Rifle Factory Ishapore
22°48′11″N 88°22′08″E / 22.803°N 88.369°E / 22.803; 88.369
 | |
| Company type | Division |
|---|---|
| Industry | Defence |
| Founded | 1904 |
| Headquarters | Ichhapur, India |
Key people | P. K. Behera (General Manager) |
| Parent | Advanced Weapons and Equipment India Limited (current) Ordnance Factory Board (Till 2021) |
| Website | ddpdoo.gov.in |
The Rifle Factory Ishapore (also known as Ishapore Arsenal) is an Indian state-owned arms manufacturing unit located at Ichhapur in the state of West Bengal.
History
The first arms manufacturing facility on the site was a gunpowder factory, which was started in 1787 by Tipu Sultan and began production in 1791, whilst a gun & carriage manufacturing facility was set up nearby in 1801.
In 1904, a rifle factory was established by the British at Ichhapur, anglicized as Ishapore, and began production of the Lee–Enfield rifle, which has continued- more or less- until the mid-1980s, and possibly the present. The factory also manufactured the Vickers-Berthier (VB) light machine gun, which was adopted in 1932 by the Indian Army and still remains in reserve use.[1]
Military rifles manufactured at Ishapore 1949 and pre-1949 are stamped "GRI" on the buttsocket, referring to George Rex, Imperator (i.e. King George VI, last Emperor of India), whilst military rifles manufactured 1949 and post-1948 are stamped "RFI", which stands for Rifle Factory, Ishapore.[citation needed]
The factory was administered by the Ordnance Factory Board of India till 2021 when it was corporatised under the ownership of Advanced Weapons and Equipment India Limited.[2]
Products
The .303 British calibre Short Magazine Lee–Enfield Mk III, the 7.62×51mm NATO calibre Ishapore 2A1 rifle and the 7.62mm NATO L1A1 Self-Loading Rifle were manufactured at RFI.
It now manufactures the 5.56mm INSAS rifle assault rifle, Kalantak rifle, Ghatak rifle (7.62×39mm AKM-style assault rifle),[3][4] 7.62 Sniper Rifles and Pistol Auto 9mm 1A for military/law enforcment.
RFI makes other firearms such as IOF .22 revolver, IOF .315 sporting rifle, IOF .30-06 sporting rifle and IOF .22 sporting rifle[5] for civilian customers.
Noted employees
- Amal Dutta[6]
References
- ^ Bishop, Chris The Encyclopaedia of Weapons of World War II page 245 (Amber Books, London, 1998) ISBN 978-1-905704-46-0
- ^ https://pib.gov.in/PressReleaseIframePage.aspx?PRID=1776096
- ^ "OFB develops new rifle for army in quick time | Nagpur News - Times of India". Timesofindia.indiatimes.com. 2017-03-23. Archived from the original on 2018-06-19. Retrieved 2018-04-15.
- ^ "Rifle Factory Ishapore to display Ghatak Assault Rifle during Ordnance Factories Day celebrations | Kolkata News - Times of India". Timesofindia.indiatimes.com. 2015-03-17. Archived from the original on 2018-03-24. Retrieved 2018-04-15.
- ^ "Rifle factory celebrates 106 years of glory | Kolkata News - Times of India". Timesofindia.indiatimes.com. 2009-09-27. Archived from the original on 2018-06-18. Retrieved 2018-04-15.
- ^ Mitra, Atanu (12 July 2016). "Amal Dutta (1930—2016): the Indian football coach whom players swore by and swore at". Scroll.in. Kolkata. Archived from the original on 10 October 2022. Retrieved 26 November 2022.
External links
- Ordnance Factory Board of India website
