Indian Army to test indigenous rifle until the end of year 43009153

Defence & Security News - (India)
 
Indian Army to test indigenous rifle until the end of year
The Indian Army Chief of Staff, General Dalbir Singh, has been pushing forward the development of the indigenous rifle Excalibur 5.56x45 mm manufactured by Ordnance Factory Board (OFB), ahead of the formal tries the next three months.
     
Indian Army to test indigenous rifle until end of year
OFB Excalibur 5.56x45 mm rifle
     

The Indian Army’s international tender resulted in the competing rifles failure to pass the tests. The CZ CA-805 BREN, the Beretta ARX-160, the IWI ACE-1 and Colt’s Combat Rifle were tested for a period of three years, without the expected results based on the Army’s specifications.

The INSAS rifle, currently in use by the Indian Army, has received negative comments by the soldiers. Since its induction in the early 90’s the users had problems with its reliability and ruggedness, resulting in main body and magazine fractures in harsh, cold or hot, conditions and barrel deformation.

In order to reassure the Excalibur’s success, also considering the “Make in India” strategy, General Dalbir Singh had visited OFB at the beginning of month, to overview the informal tests of the first 200 prototype rifles that have already been manufactured. The tests are rigorous and so far a series of ergonomic changes have been suggested, according to Indian Media sources. If the final tests are successful, the Army will procure around 600,000 rifles.