The decision, which could save money in foreign exchange and boost local manufacture, was made by the former Chief of Army Staff, General Dalbir Singh Suhag.

[9] In October 2017, the MCIWS procurement was superseded by an Army process to acquire around 7 lakh 7.62mm calibre rifles.

[citation needed] The MCIWS is configured to fire in 5.56×45mm NATO, 7.62×39mm and in 6.8mm Remington SPC.

[10] The design would allow soldiers to configure it according to the needs of the missions by changing rifle barrels.

[5] The MCIWS uses a gas-operated short stroke piston design, and uses 30-round plastic-type magazines.