Here’s the story of a Kanpur-based company that helped Indian Army in Kargil

While everyone knows that it was the strength and valour of Indian Army that helped us win the Kargil War, the contribution of a little-known company in Kanpur can’t be ignored.

After all, no army can win a fight without its defence equipments, and this Kanpur-based company, which now calls itself as one of the biggest arms exporter in India, played a crucial role in providing Indian Army what was required.

Take for example the requirement of small-sized mountain shoes, which the Gorkha regiment, known for their mountain-climbing abilities, required to take part in a mission. While no other company could commit to the huge order because of lack of time, MKU got the emergency order of 10,000 mountaineering boots, even though it had a monthly capacity of 8,000 units at that time.

"As the soldiers were being moved to the battle front, we completed the order working day and night before the start of attack. The order was the turning point for our company and our efforts were very much appreciated by the Army after the war," said MKU MD Neeraj Gupta.

Since then, MKU has come a long way, and now manufactures a wide range of defence products including bullet-proof helmets and jackets, body armours and night-vision devices, supplying military equipment to more than 100 countries. It has also set up a manufacturing and testing facility in Germany, other than having three local units in Kanpur and Fatehpur.