COBRA ( COmmando Battalion for Resolute Action)

COBRA (backronym for COmmando Battalion for Resolute Action) is a specialised unit of the CRPF created to counter the Naxalite problem in India.This specialised CRPF unit is one of the only units of the Central Armed Police Forces in the country who are specifically trained in guerilla warfare. This elite fighting unit has been trained to track, hunt and eliminate small Naxalite groups.

Cobra is the best-equipped paramilitary unit in the country, set up with a grant of 1300 crore (13 thousand million or 13 Billion  from the Central government.They have been armed as a regular infantry platoon with INSAS rifles, AK rifles, X-95, Browning Hi-Power and Glock pistols, Heckler & Koch MP5 submachine guns and Carl Gustav recoilless rifle.

Cobras also have hi-tech electronic surveillance equipment and well-trained sniper teams, armed with Dragunov SVD, Mauser SP66 and Heckler & Koch MSG-90 sniper rifles.

All the equipment for the Cobra is manufactured indigenously by the Indian Ordnance Factories controlled by the Ordnance Factories Board, Ministry of Defence, Government of India.

Cobras are trained in the Army’s elite Counter Insurgency and Jungle Warfare School in Mizoram and CRPF’s anti terrorist school in Silchar. They are adept in the art of camouflage and jungle warfare. Their role is to carry out reconnaissance and long range patrols, gather intelligence on the whereabouts of the insurgents, and also carry out ambushes and precision strikes when required. Their sniper teams can also be used to headshot key targets.