#IndoRifles

We have been closely following India’s tentative steps towards modernisation of her Army’s small arms and the replacement of the INSAS rifle. It seemed that with the selection of Kalashnikov Concern’s AK-203 that India had selected a rifle suited to its soldier’s needs but recent reports suggest that the progress toward beginning production of the new rifles may have stalled.

For years we at TFB have closely followed India’s struggles to select a new service rifle to replace the 5.56x45mm INSAS which has gained a questionable reputation over the years. Numerous home-grown rifles such as the Indian Ordnance Factories Board-designed Excalibur and the Multi Calibre Individual Weapon System have both proven to be failures. A glimmer of hope arrived when the Indian government made a concerted effort to procure new small arms launching a flurry of requests for information seeking a range of rifles in 7.62x39mm, 5.56x45mm and 7.62x51mm. At the same time, India have also procured .50 calibre anti-materiel rifles and .338 LM precision rifles in significant numbers.