INSAS (Indian Small Arms System)
About INSAS:
- It is a family of infantry arms consisting of an assault rifleand a light machine gun . It is manufactured by the Ordnance Factories Board at Ordnance Factory Tiruchirappalli, Small Arms Factory Kanpur and Ishapore Arsenal.
- The INSAS assault rifle is the standard infantry weapon of the Indian Armed Forces. In April 2015, the Indian government replaced some INSAS rifles of the CRPFwith AK-47. In early 2017, it was announced that INSAS rifles were to be retired and replaced by rifles capable of firing 62×51mm NATO cartridges.
- It was used in Kargil and practice only. It was not used in any real proxy war but it did not live upto its level as Indian army demand two calibre weapons.
- The INSAS is primarily based on the AKM but incorporates features from other rifles. During the 1999 Kargil War, the rifles were used in the high altitudes of the Himalayas. There were complaints of jamming, the magazine cracking due to the cold and the rifle going into automatic mode when it was set for three-round bursts. There was also a problem of oil being sprayed into the eye of the operator. Some injuries during firing practice were also reported.