Excalibur rifle
| Excalibur rifle | |
|---|---|
| Type | Assault rifle |
| Place of origin | |
| Service history | |
| In service | 2017-18 (Expected) |
| Used by | Indian Army |
| Production history | |
| Designer | Armament Research and Development Establishment (ARDE) |
| Manufacturer | Ordnance Factories Board (OFB) |
| Specifications | |
| Weight |
3.81 kg (without magazine) 4.03 kg (with full magazine)[1] |
| Length | 895 mm (35.2 in)[1] |
| Barrel length | 400 mm (16 in)[1] |
|
| |
| Cartridge | 5.56×45mm NATO |
| Action | Gas-operated, Rotating bolt |
| Rate of fire | 650-700 rounds/min[1] |
| Muzzle velocity | 900 m/s (2,953 ft/s) |
| Effective firing range | 400m[1] |
| Feed system | 20/30-round detachable box magazine[1] |
| Sights | In-built iron sights, Picatinny rails for mounting telescopic or night sights |
Excalibur is an assault rifle which is derived from the INSAS rifle, which is the standard rifle of the Indian Army. The rifle has many improvements over the INSAS rifle and is slated to replace the INSAS as the Indian Army's standard assault rifle. The Excalibur will be manufactured by the Ordnance Factories Board in Ordnance Factory Tiruchirappalli, Small Arms Factory, Kanpur and Ichapore Arsenal.
History
The Indian Army used the INSAS rifle from late 1990s and the rifle saw action during the Kargil War. The INSAS was said to be plagued with many reliability issues like cracking of the polymer magazines because of cold weather, oil being sprayed in the user's eyes and the rifle going in automatic mode when set on 3-round burst (The INSAS doesn't have an Automatic Mode) to name a few.
In November 2011, the Indian Army sent a request for proposal (RFP) to 34 vendors for 65,678 multi-calibre rifles for about ₹2,500 crore (US$400 million).[2][3] The tender also included a license to manufacture about 100,000 more rifles in India, with a total expenditure of the phasing out estimated at ₹5,500 crore (US$900 million).[4] Similar tenders for a carbine and a LMG were also issued.[5] However, the Army sent a letter to the manufacturers on 15 June 2015, to notify them that the tender has been retracted.[6]
After cancelling the tender, the army decided to pursue the new Excalibur rifle developed by the ARDE as a replacement for the older INSAS rifles.
Trials
The Army tested the Excalibur in 2014-15. The trials were a success as the rifle passed a majority of tests which included many tests which many foreign rifles were not able to pass.
Some of the trials included:
- Firing the rifle after submerging it in water and mud for about half an hour.
- User reliability trails
- Checking the number of stoppages after firing 24,000 rounds. The Excalibur had only 2 stoppages which was near the expectations of the Army who expected only one stoppage.
Differences between INSAS and Excalibur
- Having an Automatic Fire mode.
- Having a shorter handguard.
- Having a foldable butt-stock.
- Having a Picatinny rail, a universal mount that allows for a range of weapon sights and sensors.
Users
India: The rifle will be used by the Indian Armed Forces and will replace the older INSAS rifles.- India: Gujarat Police ordered
References
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 "RIFLE EXCALIBUR 5.56 MM". ofbindia.gov.in/. OFB INDIA. Retrieved 2 April 2016.
- ↑ "Army issues global tender for new assault rifles". Zee News. 30 November 2011. Retrieved 28 May 2014.
- ↑ "Five cos left in race to supply multi-calibre rifles to Army". Business Standard. 28 November 2012. Retrieved 28 May 2014.
- ↑ "Guns and Butter in Billion-dollar Arms Deal". 21 September 2012. Retrieved 28 May 2014.
- ↑ "INSAS-weary army shops for new infantry arms". The New Indian Express. 16 December 2012. Retrieved 28 May 2014.
- ↑ "Army scraps the world's largest assault rifle tender". India Today. 1 July 2015. Retrieved 1 July 2015.