'Shining example': Indian Army replaces World War era grenades with multi-mode hand ones

Rajnath Singh said that it is an important milestone not only in the field of defence manufacturing but also in achieving 'AatmaNirbhar Bharat'.

Photo: PIB

New Delhi: The Indian Army on Tuesday (August 24, 2021) received the first batch of the Multi-Mode Hand Grenades (MMHG) in the presence of Defence Minister Rajnath Singh in Nagpur. The Ministry of Defence said that MMHG will replace 'Grenade No 36' of the World War I vintage design, which had been continuing in service to date.

The Multi-Mode Hand Grenades have been manufactured by Economic Explosives Limited (EEL) and during his address, Rajnath Singh termed the handing over of MMHG as a 'shining example' of the increasing collaboration between the public and private sectors. He also said that it is a big step towards self-reliance in defence manufacturing. 

"It is a memorable day in the history of the Indian defence sector. Our private industry is coming of age when it comes to defence production. It is an important milestone not only in the field of defence manufacturing but also in achieving 'AatmaNirbhar Bharat' as envisioned by our Prime Minister Narendra Modi," he said. 

Rajnath Singh also exuded confidence that soon the country will manufacture defence products not just for domestic use, but for the whole world.

He lauded DRDO & EEL for the speedy delivery of the order amidst COVID-19 restrictions and hoped for faster delivery of the next lot. 

Addressing the Handing Over Ceremony of Multi Mode Hand Grenade at EEL. Watch https://t.co/dXxPqt3c03 — Rajnath Singh (@rajnathsingh) August 24, 2021

This is to be noted that the first order has been delivered in five months. The EEL had signed a contract with the Ministry of Defence on October 1, 2020, to supply 10 lakh modern hand grenades for the Indian Army and Indian Air Force. The deliveries would be spread over two years from the bulk production clearance, which was accorded to EEL in March 2021. 

"The EEL had taken the technology from DRDO in 2016, absorbed it successfully while maintaining very high quality in detonics. Extensive trials were successfully undertaken by the Indian Army and Directorate General of Quality Assurance (DGQA) in 2017-18 in plains, deserts and high altitude over summer & winter," the Ministry of Defence said.

"The grenade is not just more lethal but is safer to use. It has a distinctive design that gives the flexibility of employment in both defensive (fragmentation) and offensive (stun) modes. It has a highly accurate delay time, very high reliability in usage and safe for carriage," the MoD added.