Notes: This is the new Indian assault rifle, based on the AK series and the Galil. Though 7000 of these weapons were due for delivery by 1994, service adoption was complicated by the lack of 5.56mm NATO ammunition in the country, and by 1998, the INSAS had been issued only to special units such as special operations units and paratroopers. 50 million rounds of 5.56mm NATO ammunition were ordered from Israel in 1996 (with an option for 50 million more), but this order was cut by Israel (possibly due to political pressure from the US), before one-quarter of the initial batch actually delivered, and the remainder of the order was not delivered until recently. In the meantime, India was able to order a huge amount of AKMS and ammunition from Romania, and many of the units slated to receive the INSAS got AKMs instead. Indian troops that did receive the INSAS are reportedly pleased with it, finding it to very reliable and accurate, and by 2006, some 300,000 INSAS assault rifles were in service with the Indian Army.

In a way, the INSAS could almost be considered a "Frankenweapon;" the basic operation is very close to that of the AKM and AK-74 series, along with the stamped steel receiver. However, the INSAS also uses a FAL-like manual gas regulator and gas cutoff for use with rifle grenades, the charging mechanism and charging handle of the Heckler & Koch G-3 and HK-33 (including its position on left side of the fore-end), and a folding carrying handle similar to that of the L-1A1. The stock may be made from wood or polymer, or be a folding metal stock. Standard magazines contain 20 rounds and are made from translucent polymer, but similar 30-round magazines (intended primarily for use in the INSAS LMG) will also fit into the INSAS assault rifle. (These translucent polymer magazines are actually modified from those of the Steyr AUG.) 22-round light alloy magazines were used during the INSAS’s development, but not officially adopted; however, such a large quantity of these magazines were made that they are issued quite often.

Twilight 2000 Notes: Three production batches were built before 1998 Pakistani air strikes put the INSAS production lines out of action; production stopped after a little over 18,000 rifles and did not start again until nearly 2020. Low-scale production of 5.56mm NATO rounds began in India in mid-1997, but production never kept up with demand, and even many special units went back to the AKM and FN-FAL.

Merc 2000 Notes: Production and adoption of the INSAS was largely discontinued due to budgetary reasons in 1996; after this, Indian troops were armed mostly with a combination of older Russian and Eastern European-made weapons.

Notes: In 2006, the Indian Army expressed to IMI in Israel their interest in the Tavor series, and specifically the MTAR and MTAR 9mm (though they left the door open for the purchase of other members of the Tavor family). The Indian Army has invested about $20 million in the acquisition of these MTARs and ancillary equipment, and deliveries appear to have begun in mid-2007. These MTAR variants, called the Zittara series by the Indians, are destined to equip the Indian Army’s best special operations units.

The Indian variant of the MTAR-21, the Zittara Assault Rifle, is largely the same as the MTAR-21 in most respects: it is topped with a MIL-STD-1913 rail, able to take most underbarrel 40mm grenade launchers (given the right adapters), and equipped under most circumstances with the Israeli-made MARS sight – an integrated unit with a low-magnification sight, a red-dot reflex sight, day/night channels, and a laser aiming module. The sight can also take clip-on NVGs. The barrel of the Zittara, however, is 12.99 inches long – over 3 inches longer than that of its MTAR-21 parent. The flash suppressor is also (very) slightly different, a concession to local manufacturing methods, and the top MIL-STD-1913 rail is a longer than that found on the MTAR-21. Primarily due to the longer barrel and local manufacturing methods, the Zittara assault rifle is also a little heavier than the MTAR-21.

The Zittara shares with the MTAR-21 the ability to use kits to convert the Zittara into a submachinegun; however, the Zittara can also be converted into a sort of PDW/high-power SMG, firing a round based on the Colt’s experimental 5.56mm MARS round (no relation to the MARS sight). The 9mm Parabellum version uses the same barrel length as the Zittara assault rifle, but has no flash suppressor, and can use a locally-produced 30-round magazine (rumored to be based upon the Sten magazine) as well as Uzi magazines. The 9mm Parabellum version, like the MTAR 9mm, can also have its barrel replaced with barrel that has an integral silencer.

The High-Power SMG version also uses the same 12.99-inch barrel, but the flash suppressor is retained. The High-Power SMG version is fed by a 30-round magazine designed for the purpose. The cyclic rate of fire is slightly higher than that of the Zittara Assault Rifle, but the increase in cyclic rate is inconsequential for game purposes.

Twilight 2000 Notes: The Zittara Series is not available in the Twilight 2000 timeline.

Merc 2000 timeline: In the Merc 2000 timeline, the Indians have kept their Zittaras quite close, and have never exported them. Of course, some Zittaras have inevitably been captured by the Pakistanis, and the Pakistanis are reportedly working on reverse-engineering them.