The Joint Venture Protective Carbine, also known as Modern Sub Machine Carbine prior to its name change in 2014, is an Indian submachine gun designed by the Armament Research and Development Establishment of DRDO, manufactured by the Ordnance Factory Board at Small Arms Factory, Kanpur and Ordnance Factory Tiruchirappalli. It was developed for the Indian Army, based on previous experience from the INSAS family of firearms. The MSMC was designed after the Indian Army's disappointment with the performance of the Amogh carbine, a carbine version of the Excalibur rifle. The MSMC was designed to rectify the shortcomings of previous developments. Through various trials and improvements, the ARDE came out with a grip-feeding, Uzi-like design that shortened the length of the weapon, making it more suitable for close quarters combat. Later its ergonomics were improved, boosting its export potential. The weapon is said to be capable of penetrating bullet-proof jackets. It was created as an offshoot of the INSAS small arms program.
History
The MSMC originates from a project to develop a carbine weapon based on the INSAS rifle. An INSAS carbine did not materialize, however, as the powerful rounds used in the INSAS rifle created excessive recoil for the smaller carbine. It was decided to develop a new lightweight carbine that can fit the requirements of various Indian security forces units. In 2002, the plan to create an INSAS carbine was discarded and instead, the Indian Army issued a General Staff Qualitative Requirement for a new submachine gun. The first trial was held in June 2006, another in late 2007 and finally one in January 2009. The MSMC was showcased during the defense exhibition Defexpo 2010. The weapon underwent further trials between April and June 2010. Among its major competitors is the IMI Tavor TAR-21, which is in service with some Indian special forces units including the MARCOS and the Garud Commando Force. There had been numerous delays in testing the MSMC for Indian Army trials, mostly due to the unclear requirements needed. The final version was provided to the Indian army for trials in August 2011 and the tests were supposed to last 7–8 months before induction into service. Trials pitted the weapon against the FN P90 and the HK MP7. The DRDO mentioned in a November 2013 newsletter that they reported user satisfaction during MSMC trial runs in 2013. The DRDO's Directorate of Quality, Reliability and Safety has been placed in charge of tracking the weapon's progress. 50 JVPCs are scheduled to be issued to user trials in 2016. The MSMC was unable to clear the Indian Army's requirements and DRDO and OFB jointly started development of a carbine from scratch called the JVPC which showed promise in the initial round of trials. The carbine was handed over to Rajanth Singh, the Home minister of India by Defense minister Nirmala Sitharaman in a ceremony in 2017, starting the user trials with Indian paramilitary forces. The CRPF was reportedly planning to conduct field tests on the JVPC in February 2018, calling it a Ghatak assault rifle.
Description
Following design from machine pistols like the Uzi, the MSMC has a pistol grip which allows the user to fire it even with one hand. This allows the insertion of 30-round MSMC magazines on the pistol grip. It has a retractable buttstock and ambidextrous cocking levers on both sides of the MSMC, alongside the fire selectors to suit individuals who prefer to fire the weapon from either the left or right shoulder located above the trigger. The MSMC has a rate of fire of around 800 rpm with a mass of less than 3 kilograms. It has an effective range of around 200 meters. It has a butt extracted length of 750 mm and a butt retracted length of 560 mm. It utilities the 5.56×30 mm caliber which fires at a muzzle velocity of 650 meters per second. It has a picatinny railing on the receiver to allow the installations of weapon sights like reflex sights with iron sights built into the railing. The weapon fires in a gas operated mode, utilizing rotary bolt locking and a gas piston. The MSMC can also be suppressed with the installation of a silencer. Like the Uzi, the MSMC is made of stamped sheet metal while having polymer housing. An unusual element in the design is the placement of the bayonet lug, located above the barrel just at the front of the receiver. A three-point sling is used to help carry the MSMC via shoulders. The first prototypes have a large trigger guard, but later versions had this removed and instead, had traditional trigger guards instead when they showcased in exhibitions in 2013. In 2014, the MSMC's buttstock length changed from 558 mm to 500 mm.
