3 Indian vs 3 Pakistani Locally Developed Rifles: Features, Calibers & Development Compared

3 Indian rifles vs 3 Pakistani Rifles: Complete Comparison (2026)

As you all know, every country's army tries to become stronger with time, be it the training of military personnel or the development of arms and weapons. Every country tries to improve and strengthen its defense capabilities, and India and Pakistan are also present in this list.

Both India and Pakistan have been focusing on developing and locally producing small arms for their armed forces for the last several years. Both countries are trying to reduce dependence on foreign weapons and strengthen their domestic defense industries. Some rifles are completely self-developed designs, while some are based on foreign platforms that have been locally manufactured or modified.

So, in this article, we will compare 3vs3 notable locally developed rifles from India and Pakistan. We will also examine the design, capabilities, and available specifications and publicly reported characteristics of these rifles, as well as their military uses. The aim is not just to decide which country's rifle is "better," but to understand the approach India and Pakistan have taken in developing modern infantry weapons, and their major strengths and limitations.

 SO LET'S START : 

🇮🇳 1. INSAS — India 

India Rifle INSAS

It is impossible to exclude Indian rifles from the discussion and not to mention INSAS, as INSAS plays an integral part in the Indian defense industry. Being one of the most prominent indigenous service rifles, INSAS was used by the Indian Army for several decades. Therefore, it was necessary to include this weapon in our comparison list. If we look at the history of this rifle, INSAS rifle was developed by both DRDO and Ordnance Factory Board and this family included both rifle and light machine gun.

INSAS rifle was introduced in the Indian armed forces in the 1990s/1994, and the rifle was also used in the Operation named Vijay of 1999. But if we look at the record of INSAS, it was not completely problem-free, that is, this rifle had some problems, such as reliability and design-related complaints, as well as the operational requirements of the Indian Army, especially the caliber requirement, due to which India later started procuring new assault rifles to replace this rifle, and also shifted towards 7.62×51mm caliber.

🇵🇰 BW-20 — Pakistan

Pakistan locally-developed BW-20

Now if we talk about Pakistani Rifle BW-20 in comparison to India INSAS, then BW-20 is developed by Pakistan Ordnance Factories (POF) as a newly designed battle rifle, and it has been designed as per Pakistan's next-generation small-arms requirement. According to POF, the purpose of making this BW-20 was to improve the length, weight and reduce the recoil as compared to the old G3A3 rifle, so that it could fully meet the new service rifle requirements.

According to (Janes)British-origin defense and security intelligence organization, in 2015 Pakistani military had raised the requirement of a new rifle to eventually replace the G3 family. And the BW-20 was developed in response to this requirement. But calling it simply an "upgraded version of the G3" would not be accurate; POF presents it as a new battle-rifle design.

INSAS vs BW-20: Direct Comparison

Type

🇮🇳 INSAS — India
Assault Rifle

🇵🇰 BW-20 — Pakistan
Battle Rifle 

Caliber

🇮🇳 INSAS — India
5.56×45 mm

🇵🇰 BW-20 — Pakistan
7.62×51 mm 

Operating System

🇮🇳 INSAS — India
Gas-operated

🇵🇰 BW-20 — Pakistan
Roller-delayed blowback

Magazine Capacity

🇮🇳 INSAS — India
20 / 30 rounds 

🇵🇰 BW-20 — Pakistan
20 rounds

Barrel

🇮🇳 INSAS — India
464 mm

🇵🇰 BW-20 — Pakistan
12-inch / 16-inch configurations 

Weight

🇮🇳 INSAS — India
4.1 kg (loaded)

🇵🇰 BW-20 — Pakistan
Official POF product page does not state the weight

Effective Range

🇮🇳 INSAS — India
400 meters 

🇵🇰 BW-20 — Pakistan
Not officially stated by POF

Muzzle Velocity

🇮🇳 INSAS — India
900 m/s

🇵🇰 BW-20 — Pakistan
Not officially stated by POF

Rate of Fire

🇮🇳 INSAS — India
650 rounds/min

🇵🇰 BW-20 — Pakistan
Not officially stated by POF

Fire Modes

🇮🇳 INSAS — India
Safe, single shot and 3-round burst 

🇵🇰 BW-20 — Pakistan
Select-fire configuration

Key Design Features

🇮🇳 INSAS — India
Transparent magazine, folding-butt version and suppressor provision

🇵🇰 BW-20 — Pakistan
Inline buttstock, polymer magazine and provisions for modern accessories 

Development Focus

🇮🇳 INSAS — India
Indigenous 5.56 mm infantry rifle family

🇵🇰 BW-20 — Pakistan
Modern 7.62 mm battle-rifle design developed as a newer alternative to the G3A3 

🇮🇳 2. Excalibur Rifle — India 

India Self-developed EXCALUBAR rifle

India’s locally developed Excalibur rifle was introduced as an improved assault-rifle option, which was developed by Rifle Factory Ishapore (RFI) in collaboration with the Indian Army. 

This rifle was developed for the 5.56x45mm caliber. The EXCALIBUR rifle was an attempt to provide an improved Indian assault rifle option after the experience of the INSAS family. 

The Ministry of Defense described the Excalibur design as "established and proven" in 2017. However, the Indian Army later shifted its assault-rifle requirement towards the 7.62x51mm caliber, due to which the Excalibur was not inducted as the Army's standard service rifle.

An interesting point about this rifle is that it was not only produced at the prototype stage, but according to Indian government records, around 20,000 units of this rifle were also supplied to various police forces. Hence, Excalibur is an important example of India's locally developed rifles.

🇵🇰 2. CW-39 — Pakistan

Pakistan Self-developed CW-39

Pakistan's locally developed CW-39 Rifle, which was showcased by Pakistan Ordnance Factories (POF) at IDEAS 2022. POF showcased the CW-39 along with the BW-20 and CW-56 as indigenously produced assault rifles. According to POF, this rifle was designed as per the requirements of military and law-enforcement agencies.

If we talk about the design of CW-39, the focus of this rifle's features is accuracy, recoil control and better handling. According to POF, the free-floating barrel helps in improving accuracy, while the buffer and in-line recoil setup have been used to reduce felt recoil. It also features an adjustable stock and ambidextrous controls. The interesting thing about this rifle is that it wasn't just presented as a concept, but (POF) has included it in their current product lineup.

Excalibur vs CW-39 — Direct Comparison

Type

🇮🇳 Excalibur — India
Assault Rifle

🇵🇰 CW-39 — Pakistan
Combat / Assault Rifle

Caliber

🇮🇳 Excalibur — India
5.56×45 mm

🇵🇰 CW-39 — Pakistan
7.62×39 mm 

Magazine

🇮🇳 Excalibur — India
5.56 mm magazine

🇵🇰 CW-39 — Pakistan
7.62×39 mm magazine  

Design & Handling

🇮🇳 Excalibur — India
Improved assault-rifle design developed after the INSAS experience

🇵🇰 CW-39 — Pakistan
Adjustable stock, ambidextrous controls and modern accessory compatibility 

Accuracy

🇮🇳 Excalibur — India
Established and proven design

🇵🇰 CW-39 — Pakistan
Free-floating barrel designed to improve accuracy 

Recoil Control

🇮🇳 Excalibur — India
No specific official recoil-reduction figure available

🇵🇰 CW-39 — Pakistan
Buffer, IMD and in-line recoil setup for reduced felt recoil 

Barrel

🇮🇳 Excalibur — India
5.56×45 mm configuration

🇵🇰 CW-39 — Pakistan
Free-floating barrel

Accessory Compatibility

🇮🇳 Excalibur — India
Improved assault-rifle configuration

🇵🇰 CW-39 — Pakistan
Integrated Picatinny rail for optics and accessories 

Development / Status

🇮🇳 Excalibur — India
Developed by Rifle Factory Ishapore with the Indian Army; around 20,000 supplied to police forces

🇵🇰 CW-39 — Pakistan
POF-designed and included in POF's current product lineup

Overall

🇮🇳 Excalibur — India
Strong example of India's locally developed 5.56 mm assault-rifle programme

🇵🇰 CW-39 — Pakistan
Modern design features, recoil-control system and accessory compatibility 

🇮🇳 3.UGRAM Rifle — India

Indian UGRAM Rifle (Self-developed)

The UGRAM rifle was developed by the Pune-based Armament Research and Development Establishment (ARDE) of the Defense Research and Development Organization (DRDO) in collaboration with Hyderabad-based private company Dvipa Armour India Private Limited. 

Its first prototype was unveiled in 2024. At that time further trials were required, but by 2025 UGRAM had entered the next stages of development, testing and commercialization. According to recent reporting, UGRAM has completed Army and MHA trials and is moving towards CAPF procurement.

This rifle uses 7.62×51 mm cartridge.

According to the Technology Development Board of the Indian Government, the design, material selection, manufacturing and testing of the UGRAM project were done domestically, and the rifle was developed as per the GSQR requirements of the Indian Army.

🇵🇰 3. CW-56 — Pakistan

POF developed CW-56 Rifle

Another locally developed rifle from Pakistan is the CW-56, which is an important rifle of the POF. This Pakistani self-made rifle was also presented at IDEAS 2022 as locally-tiered assault rifles along with the BW-20 and CW-39. The CW-56 is a magazine-fed rifle chambered for the 5.56×45 mm cartridge and uses a roller-delayed blowback operating system....

According to POF, CW-56 is a shorter and lighter weight rifle, which will improve the overall maneuverability of this rifle. Due to this feature, POF has also described it as suitable for roles like non-infantry troops and close-quarter battles. An interesting point about CW-56 is that it is a related design with BW-20 family and is a part of POF's roller-delayed rifle family. 

Therefore, instead of calling it just a locally manufactured rifle, it would be more accurate to call it a part of POF's locally developed rifle program.

CW-56 vs Ugram — Direct Comparison

Country

🇵🇰 CW-56 — Pakistan
Combat Assault Rifle

🇮🇳 Ugram — India
Assault Rifle

Caliber

🇵🇰 CW-56 — 5.56×45 mm
Uses 5.56×45 mm cartridge

🇮🇳 Ugram — 7.62×51 mm 
Uses 7.62×51 mm cartridge

Magazine

🇵🇰 CW-56 — Magazine-fed
Detachable magazine

🇮🇳 Ugram — 20-round magazine 
Detachable magazine

Operating System

🇵🇰 CW-56 — Roller-delayed blowback operating system

🇮🇳 Ugram — Long-stroke piston operating system

Design & Handling

🇵🇰 CW-56  — Shorter and lighter design for improved maneuverability

🇮🇳 Ugram — Lightweight design focused on improved handling

Weight

🇵🇰 CW-56 — Designed as a shorter and lighter rifle

🇮🇳 Ugram — Less than 4 kg 
Publicly stated weight specification

Effective Range

🇵🇰 CW-56 — Publicly available sources do not clearly specify

🇮🇳 Ugram — Around 500 metres 

Role

🇵🇰 CW-56 — Suitable for non-infantry troops and close-quarter role

🇮🇳 Ugram — Designed for armed forces and paramilitary roles

Development

🇵🇰 CW-56 — Developed by Pakistan Ordnance Factories (POF)

🇮🇳 Ugram — Developed by DRDO's ARDE in collaboration with Dvipa Defence

Overall

🇵🇰 CW-56 — Compact 5.56 mm rifle using a roller-delayed operating system

🇮🇳 Ugram — Larger-calibre 7.62 mm rifle designed for combat effectiveness

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 CONCLUSION :

In conclusion, if we look at this comparison holistically, both countries have worked on locally developed rifles as per their defense requirements. On India's side, programs like INSAS. UGRAM, and Excalibur played an important role in domestic small-arms development, while on Pakistan's side, 

BW-20, CW-56 and CW-39 represent modern locally developed rifle designs.

All these rifles have been designed by both countries keeping in mind their military and national defense requirements, and these rifles have tried to fulfil their respective roles and requirements. Therefore, it would not be completely fair to say that the rifle of one country is generally better than the other. The rifles’ advantages are different because of their caliber, recoil, accuracy, handling, range, and role.

In addition, both programs are examples of India and Pakistan’s efforts to develop their domestic defense and small-arms industries.

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