INSAS LMG
Ordnance Factory Board · Machine Gun · In Production · 1998
Also known as: 5.56mm INSAS LMG, Indian Small Arms System Light Machine Gun
Overview
The INSAS LMG is a 5.56x45mm NATO light machine gun developed as the squad automatic weapon of the Indian Small Arms System family by the Armament Research and Development Establishment (ARDE) and manufactured by the Ordnance Factory Board of India. Entering service with the Indian Armed Forces in 1998 alongside the INSAS assault rifle, it shares the platform's long-stroke gas-piston action and stamped steel receiver but adds a longer heavy barrel for sustained fire, a folding bipod, a carrying handle, and full-automatic capability that the standard rifle lacks. The LMG feeds from the same detachable 30-round transparent box magazines as the rifle rather than a belt, providing magazine-fed light support at section level. It is designed for maximum commonality of parts with the rifle and carbine variants to simplify logistics and training, and serves to deliver suppressive fire out to roughly 700 metres of effective range.
Specifications
| Weight (empty) | 6230 g (219.8 oz) |
| Weight (loaded) | 6730 g (237.4 oz) |
| Overall Length | 1050 mm (41.34") |
| Folded Length | 890 mm (35.04") |
| Barrel Length | 535 mm (21.06") |
| Action Type | Gas Operated Long Stroke |
| Firing Mechanism | Hammer Fired |
| Trigger Type | Single Stage |
| Magazine Capacity | 30 rounds |
| Magazine Type | Detachable Box |
| Muzzle Velocity | 925 m/s (3035 fps) |
| Muzzle Energy | 1780 J (1313 ft·lbf) |
| Effective Range | 700 m (766 yd) |
| Maximum Range | 1000 m (1094 yd) |
| Rate of Fire | 650 rpm |
| Barrel Rifling | Right Hand |
| Rifling Twist | 178 mm (7.01") |
| Number of Grooves | 6 |
| Frame Material | Stamped Steel |
| Barrel Material | Steel |
| Stock Material | Polymer |
| Finish | Phosphate |
Calibers
- 5.56x45mm NATO · primary · 5.56x45mm NATO — also known as 5.56x45mm, 5.56 NATO, SS109, M855
Features
- Firing modes: Semi Automatic, Full Automatic
- Feed systems: Detachable Box Magazine
- Safety mechanisms: Manual Safety Selector, Hammer Notch
- Features: Heavy Barrel, Folding Bipod, Chrome Lined Barrel, Chrome Lined Chamber, Rotating Bolt, Full Auto, Gas Regulator, Folding Stock, Carrying Handle
Base model
Service history
Operators
- Indian Armed Forces · adopted 1998 · as 5.56mm INSAS LMG
- Nepalese Army · adopted 2001
- Royal Bhutan Army
Conflicts
- Kargil War (1999-1999)
- Indian Counter-Insurgency Operations (1998-present)
Production
Production years: 1998-present
Produced by the Ordnance Factory Board as the light machine gun member of the INSAS family for the Indian Armed Forces and export clients.
Origin
Country of origin: India
Designer: Armament Research and Development Establishment
Notes
Unlike the standard INSAS rifle, which is limited to semi-automatic and three-round burst, the LMG variant retains a fully automatic fire mode for the sustained-fire support role. It is magazine-fed from 30-round detachable box magazines (and is compatible with the rifle's 20-round magazines) rather than belt-fed, which limits sustained-fire endurance compared with belt-fed designs. The heavier barrel and bipod increase weight to roughly 6.2 kg empty. Like the rest of the INSAS family, the LMG drew criticism for cracked magazines and reliability problems in the extreme cold of high-altitude operations, and the family is being progressively replaced in Indian service.
Background
The INSAS LMG gave Indian infantry sections a magazine-fed automatic weapon built on the same receiver as their service rifle, trading the endurance of a belt feed for parts commonality across the whole Indian Small Arms System. Like its rifle sibling, it earned a reputation for cracked magazines in Himalayan cold during the Kargil conflict.