Excalibur rifle
Excalibur rifle
TypeAssault rifle
Place of originIndia
Service history
In service2017
Production history
Designed2004
ManufacturerArmament Research and Development Establishment
Ordnance Factories Board
Produced2012-present
No. built20000+[1]
Specifications
Mass3.81 kg (8.4 lb) (without magazine)
4.03 kg (8.9 lb) (with full magazine)[2]
Length895 mm (35.2 in)[2]
Barrel length400 mm (16 in)[2]
Cartridge5.56×45mm NATO
ActionGas-operated, rotating bolt
Rate of fire650-700 rounds/min[2]
Muzzle velocity900 m/s (2,953 ft/s)
Effective firing range450m[3]
Feed system20/30-round detachable box magazine[2]
SightsIn-built iron sights, Picatinny rails for mounting telescopic or night sights

Excalibur is an assault rifle derived from the INSAS rifle, the standard rifle of the defence - and to a lesser extent the police - forces of India. The rifle has many improvements over the INSAS rifle and was slated to replace the INSAS as the Indian Army's standard assault rifle; however, the Indian Army put the replacement out to tender in September 2016.[4] Many police forces have however procured variants of Excalibur in limited numbers.

The Excalibur is manufactured by the Ordnance Factories Board in Ordnance Factory Tiruchirappalli, Small Arms Factory, Kanpur and Ichapore Arsenal.[5] Design of the assault rifle first started in 2004.[6]

History

The Indian Army used the INSAS rifle from the 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 into automatic mode when set on 3-round burst (the INSAS does not have an automatic mode).

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).[7][8] 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).[9] Similar tenders for a carbine and a LMG were also issued.[10] However, the Army sent a letter to the manufacturers on 15 June 2015, to notify them that the tender had been retracted.[11]

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.

On 3 July 2016, the Indian media reported that the Indian Army had rejected the Excalibur for its standard issue assault rifle as it did not match the requirements standard of the army.[12][13]

In September 2016 the Indian Army announced that it was launching a tender for 185,000 7.62×51mm-caliber assault rifles.[4] The Indian Army in October 2016 announced that Excalibur rifles will be adopted as an interim assault rifle until a suitable replacement is found.[14][15]

In June 2017, the Excalibur was announced to have failed tests due to concerns about quality control and ineffective firepower.[16]

In July 2018, the Indian Army announced that plans to adopt the Excalibur will not proceed.[17]

Trials

The Army tested the Excalibur in 2014–15. 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

Operators

 India

References

  1. ↑ "Assault Rifles". PIB India. 11 August 2017. Retrieved 2 August 2021.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 "Ordnance Factory Board". ofbindia.gov.in. Archived from the original on 11 October 2018. Retrieved 15 January 2022.
  3. ↑ Press India Bureau. "Excalibur Rifle 5.56mm". pib.nic.in. Retrieved 22 August 2016.
  4. 1 2 The Times of India (28 September 2016). "Once again, Army starts global hunt for a new-generation assault rifle". timesofindia.com. Retrieved 10 October 2016.
  5. ↑ Peri, Dinakar (7 July 2016). "Excalibur rifle awaits certification trials". NEW DELHI. Retrieved 2 August 2021.
  6. ↑ "Important Milestones". Rfi.nic.in. Archived from the original on 6 March 2019. Retrieved 15 April 2018.
  7. ↑ "Army issues global tender for new assault rifles". Zee News. 30 November 2011. Retrieved 28 May 2014.
  8. ↑ "Five cos left in race to supply multi-calibre rifles to Army". Business Standard. 28 November 2012. Retrieved 28 May 2014.
  9. ↑ "Guns and Butter in Billion-dollar Arms Deal". 21 September 2012. Retrieved 28 May 2014.
  10. ↑ "INSAS-weary army shops for new infantry arms". The New Indian Express. 16 December 2012. Retrieved 28 May 2014.
  11. ↑ "Army scraps the world's largest assault rifle tender". India Today. 1 July 2015. Retrieved 1 July 2015.
  12. ↑ "Army hunts for lethal assault rifle, junks DRDO's Excalibur". Economic Times. 3 July 2016. Retrieved 3 July 2016.
  13. ↑ "Indian army throw plan to induct desi rifle". timesofindia.indiatimes.com. Retrieved 3 July 2016.
  14. ↑ "Dmilt.com - India; Army agrees to adopt Excalibur rifles – as interim solution | Asia | News". Archived from the original on 7 November 2016. Retrieved 7 November 2016.
  15. ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20161107160624/http://www.janes.com/article/65209/ia-to-induct-excalibur-as-interim-assault-rifle
  16. ↑ "Indian Army rejects indigenously made rifles for second year in a row". 21 June 2017. Retrieved 2 August 2021.
  17. ↑ "Army hunts for lethal assault rifle junks DRDO's Excalibur". Retrieved 2 August 2021.
  18. ↑ Chanda, Rahul (12 May 2018). "Is Assam police prepared for counter insurgency operations". Retrieved 2 August 2021.
  19. ↑ "Karnataka Police Face Huge Weapon Shortage, Says CAG Report". 17 July 2018. Retrieved 2 August 2021.
  20. ↑ "Manipur Police Training College – Official Website Manipur Police".
  21. ↑ The Times of India (6 August 2016). "Excalibur muscle for Bengal police". timesofindia.com. Retrieved 6 August 2016.
  22. ↑ NYOOOZ (6 August 2016). "Excalibur muscle for Bengal police". nyoooz.com. Archived from the original on 21 August 2016. Retrieved 6 August 2016.

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