These articles seem relevant to current events.

by Vladimir Onokoy
Published:
May 5th, 2025
https://www.thefirearmblog.com...rvice-rifle-44820781


by Vladimir Onokoy
Published:
August 9th, 2024

https://www.thefirearmblog.com...-experience-44815429
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"A little over a week ago, a mass shooting near Pahalgam in the Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir, where at least 26 tourists were killed, caused the biggest escalation of the India-Pakistan conflict in recent years. Troops are now rushed to the border, both sides are conducting large-scale military drills, and many expect that this escalation will turn into a full-scale war.

TFB decided to analyse the small arms fleets of both sides to see who might have the edge in the possible conflict. The editors asked me to share my thoughts about it, since I spend an extensive amount of time in both India and Pakistan, testing weapons and conducting small arms trials with various branches of the military and law enforcement units of these two countries."


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After reading, in my opinion, the Pakistani 'G3's outperform the Indian INSAS in many ways.

Advantage: Pakistan

I wonder if there is an article that compares both adversaries' nuclear capabilities. *shudder*

Um ... yes.

https://www.usatoday.com/story...weapons/83494547007/

https://www.independent.co.uk/...e-jets-b2746952.html

https://www.newsweek.com/india...lear-arsenal-2069013

https://www.slashgear.com/1854...pabilities-compared/

quote:

Originally posted by RichardC:
After reading, in my opinion, the Pakistani 'G3's outperform the Indian INSAS in many ways.

Well, yeah. The INSAS is widely regarded as one of the worst service rifles in history, and a textbook example of problems in indigenous rifle design, testing, and production. While the G3 is a well-regarded workhorse that's been thoroughly proven in many decades of use around the world.

However, the INSAS is in process of being phased out and replaced by other rifles. Currently, about 1/3 of the Indian military fields rifles other than the INSAS.

I was about to post just to ask if anyone had heard anything about India's vaunted contract with the Russians to produce Kalashnikovs in India, when this popped up in a quick search..

From India Today, dated 2/5/25 -

"Army To Boost Firepower With 70,000 new AK-203 Rifles As Part of Russia Deal"

http://www.indiatoday.in/india...s-2675461-2025-02-05

There's an interesting picture of the 203 in the article. Compared to the AK 203 entry in the Kalashnikov Concern website, the Indian version replaces a flash hider with a straight up muzzle brake, a Zhukov-type buttstock for one that looks remarkeably like a MAKO group buttstock, and a short railed handguard/railed dustcover combo for what looks like a one-piece slotted handguard/forward rail combo.

The Indian army is also buying Sig 716s.

https://www.sigsauer.com/blog/...-73000-sig716-rifles

It's not the arrow, it's the Indian...or the Paki.

If they're poorly trained and adhere to outdated doctrines, the best service rifles in the world won't make a difference. From the looks of it, both sides are more concerned with pomp and ceremonies than combat trainings.

So INSAS parts kits when.

quote:

Originally posted by darkest2000:
So INSAS parts kits when.

When INSAS is ready to gamble that they won't be embarrassed by someone else actually making that design work. It's a neat idea, but seems to be an awful lot of work for the result India got.