly used in hunting cartridges. The measurement equals 0.30 inches or three decimal lines, written .3″ and read as three-line.
The SVD, GRAU index 6V1, is a semi-automatic designated marksman rifle/sniper rifle chambered in the 7.62×54mmR cartridge, developed in the Soviet Union.
A designated marksman (DM), squad advanced marksman (AD) or squad designated marksman (SDM) is a military marksman role in an infantry squad. The term sniper was used in Soviet doctrine although the soldiers using the Dragunov SVD were the first to use a specifically designed designated marksman rifle. The analogous role in the Israel Defense Forces is sharpshooter.
The .338 Lapua Magnum is a Finnish rimless, bottlenecked, centerfire rifle cartridge. It was developed during the 1980s as a high-powered, long-range cartridge for military snipers. Due to its use in the War in Afghanistan and the Iraq War, the cartridge has become widely available.
The AK-103 is an assault rifle designed by Russian small arms designer Mikhail Kalashnikov.
The INSAS, or Indian Small Arms System, is a family of infantry arms consisting of an assault rifle and a light machine gun (LMG). These weapons were developed in India by the Armament Research and Development Establishment and manufactured by the Ordnance Factories Board at its various factories. It was the standard infantry weapon of the Indian Armed Forces for almost three decades.
A designated marksman rifle (DMR) is a modern scoped high-precision rifle used by infantry in the designated marksman (DM) role. It generally fills the engagement range gap between a service rifle and a dedicated sniper rifle, at around 300–600 metres (330–660 yd).
The Pakistan Ordnance Factories (POF) is a major firearms and a defence contractor headquartered in Wah Cantt, Punjab, Pakistan. Described as "the largest defence industrial complex under the Ministry of Defence Production, producing conventional arms and ammunition to the international standards" by the Government of Pakistan.
The 6.5mm Grendel is an intermediate cartridge jointly designed by British-American armorer Bill Alexander, competitive shooter Arne Brennan and Lapua ballistician Janne Pohjoispää, as a low-recoil, high-precision rifle cartridge specifically for the AR-15 platform at medium/long range. It is an improved variation of the 6.5mm PPC.
The Sako TRG is a bolt-action sniper rifle line designed and manufactured by Finnish firearms manufacturer SAKO of Riihimäki. It is the successor to the SAKO TR-6 target rifle, and thus the letter G within the rifle's name is meant to represent number 7.
An intermediate cartridge is a rifle/carbine cartridge that has significantly greater power than a pistol cartridge but still has a reduced muzzle energy compared to fully powered cartridges, and therefore is regarded as being "intermediate" between traditional rifle and handgun cartridges.
The 6.5mm Creedmoor (6.5×48mm), designated 6.5 Creedmoor by SAAMI, 6,5 Creedmoor by the C.I.P. or 6.5 CM or 6.5 CRDMR for short, is a centerfire rifle cartridge introduced by Hornady in 2007. It was developed by Hornady senior ballistics scientist Dave Emary in partnership with Dennis DeMille, the vice-president of product development at Creedmoor Sports, hence the name. The cartridge is a necked-down modification of the .30 Thompson Center.
The .338 Norma Magnum is a cartridge first introduced in 2008 and came into production in 2009, designed by Norma of Sweden.
A rifle cartridge is a firearm cartridge primarily designed and intended for use in a rifle/carbine, or machine gun.
The 7.62×51mm NATO is a rimless, straight walled, bottlenecked rifle cartridge. It is a standard for small arms among NATO countries.
The Pindad SPR is a family of sniper rifles made by Pindad. The gun allows the shooter to adjust the height of the position and stability by regulating the bipod of the rifle located on the bottom front of the handguard.
Machani Somappa was an Indian industrialist, educationist, social worker and the founder of Machani Somappa group of companies. Born in 1904 at Yemmiganur in Kurnool district of the Madras Presidency, Somappa came to the fore during the famine of 1934 when he opened a relief centre for the famine hit weavers of his area and founded a cooperative society for the weavers, Yemmiganur Weavers Cooperative Society (YWCS), in 1938. Two years later, he set up the Machani Group and the business group has grown since 1940 to have interests in manufacturing, engineering, transport, agriculture, Information technology, energy, rural BPO, and retail brands. In 1960, he established Stumpp, Schuele and Somappa, a joint venture with renowned German spring manufacturers, Stumpp + Schuele. He had presence in educational field with the school he founded, Machani Somappa English Medium High School, in 1978. The Government of India honoured him in 1954, with the award of Padma Shri, the fourth highest Indian civilian award for his contributions to the society, placing him among the first recipients of the award.
Indo-Russia Rifles Private Limited (IRRPL) is a rifle-manufacturing facility in Korwa, Amethi district in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. Founded in 2019, the factory is manufacturing the AK-200 variant of the Kalashnikov family of rifles.