Fire Power

Yunus Dar

After the army sounded the alarm over the shortfall in the quality of small arms, the Indian government finally sprang into action with a slew of new acquisitions. The decade-old replacement programme for the INSAS rifle finally witnessed progress in 2018. Following the Russian defence minister, Sergei Shoigu’s meeting with defence minister Nirmala Sitharaman in December 2018, India and Russia kick-started the joint production of 6,70,000 AK-203 rifles. AK-203, which is to become the mainstay of the Indian Army, will be manufactured at a factory set up in Amethi, UP.

Being one of the most modern assault rifles from Kalashnikov, AK-203 fitted into the requirements set out by the army. The joint venture, named Indo-Russia Rifles Private Limited, was established between the Ordnance Factory Board (OFB), Kalashnikov Concern, and Rosoboronexport, the Russian state agency for military exports.

Another major deal signed to boost the rifle inventory of the Indian Army is the contract the government signed with the US arms maker, Sig Sauer, to procure 72,400 assault rifles under fast-track procurement (FTP). Majority of the numbers – some 66,000 – of these rifles will be handed over to the Indian Army, with around 2000 rifles for the Indian Navy and 4000 for the Indian Air Force. The Rs 700 crore deal for the Sig Sauer SIG716 7.62x51 mm assault rifles will replace the ageing, Indian-made 5.56x45mm INSAS rifles. The deal is the biggest of its kind in recent years in this category.

The army had a number of problems with the Indian Small Arms System (INSAS) rifles, and the need to replace them with modern assault rifles was urgent. The weapon was reportedly handed over to the armed forces without any refinement with user inputs, which are needed to improvise quality. The INSAS has time and again been declared lacking by the army when fighting insurgents across the country, especially in Jammu and Kashmir. The army was looking for a weapon, not just accurate and high calibre, but more reliable, which wasn’t the case with the INSAS. The army in J