The Indian Army’s Rashtriya Rifles (RR) counter-insurgency infantry force is looking to add a modern optical sight to primary assault weapon, the AK-47. A global request for information has been put out to a large list of companies, including Russia’s NPO (Novosibirsk) Optics State Corporation, American firms Trijicon and EOTech, Raytheon’s Canadian subsidiary Ernst Leitz Canada (ELCAN), Swiss optics major Oerlikon Contraves, Romanian sight major IOR Valdada and British firm United Scientific Instruments (USI) among a few others. The RR has specified that it would prefer an optical sight with a zeroing mechanism and one that is compatible with other small-arms without modification.
Recent reports suggest — and this is corroborated by the Army’s own RFI from earlier this year — that the INSAS rifle is creating a great deal of disenchantment in the infantry. The Army had therefore put out a global RFI earlier this year for a “modern assault rifle” of “any calibre”. Technical evaluations of the bidders is expected to begin in October with the Americans, Israelis, Belgians and Russians looking with supreme interest at the prospect of selling India hundreds, potentially thousands, of assault rifles or, at the very least, the technology to build them locally. Yet another upgrade study for the INSAS, on the hand, is underway. It would, of course, be far preferable, if the Ordnance Factory and DRDO could pull up their socks and concertedly pull the INSAS up to the standards that the Army wants, rather than force the government to thoughtlessly squander even more money on small arms from foreign vendors, if that is, indeed, necessary.
Photo by Shiv Aroor / RR Soldier on Jammu-Srinagar Highway, C. 2004
Tiny countries like Israel, Singapore, Belgium, Switzerland and Holland seem to be way ahead India in the production of advanced infantry assault rifles and other systems.
Is India lagging far behind those countries because of obsolete R&R or is it the Indian mentality of claiming the very best of all the poorest quality stuff that it churns out?
Your reports seem to be based on the ToIlet report of INSAS issues. Have you confirmed it with the Army and DRDO or just parroting the lines from the TOIlet.
What is the point of putting sights on a gun that does not fire accurately past 200 metres? It's like putting a bayonet on a pistol.
Yes, The Army is so stupid that it orders around 1 million INSAS ONLY to conclude now it is causing "disenchantment" after almost decade of use!
Sounds more like it is time for another foreign contract.
By the way RR don't use Insas in their operation. Why would they bother about INSAS performance in COIN?
HK 416,Or G36 please no more rooskie stuff
What india really needs is the Tavor. in my opinion to fight insurgency there is no better weapon than the Tavor. It's a pity that india has ordered only 3000 tavors when the men on the ground are crying out for atleast (12-13) thousand tavors in order to fight insurgency.when you don't listen to your soldiers & act as an arm-chair strategeist, then iam afraid the insurgents will have the last laugh.
The problem with our ordnance factories is poor quality. They cannot produce the fail safe standards required. Services are forced to accept sub standard stuff. Examples are many.Shaktiman, Nissan jongas when the parent companies refused to give any kind of guarantees.Even liscensed production is a sham. After imports are over we start producing spurious stuff. One Corps Commander was sacked for refusing to accept Arjun Tanks in writing.That is how our system of babu supremacy works.We have the case of equally respectable scientists claiming our nukes to be potent or duds