In three years from now, army soldiers will have two new modern,indigenous rifles at their disposal instead of the standard INSASrifle, allowing them to operate effectively in urban or jungleenvironment.
The DRDO is working on a Future-INSAS rifle to go along with theunder-development future infantry soldier project that the Indiandefence establishments are currently working on, DRDO's ChiefController of Research and Development (Armament and CombatEngineering) S Sunderesh said here today.
It is also working on a new single-hand operated carbine, he said.
INSAS stands for Indian Small Arms System and is a family of infantryarms consisting of an assault rifle, a light machine gun and a carbine.
The 5.56mm by 45mm calibre weapon will be replaced by the Future-INSAS, a prototype for which is currently in development stage.
"We are always trying to incorporate new technology into existing riflesystems. We are currently working on a future INSAS rifle which can beintegrated into the Future Infantry Soldier project by including asensor and a thermal imaging device onto the rifle itself," Pune-basedArmament Research and Development Establishment (ARDE) Director Anil MDattar said.
The ARDE has started working on the new rifle so that it could givenight vision to the soldier through thermal imaging sensors integratedonto the weapon system.
"Usually Thermal Imagers are available in larger weapon systems or asstand alones. We are trying to miniaturise the TI sensors to fit it onthe Future-INSAS," Date said.
The basic idea was that the future soldier, sent into acounter-insurgency or anti-terrorist operation in an urban or a jungleenvironment, has a handy weapon that he could use.
Joining the Future-INSAS family of weapons will be a modern sub-machinecarbine with 5.56mm by 30mm calibre incorporating both a pistol and arifle design, so that the soldier can fire the weapon using just onehand.
"Obviously it will be light weight and have less power than F-INSAS andhence can be fired with one hand. But it will still be lethal andeffective," Dattar said.
The future rifle and carbine will come alongside the Future InfantrySoldier project, which itself will be completed in three phases.
The first phase of the Future Infantry Soldier project would be completed in three years.
The DRDO is working on a Future-INSAS rifle to go along with theunder-development future infantry soldier project that the Indiandefence establishments are currently working on, DRDO's ChiefController of Research and Development (Armament and CombatEngineering) S Sunderesh said here today.
It is also working on a new single-hand operated carbine, he said.
INSAS stands for Indian Small Arms System and is a family of infantryarms consisting of an assault rifle, a light machine gun and a carbine.
The 5.56mm by 45mm calibre weapon will be replaced by the Future-INSAS, a prototype for which is currently in development stage.
"We are always trying to incorporate new technology into existing riflesystems. We are currently working on a future INSAS rifle which can beintegrated into the Future Infantry Soldier project by including asensor and a thermal imaging device onto the rifle itself," Pune-basedArmament Research and Development Establishment (ARDE) Director Anil MDattar said.
The ARDE has started working on the new rifle so that it could givenight vision to the soldier through thermal imaging sensors integratedonto the weapon system.
"Usually Thermal Imagers are available in larger weapon systems or asstand alones. We are trying to miniaturise the TI sensors to fit it onthe Future-INSAS," Date said.
The basic idea was that the future soldier, sent into acounter-insurgency or anti-terrorist operation in an urban or a jungleenvironment, has a handy weapon that he could use.
Joining the Future-INSAS family of weapons will be a modern sub-machinecarbine with 5.56mm by 30mm calibre incorporating both a pistol and arifle design, so that the soldier can fire the weapon using just onehand.
"Obviously it will be light weight and have less power than F-INSAS andhence can be fired with one hand. But it will still be lethal andeffective," Dattar said.
The future rifle and carbine will come alongside the Future InfantrySoldier project, which itself will be completed in three phases.
The first phase of the Future Infantry Soldier project would be completed in three years.
