INSAS rifle

INSAS (an abbreviation of Indian Small Arms System) is a family of infantry arms consisting of an assault rifle, a light machine gun and a carbine. It is manufactured by the Indian State Ordnance Factory Board at its Ishapore factory. The Insas Assault Rifle is now the standard infantry weapon of the Indian Armed Forces.

History

The Indian armed forces had been equipped with a copy of the famous Belgian FN FAL rifle since the 1950s. This copy was considered to be a distinct weapon, since its parts cannot be interchanged with either the metric or inch-pattern versions of the FAL.R. Blake Stevens, The FAL Rifle, Classic Edition, Collector Grade Publications, Canada With the 7.62 mm self-loading rifle becoming obsolete in the 1980s, India began to develop the INSAS, incorporating features from several contemporary rifle designs. Although largely based on the ever-popular AKM, the INSAS has a number of differences, making it a unique weapon.

During the late 1980s, the Indians expressed interest in purchasing (and possibly manufacturing under license), an East German-designed AK chambered for the 5.56x45mm cartridge.Edward Clinton Ezell, Kalashnikov - The Arms and the Man, Collector Grade Publications, Canada The deal ultimately fell through.

The INSAS system was originally planned to have three component weapons: a standard rifle, a carbine, and a squad automatic rifle (LMG), all chambered for 5.56x45mm NATO ammunition. In...
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