KOLKATA: After nearly two decades in service, the Insas rifle — the mainstay of Indian security forces — is on its way out.

Launched in 1994 by Rifle Factory, Ishapore (RFI), the weapon underwent further development over the years and faced its acid test during the Kargil conflict five years later. Now, RFI is in the process of winding up the production line and concentrating on development of a multi-caliber weapon designed by the Armament Research and Development Establishment ( ARDE ) in Pune.

"The Insas rifle proved its worth over the last 20 years. It will continue to serve for some more time till the multi-barrel rifle goes into production. We still recall the day when RFI supplied the first batch of 4,000 rifles to the Army in March, 1994. There were initial hiccups but the glitches were gradually ironed out. There was extreme pressure during the Kargil Conflict as damaged and jammed weapons returned to the factory and fresh lots had to be sent out. Workers at Ishapore worked day and night to repair and clean the guns and make them battle-ready," an official said.

After meeting the country’s war reserves, RFI started meeting the demands of central paramilitary forces. Finally, state police forces also replaced their 7.62 mm self loading rifles with the lighter 5.56 mm Insas.

"At that time, it was the only answer to the AK-47 assault rifles used by terrorists and enemy soldiers. The 7.62 mm SLRs — also manufactured at Ishapore — were far too heavy and un-maneuverable for the infantry soldier to react fast enough. The concept of battle also changed. It was no longer thought necessary to kill an enemy soldier with a heavy-caliber 7.62 mm slug. Strategists suggested that it would be better to injure the enemy with a lighter 5.56 mm one and leave him. This would burden his comrades as they wouldn’t be able to leave him lying behind in that condition. Today, a more advanced weapon in required," the official added.

A multi-caliber assault rifle (MCAR) can be used to fire different rounds, depending on the range a soldier wants to achieve and the damage he wishes to cause. In November, 2011, the Army floated a tender for the supply of MCARs. Apart from supply, the deal envisaged manufacture of the weapons in India under licence. Several international arms manufacturers participated in the tender.

"This is a major challenge for us. The Army wants over 65,000 MCARs in the first lot and 100,000 more to be manufactured under licence in India. We will have to come up with a rifle that can clear user trials. If this doesn’t happen, the Army will have to depend on supplies from abroad. Even if one were to assume that the deal is clean, it would be a big blow for a factory like ours. We can’t survive without bulk orders from the defence forces. We are now working very hard to develop an indigenous MCAR as per the ARDE's design," another official said.