Vidhwansak AMR

History

The Vidhwansak is an indigenous anti-material rifle design currently in limited service with the Indian Army. The Large Heavy Rifle System is intended to be used as a complement to engaging enemy light vehicles, buildings, fortifications, ordnance handling and counter-snipers on the battlefield.

The rifle entered service in 2007 to meet the needs of the Indian Army for this weapon system, with around 100 examples believed to be in service at the time of writing.

The Indian Army is initially negotiating with the South African defence company Denel to supply various types of weapons systems upon request. One of the procurement requirements was an anti-material rifle, the Denel NTW-20 series system.

However, the Denel company, which proved responsible for illegally paying the Indian government for lucrative defense contracts, was immediately banned from serving in the Indian Army.

This leaves various gaps in the Indian Army's military to fill, the most important of which remains the need for proven anti-material weapons systems. Therefore, the local team started working with the Ordnance Factory Tiruchirapalli (OFT) and the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) in New Delhi to develop a solution to produce suitable homegrown alternatives.

DRDO was established in 1958 to guide the technological development of the Indian military.

Starting with NTW-20 in South Africa, a working prototype was developed by the end of 2005. The evaluation began in 2006 and was successfully completed, leading to the delivery of a procurement contract for 100 Vidhwansaks to the Indian Border Security Force - Indian Border Protection Agency.

The Vidhwansak series officially started production in February 2007 and the weapons were officially delivered in October 2008. Despite limited procurement so far, the Indian Army and other government defence groups have expressed interest in the rifle system.

Unique to the Vidhwansak is that the base weapon system is able to accommodate three different calibers, with some limited modifications to its main components (barrel and bolt). Additionally, the operator can install the appropriate optics for the preferred caliber and must also provide the correct caliber magazine.

The rifle can be configured to fire 12.7mm, 14.5mm and 20mm cartridges, making the Vidhwansak a very flexible tactical weapon system.

Like other heavy rifles in this class, the Vidhwansak is a manually operated bolt-action rifle at its core. Regardless of the caliber of ammunition chosen, the weapon is fed from a detachable magazine inserted into the left side of the receiver. The receiver includes a bumper slider to deal with the violent recoil inherent in this type of weapon.

Additionally, a muzzle brake was added at the end of the barrel to compensate for roughly half of the recoil that occurs during firing. Both the barrel and receiver recoil within the receiver frame. The design allows the Vidhwansak to be broken down into two main components, which can be transported by two designated personnel. The Vidhwansak weighs 55 pounds and has a length of 1,700mm with a barrel length of 1,100mm.

Vidhwansak are usually staffed with two operators to lighten the weapons supply. Standard 8x42 power adjustable range. Muzzle velocity is rated at 3,411 feet per second. It has an effective range of up to 1,962 yards and a maximum range of 2,180 yards.

The original Sanskrit word Vidhwansak means "destroyer".

Specification

Roles

Dimensions

PERFORMANCE

VARIANTS