Kishan Reddy hails Hyderabad-made Ugram U-51 rifle entering CAPF service
Synopsis
Union Minister G. Kishan Reddy on 8 July 2026 spotlighted the Ugram U-51 assault rifle — built in 100 days by Hyderabad start-up Dvipa Defence — entering procurement by Central Armed Police Forces, marking a milestone in India's Atmanirbhar Bharat indigenisation drive.
Key Takeaways
Kishan Reddy announced on 8 July 2026 that the Ugram U-51 rifle by Dvipa Defence is under procurement by several Central Armed Police Forces .
The rifle was developed and manufactured in Hyderabad in approximately 100 days , according to Reddy's post.
The Ugram U-51 fires a 7.62 × 51 mm round, weighs 3.16 kg , and has an effective range of 500 metres .
The induction advances the Atmanirbhar Bharat agenda, which introduced defence negative import lists from August 2020 and set a domestic production target of Rs 1.75 lakh crore by 2025 .
Reddy first encountered Dvipa Defence at the International Police Expo approximately one year before the announcement.
Hyderabad is positioned as a key node in India's private-sector defence manufacturing cluster alongside DRDO and BEL facilities.
Union Coal and Mines Minister G. Kishan Reddy on Wednesday, 8 July 2026 highlighted the induction of the Ugram U-51 assault rifle — developed by Hyderabad-based defence start-up Dvipa Defence — into several Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs), calling it a milestone in India's push for self-reliance in defence manufacturing under the Atmanirbhar Bharat programme.
Context
Reddy, who also serves as BJP Telangana state president, recalled first encountering Dvipa Defence at the International Police Expo about a year ago. 'Proud to see that a rifle made in 100 days is now being inducted into the Police Forces,' he wrote, underlining the speed at which the start-up moved from concept to procurement-ready product.
The minister noted that Hyderabad has 'emerged as a globally recognised defence manufacturing hub,' a characterisation consistent with the city's growing cluster of private defence and aerospace firms alongside legacy institutions such as DRDO and BEL.
Policy Backdrop
The Ugram U-51's induction sits squarely within the framework of Atmanirbhar Bharat, launched in May 2020, which introduced negative import lists for defence equipment and gave priority to indigenously designed and manufactured systems. The Defence Production and Export Promotion Policy 2020 set a target of Rs 1.75 lakh crore in domestic defence production by 2025.
Since 2020, the government has progressively expanded the domestic procurement share of the defence budget while opening design and manufacturing to private-sector and start-up players. The extension of this indigenisation drive to CAPFs — which include the CRPF, BSF, CISF, ITBP and SSB and operate large inventories of 7.62 mm rifles — marks a significant broadening of the policy's reach beyond the armed forces.
Rifle Specifications
Reddy shared the technical profile of the Ugram U-51 in his post. The rifle fires a 7.62 × 51 mm round, has a firing range of 600 metres and an effective range of 500 metres. It weighs 3.16 kg, carries a 20-round magazine, and supports semi-automatic, single-shot and fully automatic firing modes.
The choice of the 7.62 × 51 mm calibre aligns with the existing small-arms inventory of several CAPFs, potentially simplifying logistics and ammunition supply chains for the forces adopting the platform.
Stakeholders and Impact
Dvipa Defence, described by the minister as an 'arms and ammunition manufacturing start-up,' represents the new generation of private defence firms that government policy has sought to nurture. Procurement by CAPFs — which collectively number in the hundreds of thousands of personnel — can provide a start-up with the scale needed to become commercially viable and internationally competitive.
For Hyderabad and Telangana, the recognition reinforces the state's positioning as a defence and aerospace destination, a priority that successive state administrations have pursued through industrial incentives and infrastructure investment.
What's Next
Attention will now turn to the outcome of forthcoming CAPF tender processes for assault rifles and whether additional indigenous platforms receive clearance for induction at upcoming defence expos or through parliamentary defence procurement announcements. The Ugram U-51's performance in field evaluations by the procuring forces will be a key indicator of how deeply private-sector indigenisation can penetrate India's paramilitary small-arms market.
Point of View
Who leads the BJP in the state, is keen to associate Hyderabad's manufacturing rise with the Modi government's Atmanirbhar Bharat framework. The extension of indigenisation to CAPFs is strategically significant: these forces represent a large, steady procurement market that can give private start-ups the commercial runway that sporadic armed-forces contracts cannot. The 100-day development narrative, if borne out by independent evaluation, would signal a maturing private defence ecosystem capable of rapid iteration — a capability India has historically lacked. Observers will watch whether this becomes a template for fast-tracking other indigenous small-arms platforms into paramilitary service.
NationPress
8 Jul 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Ugram U-51 assault rifle?
The Ugram U-51 is an assault rifle developed and manufactured by Hyderabad-based start-up Dvipa Defence. It fires a 7.62 × 51 mm round, weighs 3.16 kg, has an effective range of 500 metres, and supports semi-automatic, single-shot and automatic firing modes.
Which forces are procuring the Ugram U-51?
According to Union Minister G. Kishan Reddy's post on 8 July 2026, several Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) are in the process of procuring the Ugram U-51 rifle.
What is Dvipa Defence?
Dvipa Defence is a Hyderabad-based arms and ammunition manufacturing start-up. Minister Kishan Reddy said he first encountered the company at the International Police Expo approximately a year before the rifle's CAPF induction announcement.
How does the Ugram U-51 fit into Atmanirbhar Bharat?
Atmanirbhar Bharat, launched in May 2020, introduced negative import lists for defence equipment and prioritised indigenous manufacturing. The Ugram U-51's procurement by CAPFs is a direct outcome of this policy, extending indigenisation from the armed forces to paramilitary organisations.
Why is Hyderabad significant for India's defence manufacturing?
Hyderabad hosts a cluster of private defence and aerospace firms alongside DRDO laboratories and BEL facilities. Union Minister Kishan Reddy described it as a 'globally recognised defence manufacturing hub,' and successive policy incentives have reinforced its role in India's indigenisation drive.
