SSS Defence

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]

Stumpp Schuele & Somappa Defence

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

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.^[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]

Products and facilities

Products

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.^[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. The company also received the contract of ammunition from several countries. The sum of these deal is around $50 million.^[11][12]

• 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).^[9][10]
• Saber is a sniper rifle chambered for .338 Lapua Magnum. Its length and height can be adjusted at its butt stock.^[13] It has a range of around 1,500 metres (4,900 ft).^[9] 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.^[13]

Assault rifles

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.^[14]

• 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.^[15]
• P-72 Recon Carbine is a short, gas piston-operated weapon chambered for 7.62×39mm or 5.56×45mm cartridges.^[3][15]
• 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).^[15]

Facilities

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.^[16]

The firm has established a joint venture with Companhia Brasileira de Cartuchos for this purpose.^[17] This facility will produce ammunition, including 12.7mm, 9mm, 7.62×51mm, 7.62×39mm and .338 Lapua Magnum.^[10]

References

1. "SSS Defence | OUR COMPANY".
2. "Mired in red tape". India Today. 8 November 2020. Retrieved 7 November 2024.
3. "SSS Defence | Home". www.sssdefence.com. Retrieved 7 February 2020.
4. "We create weapons with attributes that foreign ones lack, says CEO of startup behind India's first sniper rifles". CNBC TV18. 7 February 2020. Retrieved 7 February 2020.
5. 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.
6. "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.
7. Livefist, Team (31 October 2021). "Beating Israeli Contender, Indian Co To Upgrade Army's AK-47". Livefist Defence. Retrieved 1 November 2021.
8. 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.
9. "Bangalore: In a 1st, Bengaluru firm designs, develops two sniper rifles". The Times of India. 13 September 2019. Retrieved 4 November 2019.
10. "DefExpo-2020: Made in India Viper and Sabre snipers! Check details". The Financial Express. 30 January 2020. Retrieved 11 February 2020.
11. "India becomes exporter of sniper rifles, Bengaluru firm bags mega contract from friendly nation". ThePrint. 9 July 2024. Retrieved 9 July 2024.
12. "India Becomes Exporter of Sniper Rifles For The First Time As Bengaluru Firm Bags International Contract". News18. Retrieved 10 July 2024.
13. "Defexpo 2020: SSS Defence displays new sniper rifles". Jane's Defence Weekly. 5 February 2020. Archived from the original on 8 February 2020. Retrieved 7 February 2020.
14. "AK 203 vs P-72: Is Army Against Indigenous Weapons? »". DefenceXP - Indian Defence Network. 27 August 2021. Retrieved 9 May 2022.
15. "SSS Defence » New leader in Indian private sector defence manufacturing". DefenceXP - Indian Defence Network. 15 September 2020. Retrieved 9 May 2022.
16. Vaishnav, Ajay (7 February 2020). "Defence Expo 2020: Bengaluru startup builds India's first indigenous sniper rifle prototypes". CNBC TV18. Retrieved 8 February 2020.
17. "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.