PUNE, Jan 24: Making effective use of concurrent engineering to meet the growing requirements of the Indian army, the Ammunition Factory at Khadki, one of the oldest small arms ammunition factories in the country, has set up separate facilities for the manufacture of ammunition for the famous AK-47 weapon systems and the recently introduced 5.56 Indian Small Arms Weapon System (INSAS).Almost every soldier of the Indian army is equipped with INSAS following the gradual phase-out of the 7.62 rifle. Significantly, Pune will be the only facility to manufacture the required ammunition for both the weapon systems in bulk quantities. At a later stage this year, the Ordnance Factory, Warangaon near Bhusaval, will also be involved in some of the supply process.The INSAS ammunition, which has a maximum range of 4600 metres and an effective range of 750 metres, can penetrate a 2.45 mm thick steel plate almost 600 metres from the muzzle. It can be fired at the rate of five rounds per second.Officials said that in the recent user trials at Mhow, the ammunition was tested against similar imported ammunition from South Africa, Israel, Belgium, France and Spain and was found to be far superior. Another set of trials are expected to be conducted in March this year before the ammunition can be supplied to the armed forces in bulk.In the last two decades, the NATO and erstwhile Warsaw Pact countries replaced 7.62 mm rifle with an improved small arms weapon of 5.56 calibre. During the period, most countries formed a belief that instead of causing loss to human life, the other country should be put to burden with the war wounded.This belief was chiefly the outcome of the immense problems caused by the wounded soldiers in the aftermath of the Vietnam war. As a result most nations shifted from the 7.62 mm rifle to the improved small arms weapon of 5.56 mm calibre.Soon after the Ordnance factories in collaboration with the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) developed the INSAS, which is considered far superior to weapon systems currently in use in NATO and the erstwhile Warsaw Pact countries.Ammunition factory completed the development of ammunition for the INSAS in 1992 and commenced limited bulk production in 1993 by conversion of the old 7.62 mm machines for this purpose. The project for creation of capacity of production of 5.56 mm ammunition is now nearing completion.Ammunition Factory (Khadki) general manager S Ramaratnam told The Indian Express that concurrent engineering was the buzzword in most defence establishments and, as a result, the factory had taken steps towards utilising the existing machines of 7.62 Rifle for the INSAS ammunition.``Some of the machines are supplied by HMT but some of them are required to be imported,'' Ramaratnam said. With the use of the existing machines, the factory has managed to save at least five years in the production process.The factory will manufacture the case, bullet, propellant and primer used for treating the firing at the Khadki facility. During the final phase, the factory will be supplying 160 million rounds of INSAS ammunition.On the ammunition for the AK-47 weapon systems, Ramaratnam said that these were still being developed and moreover, the Indian army was presently importing these weapon systems to meet its requirements.
