'Made in India' assault rifles leave the army disappointed, fails quality test

In a blow to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Make in India campaign, the Indian Army has tagged an indigenously built firearm as low quality. The army has refused to use 7.62 x 51mm prototype assault rifle developed by the Rifle Factory Ishapore in West Bengal.

The 7.62 x 51mm assault rifle was supposed to be a lethal weapon for 'Shoot to kill', but the final product has left the forces disappointed. The rifles apparently backfired and the army could not take the risks of equipping the troops low with quality weapons for warfare.  

The rifles had "excessive number of faults", and for the army to consider it the weapon would need "complete redesigning of the magazine". The rifle failed to operate smoothly in the shooting trials with frequent stoppages.

"During internal evaluation excessive number of faults and stoppages to the extent of more than twenty times the maximum permissible standards were observed in the prototype," the team which was responsible evaluating the gun said.

Meanwhile, officials from the Army, the Air Force and the Navy are planning to discuss the procurement of assault rifles for the forces and the specifications required. This is not the first time the army has rejected Made in India weapon. The 5.56 mm Excalibur guns were rejected last year over quality standards.

Make in India is Prime Minister Narendra Modi's pet campaign under which he wants to transform India into a manufacturing hub. And, weapon production is a critical to achieve this.    

(With inputs from agencies)