After nearly 20 years, the indigenously-manufactured INSAS rifles will be finally ‘retiring’ from the army and replaced by an imported assault rifle to be manufactured in the country later. The Indian Small Arms System (INSAS), which was inducted in the army in 1988, is likely to be replaced with deadlier assault rifles of higher caliber (7.62x51), official sources said. After the new weaponry for the Special Forces aimed at helping them in close-combat situations, the focus will shift to procurement of the assault rifles and replace the INSAS, the sources said. The foreign vendor would also be required to participate in Transfer of Technology (ToT) so that there is no dearth of ammunition and maintenance of the assault rifles in the country. These weapons can kill the enemy up to an effective range (rpt) range of 500 metres.

Source: Hindustan Times March 05, 2017 13:58 UTC