JVPC
- Category
- Personal Defense Weapon
- Barrel
- 300 mm
- Weight, empty
- 2.98 kg
- Introduced
- 2014
About
What it is, and why it matters
The JVPC (Joint Venture Protective Carbine) is an Indian select-fire personal defense weapon designed by the Armament Research and Development Establishment (ARDE), a laboratory of the DRDO, and produced by the Ordnance Factory Board. Chambered in the indigenous 5.56x30mm MINSAS round, it is a compact, gas-operated weapon with a long-stroke piston and a Kalashnikov-derived rotating bolt, fed by a 30-round magazine inserted through the pistol grip in an Uzi-like layout that allows single-hand firing. Originally developed under the designation MSMC (Modern Sub Machine Carbine) and renamed around 2014, the JVPC was conceived as a replacement for the Cold War-era Sterling submachine gun in Indian service. It features a collapsing buttstock, low recoil, multiple Picatinny rails for reflex, IR and laser sights, and a cyclic rate of fire of more than 700 rounds per minute. After protracted trials between 2016 and 2021 it cleared Army and Ministry of Home Affairs evaluations and entered service with several Indian paramilitary and police forces.
The JVPC began life as DRDO-ARDE's 'Modern Sub Machine Carbine,' built around the unusual home-grown 5.56x30mm MINSAS cartridge and a layout that feeds its magazine straight through the pistol grip so it can be fired one-handed. Renamed the Joint Venture Protective Carbine around 2014, it beat the competing OFB Amogh carbine in trials and now serves Indian paramilitary units fighting Naxalite insurgents.
The JVPC and MSMC are the same weapon under different designations; 'MSMC' was the original development name and 'Joint Venture Protective Carbine' reflects its intended close-protection role. Source figures vary on rate of fire (700 rpm official, 800-900 rpm in some secondary sources) and effective range (official phrasing 'more than 100 m' versus 200-300 m in secondary reporting). Post-OFB-restructure production was assigned to Advanced Weapons and Equipment India Limited (AWEIL); ammunition is made by Ammunition Factory Khadki, Pune.
Specification
Everything measured
IdentityWhat it is, who built it and when.
- Manufacturer
- Ordnance Factory Board
- Category
- Personal Defense Weapon
- Country
- India
- Status
- Limited production
- Produced
- 2014
DimensionsAs issued, without a magazine or an optic.
- Barrel
- 300 mm
- Overall length
- 745 mm
- Weight, empty
- 2.98 kg
ActionHow it cycles, what trips it, and what feeds it.
- Action
- Gas operated long stroke
- Firing mechanism
- Rotating bolt
- Trigger
- Select fire
- Capacity
- 30
- Magazine
- Detachable box
MaterialsEach swatch is the material itself, not a colour chosen to stand for it.
- Frame
- Polymer
- Barrel
- Steel
- Stock
- Polymer
BallisticsFrom the service cartridge, not a handload.
- Muzzle velocity
- 650 m/s
- Muzzle energy
- 550 J
- Effective range
- 200 m
- Rate of fire
- 700 rpm
Trajectory
What the round does downrange
Solved from the muzzle figures and the bullet. The dashed rule is the effective range on the record, and the crosses are the steps the solver returned.
No load solved for this record yetThe flight path is computed from a cartridge and a bullet. This record has no ammunition filed against its chambering, so there is nothing to solve.
Features
What it has
What the record lists as fitted, drawn from the catalogue.
Select fire
Collapsing stock
Magazine through grip
Picatinny rails
Low recoil- Single hand firing
Iron sights
Optic compatible
Standing
How it compares
Each figure against the firearms of the same type and cartridge that record it, or of the same type where that cartridge has too few. Positions are read to the nearest tenth.
| Measurement | This firearm | Median | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| Empty weightAmong 54 personal defense weapons | 2.98 kg | 2.23 kg | Heavier than about 80% |
| Overall lengthAmong 53 personal defense weapons | 745 mm | 582 mm | Longer than about 90% |
| Barrel lengthAmong 55 personal defense weapons | 300 mm | 168 mm | Longer than about 90% |
| Magazine capacityAmong 57 personal defense weapons | 30 | 30 | Holds more rounds than about 70% |
Answers
Questions about the JVPC
How much does the JVPC weigh?
The JVPC weighs 2.98 kg (6.57 lb) empty.
What caliber is the JVPC?
The JVPC is chambered in 5.56x30mm MINSAS.
How many rounds does the JVPC hold?
The JVPC holds 30 rounds, fed from a detachable box magazine.
How long is the JVPC?
The JVPC is 745 mm (29.3 in) long overall, with a 300 mm (11.81 in) barrel.
Who makes the JVPC?
The JVPC is made by Ordnance Factory Board (India).
When was the JVPC introduced?
The JVPC was introduced in 2014.
How does the JVPC operate?
The JVPC uses a gas operated long stroke action, and its firing mechanism is rotating bolt.
Compatibility
Which parts fit this firearm
Studio
Every part that mounts on this, resolved
Not a list the maker typed out: the answer comes from the mounts this firearm exposes and the interface each part needs, so it stays right when either one changes.
- Every part that mounts on any firearm in the catalogue
- Interface standards, platforms and fit overrides
- The same answers through the API and the MCP server
Requires a signed-in GunSpec account on the Studio plan. The answer is computed per part, so it is not part of the public record.
Provenance
What the record holds
Every figure above was taken from one of these pages. The confidence reflects how much of the record came from a page a claim can be checked against.
In service
- Central Industrial Security Force
- 2019
- Delhi Police
- India
- Central Reserve Police Force
- India
Provenance
Confidence in this record
68%
Stockists
Where to buy
Offers link straight to the shop. GunSpec never takes the order.
No shop has listed this firearm yet
Stock and prices come from the shops themselves. If you sell this firearm, you can list it and it appears here.
List a firearmMCP
Ask an assistant about it
The same record, reached the way a person asks for it rather than the way a program does.
Ask GunSpec
Works with
Point an MCP client at GunSpec and it answers from the catalogue rather than from memory. A free key covers the read tools.
API
The call that returns this record
The same fields, in the same units, from the same endpoint the page reads.
curl --request GET \ --url 'https://api.gunspec.io/v1/firearms/india-jvpc' \ --header 'X-API-Key: your_key'{ "id": "india-jvpc", "name": "JVPC", "manufacturer": { "id": "ofb", "name": "Ordnance Factory Board", "countryCode": "IN", "foundedYear": 1801, "website": "https://ddpdoo.gov.in", "logoUrl": null, "description": null, "status": null, "defunctYear": null, "stateOwned": null, "makesFirearms": null, "parentId": null, "predecessorId": null, "createdAt": "2026-02-18 03:40:45", "updatedAt": "2026-02-18 03:40:45", "version": "d58d313a90113a96514798866a97c2292f5297923579daab68ccc7924f6635b1" }, "category": { "id": "personal-defense-weapon", "name": "Personal Defense Weapon", "description": "Compact firearms designed for non-frontline military personnel" }, "country_of_origin": "IN", "year_introduced": 2014, "barrel_length_mm": 300, "weight_empty_g": 2980, "action_type": "gas_operated_long_stroke"}