Multi Calibre Individual Weapon System | |
---|---|
![]() | |
Type | Assault rifle |
Place of origin | India |
Production history | |
Designed | 2015–present |
Manufacturer | Armament Research and Development Establishment Ordnance Factory Tiruchirappalli |
No. built | 6 Preproduction prototypes |
Specifications | |
Mass | 3.5 kg (7.7 lb) (empty) 4 kg (8.8 lb) (loaded with magazine) |
Length | 910 mm (36 in) (including butt) |
Cartridge | 5.56×45mm NATO 7.62×39mm 6.8mm Remington SPC |
Action | Gas-operated, rotating bolt |
Rate of fire | 600-650 rpm |
Muzzle velocity | 715–890 m/s (2,350–2,920 ft/s) |
Effective firing range | 700 meters [1] |
Feed system | 30-round detachable box magazines |
Sights | Iron sights, various day and night optical sight |
Multi Calibre Individual Weapon System (MCIWS) is an assault rifle developed in India by the Armament Research and Development Establishment, a laboratory of the Defence Research and Development Organisation. [2] It was first seen at the DEFEXPO 2014 exhibition. [3]
As of 2015, the rifle is also known as the Advanced Automatic Rifle (AAR) and also as the F-INSAS rifle.
The Indian Army chose an indigenous assault rifle to replace the INSAS rifle currently in service. The decision, which could save money in foreign exchange and boost local manufacture, was made by the former Chief of Army Staff, General Dalbir Singh Suhag. Several rifles are currently undergoing small arms trials with three prototype rifles made for testing as a future replacement to the INSAS rifle. [4] [5] [6]
The MCIWS has also found interest with the Indian paramilitary forces including the Border Security Force, Central Reserve Police Force, Indo-Tibetan Border Police and the Sashastra Seema Bal. [7] [8]
According to a DRDO September 18, 2018 newsletter, the MCIWS is now ready for serial production. [9]
In October 2017, the MCIWS procurement was superseded by an Army process to acquire around 7 lakh 7.62mm calibre rifles.[ citation needed ]
The MCIWS is configured to fire in 5.56×45mm NATO, 7.62×39mm and in 6.8mm Remington SPC. [3] Its design is influenced by both the AR-15 and the FN FNC. [3] The barrel assembly appears to be based on the AK-47. [10]
The design would allow soldiers to configure it according to the needs of the missions by changing rifle barrels. [5] The MCIWS uses a gas-operated short stroke piston design, and uses 30-round plastic-type magazines. [10] [6] The rifle also has ambidextrous features, such as the charging lever and magazine release. [6] The MCIWS includes an indigenous under barrel grenade launcher to fire airburst-type grenades which can take out targets up to 500 meters. [3] Various sights can be mounted on the Picatinny rail on the upper receiver. [6]
The rifle is of aluminium alloy and features a modular, rivet-less design. [7]
The SA80 is a British family of 5.56×45mm NATO service weapons used by the British Army. The L85 Rifle variant has been the standard issue service rifle of the British Armed Forces since 1987, replacing the L1A1 Self-Loading Rifle. The prototypes were created in 1976, with production of the A1 variant starting in 1985 and ending in 1994. The A2 variant came to be as the result of a significant upgrade in the early 2000s by Heckler & Koch and remains in service as of 2024. The A3 variant was first issued in 2018 with several new improvements.
The FAMAS is a bullpup assault rifle designed and manufactured in France by MAS in 1978. It is known by French troops as Le Clairon due to its distinctive shape.
The IWI Tavor, previously designated as the Tavor TAR-21, is an Israeli bullpup assault rifle chambered in 5.56×45mm NATO, designed and produced by Israel Weapon Industries (IWI). It is part of the Tavor family of rifles, which have spawned many derivatives of the original design.
The FN F2000 is a 5.56×45mm NATO bullpup rifle, designed by FN Herstal in Belgium. Its compact bullpup design includes a telescopic sight, a non-adjustable fixed notch and front blade secondary sight. The weapon has fully ambidextrous controls, allowed by a unique ejection system, ejecting spent cartridge casings forward and to the right side of the weapon, through a tube running above the barrel. The F2000 made its debut in March 2001 at the IDEX defence exhibition held in Abu Dhabi, in the United Arab Emirates.
The INSAS, or Indian Small Arms System, is a family of infantry arms consisting of an assault rifle and a light machine gun (LMG). These weapons were developed in India by the Armament Research and Development Establishment and manufactured by the Ordnance Factories Board at its various factories. It was the standard infantry weapon of the Indian Armed Forces for almost three decades.
Daewoo Precision Industries K2 assault rifle is the standard service rifle of the South Korean military. It was developed by the South Korean Agency for Defense Development and manufactured by SNT Motiv and Dasan Machineries. Shoulder-fired and gas-operated, the K2 is capable of firing both 5.56×45mm NATO and .223 Remington ammunition; however, using .223 Remington is only recommended for practicing for short distance.
The Rifle Factory Ishapore is an Indian state-owned arms manufacturing unit located at Ichhapur in the state of West Bengal.
In India, the Armament Research & Development Establishment (ARDE) is a laboratory of the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO). Located in Pune, it is the main DRDO lab involved in the development of conventional armaments.
The HS VHS is a 5.56×45mm NATO bullpup assault rifle designed and manufactured by HS Produkt of Croatia. The VHS rifle was first introduced at the 2007 iKA exhibition, the annual Croatian innovation display that takes place in the city of Karlovac. The development began from a Croatian Army request for a new infantry rifle to meet NATO standards.
The FN FNC is a 5.56×45mm NATO assault rifle developed by the Belgian arms manufacturer FN Herstal and introduced in the late 1970s.
F-INSAS is India's programme to equip its infantry with state-of-the-art equipment, F-INSAS standing for Future Infantry Soldier As a System. However the Indian Army has decided to drop the F-INSAS program in favour of two separate projects. The new program will have two components: one to arm the future infantry soldier with the best available assault rifle, carbines and personal equipment, such as helmets and bulletproof vests. The second component is the Battlefield Management Systems (BMS).
The Beretta ARX160 is an Italian modular assault rifle manufactured by Beretta. Developed for the Italian Armed Forces as part of the Soldato Futuro program, the ARX160 was launched in 2008 as a commercial weapon system independent from the Soldato Futuro ensemble, complete with a companion single-shot 40×46mm NATO low-velocity grenade launcher, called the GLX160, which can be mounted underneath the rifle or used with an ad hoc stock system as a stand-alone weapon.
The AK-12, "Avtomat Kalashnikova, 2012" is a Russian gas-operated assault rifle chambered in 5.45×39mm designed and manufactured by the Kalashnikov Concern, making it the fifth generation of Kalashnikov rifles.
The Joint Venture Protective Carbine (JVPC), also known as Modern Sub Machine Carbine (MSMC) until 2014, is a gas-operated, magazine-fed, select fire carbine designed to chamber the 5.56×30mm MINSAS cartridge. It was designed by the Armament Research and Development Establishment of the Defence Research and Development Organisation, and manufactured by Advanced Weapons and Equipment India Limited and by Kalyani Strategic Systems Limited. It was intended as a replacement for the 9mm Sterling submachine gun in service with the Indian Armed Forces.
The L1A1 Self-Loading Rifle (SLR), also known by the initial Canadian designation C1, or in the U.S. as the "inch pattern" FAL, is a British version of the Belgian FN FAL battle rifle. The L1A1 was produced under licence and adopted by the armed forces of the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, India, Jamaica, Malaysia, New Zealand, Rhodesia and Singapore.
Ordnance Factory Tiruchirappalli (OFT), also called Ordnance Factory Trichy, is a small arms factory operated by Advanced Weapons and Equipment India Limited based in Tiruchirappalli, Tamil Nadu, which was previously part of Ordnance Factory Board of the Ministry of Defence, Government of India. The company is headed only by an IOFS officer called General Manager (ex officio Additional Secretary to Government of India) who is the chief executive officer, responsible for the overall management of the company.
The 40 mm Under Barrel Grenade Launcher, is a single shot grenade launcher developed by ARDE and Ordnance Factory Tiruchirappalli for use with the INSAS and AK-47 rifles used by the Indian Army. Standalone versions of the grenade launcher exist.
The Excalibur is an assault rifle derived from the INSAS rifle, the standard rifle of the Indian Armed Forces and, to a lesser extent, the Indian Police Service. The Excalibur has many improvements over the INSAS rifle and was slated to replace it as the Indian Army's standard assault rifle; however, the Indian Army put the replacement out to tender in September 2016. Many police forces in India have procured the Excalibur in limited numbers.
The IWI X95 is an Israeli bullpup assault rifle designed and produced by Israel Weapon Industries (IWI) as part of the Tavor rifle family, along with the Tavor TAR and the Tavor 7. IWI US offers the rifle in semi-automatic only configuration as the 'Tavor X95'.
Indo-Russia Rifles Private Limited (IRRPL) is a rifle-manufacturing facility in Korwa, Amethi district in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. Founded in 2019, the factory manufactures the AK-200 variant of the Kalashnikov family of rifles.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link){{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link){{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)