Sri Lanka_ The establishment of a small arms ammunition manufacturing plant in Sri Lanka by the Sri Lankan Government has been a topic of discussion for many decades, with talks being held between state officials of different countries. However past efforts of tabling conversations around the idea of initiating domestic arms ammunition in the country have been proven unsuccessful for consecutive years.
Recently, the Government of Sri Lanka has been in discussion with India to initiate the proposed arms ammunition plant after several decades of failed attempts. A source in close relation to the project has revealed that many discussions between India and Sri Lanka have taken place, while delegations from both nations have made visits to the two countries in order to gain insight into the industrial process and ground situation of arms ammunition manufacture.
Speaking to a media source, the State Minister of Defense, Premitha Bandara Tennakoon admitted that discussions were being held to establish a small arms ammunition plant in the country but did not reveal the country that was reportedly collaborating in this effort.
“We are in the process of discussing establishing a small arms ammunition plant in Sri Lanka in 2024-’25. This has been a long-felt need. The Sri Lankan forces primarily use 7.62 mm ammunition for rifles and 9 mm for pistols. As such, the aim is to manufacture our small arms ammunition requirement domestically,” Minister Tennakoon stated.
As per the State Minister’s statement, 30-50 million rounds of ammunition are being imported by the Police and Armed Forces of Sri Lanka annually, for the purposes of training, qualifications, and maintaining proficiency.
The Armed Forces of Sri Lanka commonly use the Type 56 (T56) assault rifle, chambered for 7.62 x 39 mm cartridges, and a range of pistols chambered for 9 mm cartridges.
As Sri Lanka is at a nexus to develop the country by implementing a strategic framework to restructure all domains and areas of the island, the government has been seen reviewing its security and defense position, alongside experts recommended to strategize a report and national security policy. Therefore, the country awaits a restructuring of the armed forces and security paraphernalia following the recommendations laid out by the team of experts.
