Indian Firearms
The
Innovation
The Indian armed forces had been equipped with a copy of the 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.With the 7.62 mm semi-automatic
rifle becoming obsolete in the 1980s, India began to develop new
weapons, incorporating features from several contemporary rifle designs.
The
Innovation
INSAS
rifle
The selector/safety switch is
located on the left side of the receiver above the pistol grip, which allows
single shots and three-round bursts. The rifle is fitted with a side-folding
carrying handle, and either a solid or side-folding metal buttstock. Furniture
is made of polymer with the stock using the
butt-plate from Lee-Enfield rifles. Standard magazines are made from
semi-translucent polymer and contain 20 rounds. Longer 30-round magazines of
similar design are available for the INSAS LMG but
can also be used in the rifle. The sights consist of a hooded front, mounted on
top of the gas block, and a diopter rear, mounted on the receiver cover. The
flash suppressor is shaped to accept NATO-standard
rifle grenades. It can be fitted with an AKM-style multipurpose knife-bayonet.
The assault rifle version has
semi-auto and 3-round burst modes much like the US M16A2. Derived from the INSAS weapon
systems, the INSAS Excalibur Mark-I is ergonomically designed with
a folding butt and can be fitted with 20 and
30-round magazines. It is also fitted with a Picatinny rail for
mounting of opto-electronic devices. The latest variant of the INSAS has
semi-automatic, 3 round bursts and full automatic fire modes.
An under-barrel grenade launcher
and bayonet have been developed for the INSAS, which
are also compatible with the AK-47s used by paramilitary forces.
Variants
& Developments
·
INSAS Standard rifle (5.56 mm) issued to Indian
Army & Paramilitary, with folding and fixed butt variants, fires
semi-automatic and three rounds burst. An assault variant is also manufactured
with full auto fire mode along with semi & three burst mode, used by Indian
Army.
·
INSAS (Foldable Butt) (5.56 mm) It resembles
5.56 mm Assault Rifle Fixed Butt in all other features except that the
Fixed Butt is replaced with a foldable type of Butt to shorten the overall
length and it does not include automatic mode of firing. It is most suitable
for combat from ICV and in Para Troopers role.
·
Modern
Sub Machine Carbine - A submachine gun in the INSAS family, which uses unique 5.56×30mm
MINSAS ammunition designed especially for the gun. The magazine is
in the pistol grip as in the Uzi. Passed two phases of trials by Army, third and final
trial has been conducted in December 2009.
Vidhwansak rifle
Features
Vidhwansak is a manually operated, rotating bolt action rifle. The barrel along with the receiver recoil inside the
chassis frame against a damping system. The rifle is fed from a detachable box
magazine, which is inserted from the left side. The rifle can be quickly
disassembled and carried in two man-portable packs, each weighing about 12 to
15 kg. The rifle has an
effective range of 1,800 m (1,300 m for the 20 mm version), while shots can be achieved even up to
2,000 m. The rifle is magazine fed, and reloaded through manual bolt action. A muzzle
brake is fitted on the end of the barrel which absorbs an
estimated 50%-60% of recoil. This is further supplemented by a buffered slide
in the receiver. Vidhwansak is equipped with an 8X magnification, long eye relief
telescopic sight with parallax adjustment. A 12X ballistic scope can also be
attached.
Variants
Vidhwansak AMR is one of
few firearms to support 3 calibers with quick interchangeability (without
completely disassembling and reworking the weapon). The Vidhwansak can be
easily converted between the three calibers - 12.7 mm, 14.5 mm and
20 mm, by replacing the barrel, bolt, magazine and scope, which takes
about 1 minute in the field, without the need for any specialized tools.
Modern
Sub Machine Carbine
The Modern Sub Machine Carbine / MSMC submachine gun with optional Israeli-made ITL MARS red dot
sight installed on the Picatinny rail.
The Modern Sub Machine Carbine
(MSMC) is the latest combined venture of Armament
Research and Development Establishment & Ordnance Factories Organization, developed for the Indian
Army on a
platform of experiences from the INSAS
rifle. The gun is very lightweight and
compact in comparison with other indigenous produced rifles. It is chambered
for the 5.56×30mm
MINSAS cartridge.
The new round appears to be of same concept that experimental American Colt
MARS, as it has bottlenecked case 30mm long, loaded with light, pointed bullet
with steel penetrator core. The bullet weight is 2.6 gram and muzzle velocity
from 300mm carbine barrel is listed as 650 m/s, resulting in muzzle energy
value of 550 Joules - similar to modern pistol cartridges. The cartridge, known
as 5.56x30 MINSAS, offers effective range of about 200 to 300 meters, with good
penetration against body
armor.
History
The MSMC
was designed after the Army's disappointment with the progress of a carbine
version of the INSAS rifle. A variant called Excalibur
was developed, but was deemed unable to fulfill the requirements. The MSMC
was designed to rectify the shortcomings of the previous developments. Through
various trials and improvements, ARDE came out with a
grip-feeding, Uzi-like design which shortened the length of the
weapon, making it more suited for CQC purposes. Later its ergonomics
were improved, boosting its export potential. The weapon is said to be capable
of penetrating bullet-proof jackets. It
was created as an off-shoot of the INSAS small arms program. The plan was to develop a carbine based
on the INSAS rifle.
However, it did not materialize as the powerful rounds used in the INSAS rifle created
excessive recoil for the smaller carbine. Hence,
it was decided to develop a new lightweight carbine that can fit the
requirement of various Indian security forces.
Design
Details
Following design from machine
pistols like the Uzi, the MSMC has a pistol grip which allows the user to fire it even with one
hand. This allows the insertion of 30-round MSMC magazines on the pistol grip.
It has a retractable buttstock and ambidextrous cocking levers on both sides of
the MSMC, alongside the fire
selectors to suit individuals who prefer to fire the weapon from either the
left or right shoulder located above the trigger. It has a picatinny railing on
the receiver to allow the installations of weapon sights like reflex and red
dot sights with iron sights built into the railing. The weapon fires in a gas operated
mode, utilizing rotary bolt locking and a gas piston.
Like the Uzi, the MSMC is made
up of stamped sheet metal while having polymer housing. An unusual design to the MSMC is the
placement of the bayonet lug, located above the barrel just at the front of the
receiver. It also has a built-in
laser sight.
The Verdict
The mass introduction of the
INSAS rifle was initially delayed by the lack of the domestically made 5.56 mm
ammunition and India accordingly bought significant stocks of ammunition from
the Israeli IMI company. At the present time at least 300,000 INSAS rifles are in
service with the Indian army; some of these have seen action in Indo-Pakistani
conflict. The INSAS rifles are made by the Ishapore Rifle Factory. The Modern Sub Machine Carbine / MSMC submachine gun is intended
for Indian Special Operation troops, but it also can make a good Personal
Defense Weapon for vehicle and gun crews and other non-infantry personnel
operating in combat zones. As of now (spring 2010), the Modern Sub Machine
Carbine / MSMC submachine gun is in its final stages of T&E by Indian military. Vidhwansak, which costs Rs 10 lakh
(USD 20,000), is much cheaper than comparable foreign alternatives such as the
Denel NTW-20 AMR, which costs Rs 23 lakhs (USD 45,000). The rifle has also been
offered to the Indian Army and the National Security Guards.
nyc weapons specialist
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