Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Tuesday handed over the long-awaited Future-Infantry-Soldier-as-a-System (F-INSAS) equipment to the Indian Army, which will use them to significantly enhance the battle-fighting abilities of infantry soldiers in the future.
Modelled on soldier modernisation programmes around the world, the F-INSAS system has three components — weapons, protective gear and a modern communication system — which would be upgraded later to provide the soldier with real-time connectivity. When armed with such equipment, a soldier’s combat ability increases manifold.
The first sub-system of F-INSAS is a modern state-of-art assault rifle (AK 203 with a range of 300 mt) along with day and night holographic and reflex sights. The sights are mounted on the weapon and also on the helmet to enable 360-degree visibility and accuracy in operational conditions.
In addition to the primary weapon, the soldiers will also be kitted with a multi-mode hand grenade which has been procured indigenously along with a multi-purpose knife for close-quarters combat. The grenade can be thrown in both offensive and defensive mode.
The second one is a protection system that shields the soldier through a specially designed helmet and a bulletproof jacket.
The bulletproof jacket to guard against AK-47 and 9 mm bullets. The helmet comes with a mounted night vision and there is also an option of integrating a thermal imager – both needed for fighting in low-light conditions. The third sub-system consists of a communication and surveillance system, which may be upgraded later to incorporate real-time data connectivity.
The AK-203 rifles will be manufactured at Korwa near Amethi in a Russia-India joint venture.
A contract for more than six lakh rifles was signed in December 2021 with Indo-Russian Rifles Private Ltd.
The project, which began more than a decade ago, saw several turns and twists before reaching a stage where the system was handed over to the Indian Army at a ceremony in the presence of Army Chief Gen Manoj Pande.
The defence minister also handed over several other new machines and equipment to the army which would help the forces fight the Chinese troops on the Line of Actual Control.