So, happy Saturday. NATO planes and warships are finally striking Libya. In the meantime, we thought we’d show you India’s notion for a 21st Century battle uniform. Dubbed the Futuristic Infantry Soldier As a System, or F-ISAS, the kit consists of body armor and WMD protection integrated to the uniform, a hand held computer, helmet with a visor displaying critical battlefield information and 5.56mm, 7.62mm, and purportedly 6.8mm “modular weapon system” that can also be equipped with a bolt-on grenade launcher.
The weapons will start to be fielded next year, and the whole system will be in place by 2020, according to Soldier Systems.
The whole point being to turn the next generation of Indian infantryman into a fully networked “a self-contained fighting machine.” Oh, and the system’s developers, India’s Defence Research and Development Organisation, also want to reduce the weight carried by each soldier by 50 percent.
{ 31 comments… read them below or add one }
looks pretty poxy to me
That looks almost like a parody of a weapons display. I mean, did they have to paint a mustache on the mannequin with a magic marker? Really?
I did like the idea or reducing the combat load, but 50% is a bridge too far.
I like the mustache.
i like the motor bike helmet too
When I was watching the video I thought he was speaking hindi. Until he started saying numbers…
I have my doubts India can make this happen. Most of their military doesn't even have standard assault rifle and their own INSAS is of poor quality. At best only a handful of units will get access to such equipment.
What do you mean by "most of their military doesn't even have standard assault rifle"?? Mate they are goin to get missile defence….so dont you think what you claim is retarded??
The Indian military has some very nice equipment. In recent years they have gotten new aircraft, vehicles, and supersonic cruise missiles among other things. Yet it is a large Army to equip and the quality of their infantry gear has lagged behind. Some regiments use the INSAS, others have AKs, and others have the Indian produced variant of the FN-FAL. Elite units meanwhile have the IMI Tavor and Colt M4.
They should try to standardize some more basic equipment first including an assault rifle that is better than the INSAS. Then they can concentrate on fielding all of this fancy Land-Warrior type gear to front line units.
it may be a combination of a large army and varied operational needs. Their army is actually smaller than that of the US, so not absurdly large. I suspect the FAL lingers on due to demand for a 7.62 weapon in some circles, not unlike our own redemand for 7.62 weapons after standardizing on a short range M4. However our demand for 7.62 weapons is based on long range use with accurized weapons with matching optics and match grade rounds. Not sure if India has trickled that kind of stuff down to line units.
However, the Kargil War and numerous conflicts must have led to some sort of demand for weapons capable of long ranges, just as with the US?
"Their army is actually smaller than that of the US"
Not according to Wikipedia, which has the active-duty strength greater than the regular and reserve US force combined, plus another 2 million reservists. You have better info?
However our demand for 7.62 weapons is based on long range use with accurized weapons with matching optics and match grade rounds. Not sure if India has trickled that kind of stuff down to line units.
neither has the usa before the actual wartime need for them
William C,
The Indian Army hasoccupied and defended positions in Siachen at insane altitudes for 25 yaers now.Tha Pakis took some empty positions from India in Kargil and ran down in a few months.India has kept at bay the most vicious islamic insurgency in Kashmir.Not an inch of Kashmir stood'liberated ' by these islamists.All they do now is mount a few ambushes here and there and attack civilans.Stop worrying about the Insas,it not glamorous geardo,all it requieres is care and discipline.Am yet to meet someone who took a insas bullet and brushed it off.LOL We do not have standard assualt rifle!!!WOW we do it all by slingshots.And whether we can supply all our chaps.Wel lwe are getting a 10 C-17s, a dozen Phalcon Awacs,planning for 150 Typhoon or Rafeale class Aircraft, a nuclear submarine,artillery ,tanks etc etc just over the last two years.This programme is no big deal compared to them
yes, i too have heard the issues about the insas. cracking in the winter if i remember correctly. also the amount of equipment doesn't mean a lot.
if it does, the serbs haven't got the memo….
Yes!! that was a prob…but now all the problems are rectified…the INSAS is a good rifle but not the best..INSAS was the first indigenousness rifle made by India..since then a lot of knowledge has been gained ..the newer INSAS are of good quality but now a new assault rifle is being introduced its called trichy assault rifle..its not a part of F-INSAS… http://www.militaryphotos.net/forums/showthread.p… …plzz check out the link there are also the newer models of INSAS.
Dont forget your getting more new MiG-29Ks for your new Aircraft carrier.
Hi Raj, I didn't mean to imply there was a lack of modernization across the Indian military. This is clearly not the case. I was just pointing out it is a large infantry force to equip and many of the different units don't have standardized gear. Until that is sorted out all of these Land-Warrior type systems seem a bit premature.
Regarding the INSAS, I just have not heard pretty things about its quality. Here is a good article about the subject: http://indiansforguns.com/viewtopic.php?f=13&…
Maybe the later models are higher quality and have less flaws, but either way it sounds like license production of a proven design like the FN-FNC would be a better solution unless all of this is sorted out. Meanwhile the Tavor is an excellent weapon but equipping the whole army with those would be horribly expensive. Even the Israelis have trouble affording enough of them.
The IAF has seen major improvement in recent years and I'm personally hoping they go with the Super Hornet (with upgraded engines) for the MRCA competition.
No one can cut 50% from the infantry soldiers load. A weight reduction on one thing is the opportunity to load something else onto his aching back.
the indian army just like the chinese has so many soldiers they cant afford to equip them all like they would want to. it dosint really matter to them since they have so many troops on ground hahaha
I am no expert but I see governments all over the world trying to create a "future soldier" but all I see is guys running around in blue jeans,runners and shirts killing what is now supposed to be the best combat soldier. Heads down all nato,aussie and u.s forces in afganistan no "rag" is worth your life
Cant beat attritional exchanges. The old days of redcoats using gatlings to blast down hordes of spear wielding locals is over. Now the locals have guns too, and you are bound to lose some. Adopting cheaper kit doesnt work unless you can similiarly throw masses of fodder at your enemies. it will be a while before defensive technologies nullify the equalizing power between a third worlders AKM and a first world soldier with a shorter range m4 and body armor which is good for at best a few shots…
Do not dismiss the Indians so lightly, their R&D is catching up fast with the West. They are only one of about four or five nations in the world who are developing an ABM system that works.
As for the Integrated Infantry system it is as probably as well developed and thought out as any of the comparable US, British, French, German and Italian systems being devloped at the moment and in some way more adavanced, take the rifle for example, they are talking about being used to fire either 5.56x45mm, 7.62x39mm and the 6.8mm Remington SPC rounds. How many countries in the west are developing such a weapon or even switching to a new callibre?
Doesn't the ARC fire 5.56, 7.62 and 6.8?
I am not sure about the 6.8 but yes it fires the 5.56 n 7.62
does hk 416/ 417 and scar count? and if it fires the most powerful ammo of them, it can fire all.
For spec ops this option is viable but a waste for regular infantry since most troops don't need to make quick caliber changes in the field and lack facilities to do it. This is one key reasons the US Army dumped multi caliber carbines in the new Improved Carbine Competition and now want hyper bust for some weird reason.
The rifles in this pic INAS rifles which have many doubters about this design. Why don't they adopt a M-4 and FAL combo like most countries in the Afghan theater of ops have gone to like US has M-4 and M-14 combo or the British a L-85 and AR-10 combo. This works better than muticaliber guns that have a nasty disadvantage of losing accuracy and jamming when not properly re barreled.
I know its India pride but adding more FNC features to the INAS rifle might help the design.
the basic principle [of the insas] is actually good (i think a copy of galil or a kalashnikov maybe), the production quality is not so good. or maybe there is a fault in the design somewhere (lack of ergonomics, gas impignement system instead of a cylinder etc).
You can laugh as much you like but remember, India has one thing in common with USA and NATO.
the enemy!
Islam and China
oh yeah, also the democracy
:-)
They might want to use E ink on the arm PC since I could barely see it in a low light situation. We can all imagine how bad it would look in direct sun light.
the pda is an epic fail yes. it's also too large and clumsy and prone to getting stuck/ damage etc.
Is it just me, or does the rifle look like a mock up of an F2000 or F2000 clone?
Well the presentation video is a let down, for sure. But I seriously disagree with william C's comment. What people are forgetting is that Indians are most adept at creative improvisation termed as "jugaD" in Hindi. When they can successfully use 1950s era hardware (such as Mig-21s & INS Viraat) well beyond their life and yet be able intimidate the best of hostile armed forces with them, just imagine what will it be able to do with new era hardware. People around the world are just not ready to see India as a credible military power. But the armed forces of the world do. Just read the news about so many international war games in which India participated.