As nationalistic fervour mounts, the Indian defence ministry had issued a Request for Information, on September 27, seeking a 7.62 mm x 51 mm assault rifle to replace its existing 5.56 mm INSAS rifle.

The ham-fistedly named Indian Small Arms System (INSAS) was the assault rifle that the Defence Research Development Organisation (DRDO) claimed would replace the ubiquitous AK-47 that was in use at the time. While the global tender for the formal techno-commercial bids will only be floated in April 2017, it means that even the advanced version of the INSAS, the Excalibur, has failed to meet the army’s expectations.

The DRDO conceptualised the 5.56 mm calibre, gas-operated INSAS rifles in the 1980s in a bid to reduce the army’s dependency on foreign weapons. Manufacturing began in 1983, but it was only on January 4, 1991, that the Ishapore Rifle Factory could present a prototype. And it was not until 1994 that the first consignment of rifles was handed over to the army. It was used for the first time during the Kargil war in 1999, but not without teething troubles – malfunctioning in the cold Himalayan conditions.

Despite its shortcomings, the INSAS remained a weapon of choice for a long time. Marketed as an indigenous assault rifle suited to battlefields and insurgency-affected areas, it is used by state police forces in Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Bihar and Chhattisgarh.

The INSAS can fire 600-650 rounds in a minute with an effective range of 400 metres. Capable of firing a 20-round-magazine, the rifle is easy to assemble and dismantle, and has a multi-purpose bayonet that also works as a saw, wire cutter, hammer and dagger. Chrome-plating of the barrel and firing pin makes it easy to maintain.

According to the DRDO, the desi AK-47 is believed to be better than the original. “The AK-47 has a tendency to fire towards the top-right,” an assistant commander of Border Security Force (BSF) told Newslaundry. “The INSAS is more accurate.” The INSAS also has a transparent magazine made of plastic, as opposed to the metal ones of the AK series. “So, you always have an idea of how many rounds are left,” added the officer.

However, its cons far outweigh the pros. Take the plastic magazine, for instance, which tends to break not only when it is dropped but also when pressure is applied by troops who have to crawl. “We have received several complaints of magazines breaking while being used on the ground,” a rifle factory official told us on condition of anonymity.

In terms of design, the INSAS borrows heavily from the AK series, but implementation has been far from perfect. Take the case of the Kalashnikov-inspired rotating bolt, which carries the topmost round on the magazine to the chamber. “The rotating bolt, or chalwale purze as it is commonly known, often moves without carrying the round,” said the BSF officer. “During an attack, a misfeed can prove lethal.”

There is also an issue with the rifle’s cavity – the bottom part of the round into which the bullet is inserted before it is forced out of the barrel by gas pressure. “The cavity gets stuck during ejection and extraction,” said an officer of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) who admitted to facing this problem while using the rifle. “Even though there is a mechanism to deal with such a malfunction, one doesn’t have the luxury of time during combat.” Another potential hazard was that the cavity was prone to melting during constant firing. This was because it was made thin in order to keep the weight of the rifle to a minimum. Despite this, the “lightweight” INSAS ended up weighing over four kilograms without a magazine. In comparison, the AK-47, even with the magazine attached, weighs 3.9 kilograms.

The long list of drawbacks has led to the INSAS falling out of favour. With the army reverting to the virtually unchanged AK-47 and starting the search for 65,000 units, it is high time we do away with it.