INSAS rifle: Indian Army says upgrade will make it world class
NEW DELHI: In spite of criticism by Nepal of its mainstay - the INSAS rifle - the Indian Army is eagerly awaiting a comprehensive upgrade programme that it says will "put it effectively on a par with rifles made by the US and Israel."
The upgrade, scheduled to be completed by the middle of 2006, will endow INSAS with cutting-edge night-fighting capabilities, improved target designation and under-barrel grenade launchers.
At the Infantry Commanders’ Conference in Mhow on July 20-21, Army Chief Gen J.J. Singh had come out in strong support of the INSAS.
"By the middle of next year, the INSAS 5.56 standard assault rifle (SAR) will be equipped with laser designators, night-vision scopes and tritium radioluminisescent sights for combat in low light conditions and under-barrel grenade launchers (UBGLs)", a senior Army officer said.
It was their absence that had compelled the Army to order 3,400 Israeli-made Tavor-21 rifles at a cost of $20 million in October 2002 for its seven Special Forces (SF) battalions. The consignments will begin arriving by the end of the year.
Until the Israeli rifles arrive, the SF will continue to use a mix of AK-47 and INSAS. At the Mhow conference, the Army had also decided to arm at least one Rashtriya Rifles (RR) battalion with the Israeli rifles.
The Army says there are two "minor" problems with the INSAS rifle -- the cracking of its fibre-plastic magazine because of extreme temperature changes and leakage of oil from the gas regulator chamber, both of which have apparently been rectified.
The Army Chief is also understood to have recommended the junking of the old 9mm carbines in use by the field commanders. This would, however, pose a problem since the development of INSAS carbine variant’s had been delayed and it could be at least two years before it was ready for use.
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