# Trichy assault rifle
Chambered in 7.62x39mm, the TAR is an Indian assault rifle with gas operation and selective-fire capability, built by Ordnance Factory Tiruchirappalli (OFT), a production facility that now comes under Advanced Weapons and Equipment India Limited (AWEIL).[1](https://gunspec.io/en/firearms/trichy-assault-rifle) Developed as an indigenous alternative to the AK-47 for India's police and central armed police forces, many consider it a copy of the Bulgarian Arsenal AR-M1, itself a licensed copy of the [Kalashnikov rifle](https://www.edgepedia.org/kalashnikov-rifle), and entered bulk production in 2017.[2](https://www.indiatoday.in/india-today-insight/story/baby-tar-india-s-smallest-assault-rifle-1762654-2021-01-25) • [3](https://desw.gov.in/sites/default/files/AR-eng-2012.pdf)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Calibre and action | 7.62x39 mm cartridges; gas-operated, single and automatic fire modes[4](https://www.ddpmod.gov.in/en/resources/products/762mm-x-39mm-trichy-assault-rifle-25) |
| Manufacturer | Ordnance Factory Tiruchirappalli (OFT), under AWEIL; design based on the Bulgarian Arsenal AR-M1[4](https://www.ddpmod.gov.in/en/resources/products/762mm-x-39mm-trichy-assault-rifle-25) • [2](https://www.indiatoday.in/india-today-insight/story/baby-tar-india-s-smallest-assault-rifle-1762654-2021-01-25) |
| Performance (TAR-25) | Rate of fire 600 rounds/min; maximum effective firing range 350 m; sighting range up to 800 m[4](https://www.ddpmod.gov.in/en/resources/products/762mm-x-39mm-trichy-assault-rifle-25) |
| Weight and feed | 4 kg maximum with empty magazine; 30-round detachable box magazine; system life up to 15,000 rounds[4](https://www.ddpmod.gov.in/en/resources/products/762mm-x-39mm-trichy-assault-rifle-25) |
| Variants | Four butt configurations: fixed, side-folding, down-folding, and extendable; plus the compact TAR-3 ("Baby TAR")[4](https://www.ddpmod.gov.in/en/resources/products/762mm-x-39mm-trichy-assault-rifle-25) • [2](https://www.indiatoday.in/india-today-insight/story/baby-tar-india-s-smallest-assault-rifle-1762654-2021-01-25) |
| Production and cost | Bulk production from 2017; nearly 20,000 rifles delivered to Indian police, paramilitary and central armed police forces by January 2021, at around Rs 55,000 each[2](https://www.indiatoday.in/india-today-insight/story/baby-tar-india-s-smallest-assault-rifle-1762654-2021-01-25) |
| Accessory support | Quad Picatinny rails; underbarrel grenade launchers including 40x46 mm UBGL GP-25, GP-30, and M6[4](https://www.ddpmod.gov.in/en/resources/products/762mm-x-39mm-trichy-assault-rifle-25) |
## Origin and development
Ordnance Factory Tiruchirappalli was inaugurated by Prime Minister Indira Gandhi on 3 July 1966 to expand India's small arms production capacity as an additional facility to Rifle Factory Ishapore and Small Arms Factory Kanpur.[5](https://www.aweil.in/units-division) The factory's development of a 7.62 mm automatic assault rifle as an alternative to the AK-47, which is used extensively by central and state police forces for counter-insurgency operations, was reported in the Ministry of Defence annual report for 2011-12, which noted that initial evaluation had been carried out by the Ministry of Home Affairs and the weapon was being prepared for extensive user trials.[3](https://desw.gov.in/sites/default/files/AR-eng-2012.pdf)
The rifle emerged from OFT's "7.62x39 mm Assault Rifle Project". By March 2018, OFT general manager Shirish Khare described it as roughly a year and a half old as a project, developed to address the operational requirements of state police in the [red corridor](https://www.edgepedia.org/red-corridor), the Maoist-Naxalite affected states.[6](https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/trichy/rising-demand-for-trichy-assault-rifle-from-red-corridor-oft-gm/articleshow/63349511.cms) Many consider the full-sized TAR a copy of the Bulgarian AR-M1, which in turn was made under license from the Kalashnikov; India's central, state, and paramilitary forces had brought in more than 500,000 Bulgarian weapons during the previous ten years, and the TAR, which entered bulk production in 2017, lessened reliance on those imports.[2](https://www.indiatoday.in/india-today-insight/story/baby-tar-india-s-smallest-assault-rifle-1762654-2021-01-25) India Today reported in 2018 that the TAR was the only competitive threat Bulgaria's Arsenal JSC, the largest exporter of AK-type rifles to India, had faced in recent years.[7](https://www.indiatoday.in/india/story/india-russia-deal-soon-to-produce-ak-rifles-in-india-1207008-2018-04-07)
## Design and specifications
The current TAR-25 listing from AWEIL describes an indigenously developed, lightweight, gas-operated modular design with a machined mono-block receiver and a fiber-reinforced polymer magazine with steel inserts.[4](https://www.ddpmod.gov.in/en/resources/products/762mm-x-39mm-trichy-assault-rifle-25) It fires in single and automatic modes, with a rate of fire of 600 rounds per minute and a maximum effective firing range of 350 m; the sighting range is given as up to 800 m.[4](https://www.ddpmod.gov.in/en/resources/products/762mm-x-39mm-trichy-assault-rifle-25) Overall length is 940 mm with the butt unfolded and 705 mm folded, the sight radius is 370 mm, and weight is 4 kg maximum with an empty magazine.[4](https://www.ddpmod.gov.in/en/resources/products/762mm-x-39mm-trichy-assault-rifle-25)
**Mounting and accessories.** The TAR-25 carries quad Picatinny rails at the 2, 5, 6, and 12 o'clock positions for vertical foregrips, flashlights, laser sights, magnifiers, and optical sights, and its hinged receiver cover with a locking mechanism is intended to give mounted optics a stable base.[4](https://www.ddpmod.gov.in/en/resources/products/762mm-x-39mm-trichy-assault-rifle-25) It can be fitted with 40x46 mm underbarrel grenade launchers of the [GP-25](https://www.edgepedia.org/gp-25), GP-30, and M6 types.[4](https://www.ddpmod.gov.in/en/resources/products/762mm-x-39mm-trichy-assault-rifle-25)
**Range figures differ by source and measure.** The Ministry of Defence product listing gives a maximum effective firing range of 350 m, while the [Press Information Bureau](https://www.edgepedia.org/press-information-bureau)'s 2021 release states that in burst mode, group or single targets at a range up to 500 m can be destroyed, and that the destructive effect of the TAR extends to 1,350 m; these figures describe different measures (effective engagement versus maximum destructive reach of the projectile) and are reported here as each source states them.[4](https://www.ddpmod.gov.in/en/resources/products/762mm-x-39mm-trichy-assault-rifle-25) • [8](https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=1749172&lang=2®=48)
## Variants
Four butt configurations of the TAR are available: fixed butt, side-folding butt, down-folding butt, and extendable butt.[4](https://www.ddpmod.gov.in/en/resources/products/762mm-x-39mm-trichy-assault-rifle-25) At the time of the 2021 launch, OFT was manufacturing the fixed-butt and side-folding versions.[8](https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=1749172&lang=2®=48)
**Down-folding butt.** OFT launched the down-folding butt version on 25 August 2021, in commemoration of 75 years of Indian independence, after central armed police force units, state police, and the [Railway Protection Force](https://www.edgepedia.org/railway-protection-force) requested a version for quick and easy movement of personnel on guard and patrolling duty.[8](https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=1749172&lang=2®=48) Its overall length is 900 mm with the butt open and 650 mm folded.[8](https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=1749172&lang=2®=48)
**TAR-3 ("Baby TAR").** The TAR-3, a compact fully automatic version, passed a series of trials at OF Trichy and was reported in January 2021. It fires the same 7.62x39 mm cartridge, uses the AK-47's 30-round curved box magazine, and has an 8.3-inch barrel giving an effective range of 150 m. It is 19.2 inches long with the stock folded and weighs 2.7 kg unloaded, about one kilogram lighter than the AK-47, with a reported cyclic rate of roughly 700 rounds per minute.[2](https://www.indiatoday.in/india-today-insight/story/baby-tar-india-s-smallest-assault-rifle-1762654-2021-01-25) Its designers addressed the barrel heating, flash, and sound problems of short-barreled assault rifles with internal metal reflectors insulating the foregrip and an in-house compact flash hider; the gun can fire about 120 rounds, four full magazines, without barrel heating.[2](https://www.indiatoday.in/india-today-insight/story/baby-tar-india-s-smallest-assault-rifle-1762654-2021-01-25) It was developed as an unsolicited design, without waiting for army General Staff Qualitative Requirements, and was intended for special forces, counter-terrorist operators, and vehicle, aircraft, and tank crews.[2](https://www.indiatoday.in/india-today-insight/story/baby-tar-india-s-smallest-assault-rifle-1762654-2021-01-25)
## Users and procurement
The rifle was developed for state police forces facing the [Naxalite-Maoist insurgency](https://www.edgepedia.org/naxalite-maoist-insurgency). Chhattisgarh state police placed the initial orders, followed by the police forces of [Madhya Pradesh](https://www.edgepedia.org/madhya-pradesh), Rajasthan, and Kerala as well as Mumbai police; by March 2018 OFT had supplied 1,200 units against total police orders for about 4,000 rifles.[6](https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/trichy/rising-demand-for-trichy-assault-rifle-from-red-corridor-oft-gm/articleshow/63349511.cms) The Central Reserve Police Force conducted extensive field trials in November 2017 and subsequently ordered the rifle; it took possession of the first lot of 500 TAR weapons out of an order for 6,137 rifles.[6](https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/trichy/rising-demand-for-trichy-assault-rifle-from-red-corridor-oft-gm/articleshow/63349511.cms) • [9](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JhfQgYZgs-g)
By January 2021, nearly 20,000 TAR weapons had been delivered to Indian police, paramilitary, and central armed police forces.[2](https://www.indiatoday.in/india-today-insight/story/baby-tar-india-s-smallest-assault-rifle-1762654-2021-01-25) [Procurement](https://www.edgepedia.org/procurement) records for 2019-20 show purchases by the [Central Industrial Security Force](https://www.edgepedia.org/central-industrial-security-force) (200 rifles), the [Indo-Tibetan Border Police](https://www.edgepedia.org/indo-tibetan-border-police) (200 TAR side-folding rifles with CES items), and Chhattisgarh (2,100 rifles with CES items), with unit costs around Rs 57,820 in central fund purchases.[10](https://bprd.nic.in/uploads/pdf/202203090504374334931Coe19-20volI.pdf) In January 2024 the Border Security Force announced it would equip its personnel with the TAR along with bayonets.[11](https://ipaiindia.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/13.01.2024-to-15.01.2024.pdf)
## Context in Indian small arms
The TAR fills a police and paramilitary niche rather than an army one. India Today reported in 2018 that the TAR, the Ghatak (Rifle Factory Ishapore's AK copy), and the INSAS-1C had attracted a handful of orders, not enough to keep production at peak capacity of over 30,000 rifles per year.[7](https://www.indiatoday.in/india/story/india-russia-deal-soon-to-produce-ak-rifles-in-india-1207008-2018-04-07) The Indian Army's standard rifle replacement instead proceeded through the AK-203, for which India and Russia signed a deal in November 2021 to manufacture 601,427 rifles at Amethi, Uttar Pradesh.[12](https://www.indiatoday.in/india/story/uttar-pradesh-up-amethi-make-ak203-kalashnikov-assault-rifles-india-russia-deal-1880050-2021-11-23) At around Rs 55,000 per rifle, the TAR was reported to cost less than the licensed AK-203, expected to cost upwards of Rs 75,000.[2](https://www.indiatoday.in/india-today-insight/story/baby-tar-india-s-smallest-assault-rifle-1762654-2021-01-25) A Rajya Sabha statement in March 2020 listed the TAR among the assault rifles developed by the Ordnance Factory Board, alongside the INSAS and Ghatak, as replacements for SLRs and AK-47s.[13](https://cms.rajyasabha.nic.in/UploadedFiles/Debates/OfficialDebatesDatewise/Floor/251/F11.03.2020.pdf)
## References
1. [Trichy Assault Rifle: 7.62x39mm Assault Rifle Specs, GunSpec.io](https://gunspec.io/en/firearms/trichy-assault-rifle)
2. [Baby TAR: India's smallest assault rifle, India Today (25 January 2021)](https://www.indiatoday.in/india-today-insight/story/baby-tar-india-s-smallest-assault-rifle-1762654-2021-01-25)
3. [Ministry of Defence Annual Report 2011-12](https://desw.gov.in/sites/default/files/AR-eng-2012.pdf)
4. [7.62mm x 39mm Trichy Assault Rifle 25, DDPMoD](https://www.ddpmod.gov.in/en/resources/products/762mm-x-39mm-trichy-assault-rifle-25)
5. [Units & Divisions, AWEIL](https://www.aweil.in/units-division)
6. [Rising demand for Trichy assault rifle from red corridor: OFT GM, Times of India (18 March 2018)](https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/trichy/rising-demand-for-trichy-assault-rifle-from-red-corridor-oft-gm/articleshow/63349511.cms)
7. [India-Russia deal soon on production of AK-series rifles at ordnance factory, India Today (7 April 2018)](https://www.indiatoday.in/india/story/india-russia-deal-soon-to-produce-ak-rifles-in-india-1207008-2018-04-07)
8. [Launch of 7.62*39mm Trichy Assault Rifle (TAR) Down Folding Butt Version, Press Information Bureau (26 August 2021)](https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=1749172&lang=2®=48)
9. [Trichy Assault Rifle (TAR) developed by Ordnance Factory of Tiruchirappalli (OFT), YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JhfQgYZgs-g)
10. [Compendium of Equipment (2019-20), BPR&D](https://bprd.nic.in/uploads/pdf/202203090504374334931Coe19-20volI.pdf)
11. [BSF to Procure More Made-in-India Trichy Assault Rifles Along with Bayonets, Republic World (January 2024)](https://ipaiindia.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/13.01.2024-to-15.01.2024.pdf)
12. [UP's Amethi set to make AK203 Kalashnikov assault rifles as India-Russia ink pact, India Today (23 November 2021)](https://www.indiatoday.in/india/story/uttar-pradesh-up-amethi-make-ak203-kalashnikov-assault-rifles-india-russia-deal-1880050-2021-11-23)
13. [Rajya Sabha official debates, 11 March 2020](https://cms.rajyasabha.nic.in/UploadedFiles/Debates/OfficialDebatesDatewise/Floor/251/F11.03.2020.pdf)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Technology and the built world › Engineering and manufacturing › Firearms and ammunition › Rifles and carbines › Battle and service rifles › Titles I to V*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 15, 2026 · Edited: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 15, 2026*
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