 | |
| Company type | Subsidiary |
|---|---|
| Industry | Defense |
| Founded | 2017[1] |
| Headquarters | Bengaluru, India |
| Products | Firearms, weapon |
| Revenue | unknown |
| Parent | Stumpp Schuele & Somappa Springs |
| Website | sssdefence.com |
Stumpp Schuele & Somappa Defence[2] (SSS Defence)[3] 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.[4]
History
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.[5] 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.[6] It became the first private Indian firm to have developed sniper rifles when it’s Viper and Saber rifles were released.[7]
In October 2021, the firm received an order to upgrade some of Indian army's AK-47 rifles to special operations standard.[8] This was the first time a private Indian company received a firearms order.[9]
In July 2024, the company secured the first export contract to a friendly foreign nation, though how many Saber sniper rifles were ordered remains unknown.[10][11] The company also received the contract of ammunition from several countries.[12] The sum of these deals is around $50 million.[12]
In March 2025, SSS Defence won a contract to provide the Manohar M72 carbine to the Uttar Pradesh Police with 2,000 M72s.[13] In the same month, the company unveiled a submachine gun chambered in 9mm Parabellum and a DMR.[14] In August 2025, the company released the Raptor, which is an assault rifle chambered in .300 Blackout.[15]
In September 2025, a friendly nation placed additional orders for the company's .338 Lapua Magnum caliber sniper weapon. Additionally, it has a $30 million contract that is now being carried out for the supply of 7.62×51mm rounds.[16] The company won a deal in December to equip the National Security Guard with 500 units of G72 9x19 mm carbines and accessories, which is expected to cost ₹50 million.[17][18]
On 21 February 2026, SSS Defence announced its "firm decision" to bid in the Project Grayburn competition. The project, which is still in concept stage, aims to replace the current service rifle family of the British Army, the SA80 series, with a new one. The next generation family will consist of five distinct variants with an order of over 2 lakh rifles. The contract period spans 17 years between 1 April 2028 and 31 March 2045.[19][20]
Products and facilities
Pistols
- G72-P
Submachine Guns
- G72
Sniper rifles
SSS Defence has developed two sniper rifles and plans to offer them for trials to Indian special forces, being the Viper and the Saber.[21] SSS Defence says that these rifles have been designed to be compatible with the body structures of Indian soldiers.[22]
- Viper is a sub-MOA sniper rifle chambered for 7.62×51mm or .308 cartridges. It has a proven range of more than 1,000 metres (3,300 ft).[21][22]
- Saber is a sniper rifle chambered for .338 Lapua Magnum. Its length and height can be adjusted at its butt stock.[2] It has a range of around 1,500 metres (4,900 ft).[21] The picatinny rail system on the rifle has a MIL-STD-1913 rail at a total of 4 positions. It has a weight of around 7 kilograms. When fully equipped with accessories, the Sabre weighs around 9 kilograms. The rifle has an ambidextrous magazine release. It can be equipped with three different types of barrels with lengths of 24, 26, and 27 inches respectively, its RH Twist being 1:11.25". The receiver system of the rifle is made up of aluminium alloy and the surface of the receiver is coated with cerakote and black oxide.[2]
- T72 DMR/Battle Rifle
Assault rifles
The company has also developed the P-72 family of rifles, with design philosophy similar to the ACR, FN Scar, and the CZ Bren 2.[23]
- P-72 Rapid Engagement Combat Rifle (RECR) was designed for general infantry and special operations environments. It is chambered for 7.62×39mm or 7.62×51mm.[24]
- P-72 Recon Carbine is a short, gas piston-operated weapon chambered for 7.62×39mm or 5.56×45mm cartridges.[24]
- P-72 Designated Marksman Rifle (DMR) comes in both 7.62×51mm and 7.62×39mm. This provides a range of around 800 metres (2,600 ft).[24]
- Manohar 72 (M72) carbine.[25]
Facilities
SSS Defence is projected to become the second Indian company to operate a small arms manufacturing facility by the end of 2020.[6] This facility will eventually be capable of producing 80,000 arms per year, starting with an initial 15,000 per year.[22] By 2021, it also plans to operationalise an ammunition manufacturing in Anantapur, Andhra Pradesh.[26]
The firm has established a joint venture with Companhia Brasileira de Cartuchos for this purpose.[27] This facility will produce ammunition, including 12.7mm, 9mm, 7.62×51mm, 7.62×39mm and .338 Lapua Magnum.[22]
References
- ^ "SSS Defence | Our Company".
- ^ a b c Dhingra, Jayesh (5 February 2020). "Defexpo 2020: SSS Defence displays new sniper rifles". Jane's Defence Weekly. Archived from the original on 8 February 2020. Retrieved 7 February 2020.
- ^ Unnithan, Sandeep (8 November 2020). "Mired in red tape". India Today. Retrieved 7 November 2024.
- ^ "SSS Defence: Indigenous OEM In The Rapidly Growing Defense Industry Of India". theindustryoutlook.com. Retrieved 22 December 2025.
- ^ Vaishnav, Ajay (7 February 2020). "We create weapons with attributes that foreign ones lack, says CEO of startup behind India's first sniper rifles". CNBC TV18. Retrieved 7 February 2020.
- ^ a b Manghat, Sajeet (8 February 2020). "Defence Expo 2020: This Startup And A 30-Year-Old Firm Have One Thing In Common". BloombergQuint. Retrieved 8 February 2020.
- ^ "In a first, two indigenous sniper rifles developed by Bengaluru-based firm". Asian News International. 14 October 2019. Retrieved 4 November 2019 – via India Today.
- ^ Philip, Snehesh Alex (31 October 2021). "Bengaluru's SSS Defence beats Israeli firm, will be first from India to upgrade Army's AK-47s". ThePrint. Retrieved 1 November 2021.
- ^ "Beating Israeli Contender, Indian Co To Upgrade Army's AK-47". Livefist Defence. 31 October 2021. Retrieved 1 November 2021.
- ^ Philip, Snehesh Alex (9 July 2024). "India becomes exporter of sniper rifles, Bengaluru firm bags mega contract from friendly nation". ThePrint. Retrieved 22 December 2025.
- ^ Linganna, Girish (11 July 2024). "Indigenous Sniper Rifle: The Sabre Propels India's Self-Reliance In Defence – Analysis". Eurasia Review. Archived from the original on 13 July 2024. Retrieved 22 December 2025.
- ^ a b Pal, Pragati (9 July 2024). "India Becomes Exporter of Sniper Rifles For The First Time As Bengaluru Firm Bags International Contract". News18. Retrieved 10 July 2024.
- ^ "भारत की M72 मात्र ₹93000 में, कैसे इन 4 हाई-टेक बंदूकों को पछाड़ती है ये देसी राइफल?". Zee News Hindi (in Hindi). 17 March 2025. Retrieved 22 December 2025.
- ^ "SSS Defence Launches Indigenous Submachine Gun and DMR". imrmedia.in. Indian Military Review. 7 March 2025. Retrieved 22 December 2025.
- ^ "SSS Defence Launches A New Indigenous Raptor Assault Rifle For Indian Special Forces". indiandefensenews.in. 8 August 2025. Retrieved 22 December 2025.
- ^ Philip, Snehesh Alex (8 September 2025). "SSS Defence gets additional order from friendly nation for sniper rifles, $30 mn worth ammunition". ThePrint. Retrieved 22 December 2025.
- ^ Kumar, A. (22 December 2025). "NSG Places First Operational Order for 500 G72s SMGs from SSS Defence". The Defense News. Retrieved 22 December 2025.
- ^ "SSS Defence Secures L1 Status For NSG's 500 9×19mm Carbines". indiandefensenews.in. 22 December 2025. Retrieved 22 December 2025.
- ^ Pant, Vaibhav (22 February 2026). "In a first, Indian small arms maker to bid for UK Project Grayburn to replace British Army's SA80 rifles". ThePrint. Retrieved 22 February 2026.
- ^ @sssdefence (21 February 2026). "We have taken a firm decision to pursue participation in the UK MoD's Project Grayburn..." (Tweet). Retrieved 22 February 2026 – via Twitter.
- ^ a b c Kumar, Chethan (13 September 2019). "Bangalore: In a 1st, Bengaluru firm designs, develops two sniper rifles". The Times of India. Retrieved 4 November 2019.
- ^ a b c d Siddiqui, Huma (30 January 2020). "DefExpo-2020: Made in India Viper and Sabre snipers! Check details". The Financial Express. Retrieved 11 February 2020.
- ^ Deb, Sheershoo (27 August 2021). "AK 203 vs P-72: Is Army Against Indigenous Weapons? »". DefenceXP - Indian Defence Network. Retrieved 9 May 2022.
- ^ a b c Gore, Prasad (15 September 2020). "SSS Defence » New leader in Indian private sector defence manufacturing". DefenceXP - Indian Defence Network. Retrieved 9 May 2022.
- ^ "नेता के नाम पर बंदूक! भारत में बनी देसी M72 राइफल, खासियत ऐसी कि भूल जाएंगे AK-47". Zee News Hindi (in Hindi). 16 March 2025. Retrieved 22 December 2025.
- ^ Vaishnav, Ajay (7 February 2020). "Defence Expo 2020: Bengaluru startup builds India's first indigenous sniper rifle prototypes". CNBC TV18. Retrieved 8 February 2020.
- ^ "Rs 1,020 crore arms factory to come up in Anantapur". The New Indian Express. 1 January 2019. Archived from the original on 17 July 2019. Retrieved 9 February 2020.
