MSMC
Ordnance Factory Board · Submachine Gun · Prototype · 2010
Also known as: Modern Sub Machine Carbine, JVPC, Joint Venture Protective Carbine
Overview
The MSMC (Modern Sub Machine Carbine) is an Indian select-fire submachine gun designed by the Armament Research and Development Establishment (ARDE) of the DRDO and produced by the Ordnance Factory Board. Chambered in the indigenous 5.56x30mm MINSAS cartridge, it is a compact, gas-operated weapon using a long-stroke piston and a Kalashnikov-derived rotating bolt, with its 30-round box magazine inserted through the pistol grip in a semi-bullpup feed layout that permits single-hand firing. Developed from the INSAS small-arms program as a replacement for the ageing 9mm Sterling submachine gun, the MSMC features a retractable buttstock, low recoil, multiple Picatinny rails and a cyclic rate of fire of around 800-900 rounds per minute. It was later renamed the Joint Venture Protective Carbine (JVPC). Despite repeated successful trials between 2016 and 2021 and adoption clearances for several paramilitary and police forces, the weapon stalled short of broad frontline fielding.
Specifications
| Weight (empty) | 2980 g (105.1 oz) |
| Overall Length | 745 mm (29.33") |
| Folded Length | 552 mm (21.73") |
| Barrel Length | 300 mm (11.81") |
| Action Type | Gas Operated Long Stroke |
| Firing Mechanism | Rotating Bolt |
| Trigger Type | Select Fire |
| Magazine Capacity | 30 rounds |
| Magazine Type | Detachable Box |
| Muzzle Velocity | 650 m/s (2133 fps) |
| Muzzle Energy | 550 J (406 ft·lbf) |
| Effective Range | 200 m (219 yd) |
| Rate of Fire | 850 rpm |
| Barrel Rifling | Right Hand |
| Frame Material | Polymer |
| Barrel Material | Steel |
| Stock Material | Polymer |
Calibers
- 5.56x30mm MINSAS · primary — also known as 5.56x30 MINSAS, 5.56x30mm, Mini-INSAS
Features
- Firing modes: Semi Automatic, Full Automatic
- Feed systems: Detachable Box Magazine
- Safety mechanisms: Fire Selector, Manual Safety
- Features: Select Fire, Collapsing Stock, Magazine Through Grip, Picatinny Rails, Low Recoil, Single Hand Firing, Iron Sights, Optic Compatible
Variants
- JVPC — Redesignation
Service history
Operators
- Special Protection Group · adopted 2019
- Central Industrial Security Force
Production
Production years: 2010-present
Remained largely in trials and limited adoption; no firm production total documented.
Origin
Country of origin: India
Notes
The MSMC and JVPC are the same weapon; 'MSMC' is the original development designation and 'JVPC' the post-2014 rename. Source figures for muzzle velocity range from 650 m/s (weapon, 300 mm barrel) to a higher theoretical cartridge ceiling near 900 m/s; 650 m/s is the figure for the weapon. The MSMC also achieved pop-culture recognition as a featured weapon in Call of Duty: Black Ops II.
Background
Designed by DRDO's ARDE to retire India's Cold War-era Sterling submachine gun, the MSMC pairs an AK-style rotating bolt with a semi-bullpup, magazine-through-grip layout around the home-grown 5.56x30mm MINSAS round. It beat the competing OFB Amogh carbine in trials and gained worldwide pop-culture fame as the 'MSMC' in Call of Duty: Black Ops II.