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Mains Paper 3: Science & Technology | indigenization of technology & developing new technology
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important:
Prelims level: Ordnance Factory Board, INSAS rifle
Mains level: Defense manufacturing in India
News
Trials for replacement of INSAS rifles
- The trials of an assault rifle being developed by the Ordnance Factory Board (OFB) have made progress after initial bottlenecks
- The Army has been trying to replace the in-service INSAS rifle with a modern one
Stringent specifications
- The Army wanted 99% consistency in firing
- Army also asked for interchangeable barrels capable of firing both 5.56-mm and 7.62-mm caliber bullets
- The Army has decided to go for two different rifles — import a high-tech rifle in small numbers for the frontline infantry soldiers and procure the indigenous rifle in large numbers to meet the balance requirement
Back2Basics
Ordnance Factory Board
- Ordnance Factories Board (OFB) is an industrial organization, functioning under the Department of Defence Production of Ministry of Defence, Government of India
- It is engaged in research, development, production, testing, marketing and logistics of a comprehensive product range in the areas of air, land and sea systems
- OFB is the world’s largest government-operated production organisation and the oldest organisation run by the Government of India
- It is often called the “Fourth Arm of Defence” and the “Force Behind the Armed Forces” of India
- It is amongst the top 50 defence equipment manufacturers in the world
INSAS rifle
- INSAS (an abbreviation of Indian New Small Arms System) is a family of infantry arms consisting of an assault rifle and a light machine gun (LMG)
- It is manufactured by the Ordnance Factories Board
- The INSAS assault rifle is the standard infantry weapon of the Indian Armed Forces
- The Indian Small Arms System (INSAS) was adopted in 1990
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