GOING FOR THE KILL

New assault gun underlines change in Indian military's operational doctrine

- SANJIB KR BARUAH

It was a particularly hot afternoon at the military base camp on the Siachen glacier last July. With a cheery smile, a young captain from the Assam Regiment told THE WEEK: "Our boys have a new gun. It is the first batch of the AK-203. And they seem very happy with it."

The remark had two key revelations. One, in an answer to the prayers of many a soldier, the long-awaited AK-203 had finally landed on the frontline.

Second, the fact that the soldiers were happy meant the gun was doing well in extreme conditions—at Siachen, the world’s highest battlefield, many a gun had malfunctioned be- cause of inclement weather.

While the shift to the AK-203 from the INSAS (Indian Small Arms System) rifle as the standard issue for the military is a sweeping one, it is also indicative of a change in offensive operations. And therein lies the bigger narrative.

While the 5.56mmx45mm bullet in the INSAS rifle is meant to wound, the 7.62mmx39mm bullet in the AK-203 is thicker, heavier and is meant to kill. Lieutenant General (retd) Syed Ata Hasnain told THE WEEK: “The AK-203 uses a bullet that is more lethal because of higher calibre and stopping power (immobilising a target). It is a proven AK platform, has more reliability in all conditions and is lighter than the INSAS by about 300g. Moreover, it has both semiautomatic and fully automatic modes. Being fully automatic is a major advantage for counter-terrorist situations at closer range.”

Originally chosen by NATO (and copied in INSAS), the lighter calibre was based on the logic that a wounded soldier ties up more enemy resources, like the medical and evacuating personnel, besides demoralising fellow troops.

“It is the operational philosophy we were fed in the 1980s and even the 1990s,” said Hasnain. “It is not as if counterinsurgency/counter-terror (CI/CT) operations were our main task, but the Army was at a disadvantage in such operations while being armed with the INSAS.”