At the moment, the Indian Ordnance Factory Board (OFB) is the largest firearms manufacturer on our planet. With over 80 000 employees, 41 factories and 9 Training Institutes it dwarfs any other firearms manufacturer in any other country. And DEFEXPO exhibition is perhaps the only way for the general public to see OFB’s latest developments and products. This year the biggest premiere was the OFB designed CQB carbine chambered for 5.56×45.

Different prototypes of INSAS carbine versions have been around for a while, most notable probably being Kalantak Micro 5.56 mm Assault Rifle. In the pictures published around 2012, it appears that the front of the carbine’s receiver cover is secured via a string tied around the front of the magwell. Perhaps that was done to enhance the durability of the receiver cover retaining mechanism.

Kalantak Micro Assault Rifle

The effectiveness of such an unusual feature remains unknown, and since 2012 there was no new information about Kalantak. According to a press-release: Indian Kalantak Micro Assault Rifle is being developed as a powerful, lightweight & compact weapon for Close quarters combat (CQC) & Personnel Defence Weapon Role.

There was another version of INSAS based CQB carbine chambered for Indian 5.56x30mm round called Amogh, also unofficially some people named it “The Son of INSAS”.

Amogh carbine

If you take a good look at Amogh, especially at a handguard and pistol grip it may seem that their design was inspired by a movie “Alien”, particularly by a scene from an Alien Resurrection, where Ripley comes into a lab, and a deformed creature is demanding her to put it out of misery, whispering “Kill Me”.

Unlike its predecessors, new OFB CQB carbine presented at DEFEXPO 2020 looks much better and resembles a SIG 553, with its milled receiver, short handguard and side-folding stock. The ergonomics look very good, both selector lever and folding charging handle are located on the left side making it very easy for a right-handed shooter to use them.

OFB CQB carbine at DEFEXPO 2020

According to Indian sources, this CQB carbine was developed in the Small Arms factory Kanpur by Armament Research & Development Establishment to replace Sterling submachine guns.

The technical specifications can be found below.

Indian OFB CQB carbine technical specifications