Ordnance Factories Organisation
Encyclopedia
The Indian Ordnance Factories Board is an industrial setup functioning under the Ministry of Defence, Government of India
. It is engaged in production of arms, ammunition, and equipment for civilian as well as military applications. Headquartered in Kolkata
, it comprises 40 factories, nine training institutes, three Regional Marketing Centres and four Regional Controller of Safety.
There were 18 ordnance factories in the country before 1947. Twenty-one factories were established after independence - mostly, in the wake of defence preparedness imperatives caused by three major wars fought by the Indian Armed Forces. The 40th factory is being set up at Nalanda in Bihar.
Main events in the evolution of Ordnance Factory can be listed as below:
1801 - Establishment of Gun Carriage Agency at Cossipore, Kolkata.
1802 - Production started from 18th March 1802 at Cossipore.
1906 - The Administration of Indian Ordnance Factories came under a separate charge as 'IG of Ordnance Factories'.
1933 - Charged to 'Director of Ordnance Factories'.
1948 - Placed under direct control of Ministry of Defence.
1962 - Dept. of Defence Production was set up at Ministry of Defence.
1979 - Ordnance Factory Board came into existence from 2nd April.
through to rocket
s, grenades, mortars
, artillery
pieces plus all associated ammunition
, propellants, explosives and fuse
s.
Products available to civilians:
Civilians are required to hold Arms Licence (issued only for non-prohibited bore category weapons) in order to buy firearms in India. The following products of the Indian Ordanance Factories Board are available for civilians:
Products not available to civilians:
The IOFB also produces Weapons, Ammunition, Explosives, Propellants & Chemicals, Military Vehicles, Armoured Vehicles, Optical Devices, Parachutes, Support Equipment, Troop Comfort, General Stores, and Material, Components & SPMs.
Government of India
The Government of India, officially known as the Union Government, and also known as the Central Government, was established by the Constitution of India, and is the governing authority of the union of 28 states and seven union territories, collectively called the Republic of India...
. It is engaged in production of arms, ammunition, and equipment for civilian as well as military applications. Headquartered in Kolkata
Kolkata
Kolkata , formerly known as Calcutta, is the capital of the Indian state of West Bengal. Located on the east bank of the Hooghly River, it was the commercial capital of East India...
, it comprises 40 factories, nine training institutes, three Regional Marketing Centres and four Regional Controller of Safety.
History
The history and development of Indian ordnance factories can be traced to the British regime. In 1775, the British authorities in India accepted the establishment of Board of Ordnance in Fort William, Kolkata. This marks the official beginning of the Army Ordnance in India.There were 18 ordnance factories in the country before 1947. Twenty-one factories were established after independence - mostly, in the wake of defence preparedness imperatives caused by three major wars fought by the Indian Armed Forces. The 40th factory is being set up at Nalanda in Bihar.
Main events in the evolution of Ordnance Factory can be listed as below:
1801 - Establishment of Gun Carriage Agency at Cossipore, Kolkata.
1802 - Production started from 18th March 1802 at Cossipore.
1906 - The Administration of Indian Ordnance Factories came under a separate charge as 'IG of Ordnance Factories'.
1933 - Charged to 'Director of Ordnance Factories'.
1948 - Placed under direct control of Ministry of Defence.
1962 - Dept. of Defence Production was set up at Ministry of Defence.
1979 - Ordnance Factory Board came into existence from 2nd April.
Products
The type of ordnance material produced is very diverse, ranging from various small armsSmall arms
Small arms is a term of art used by armed forces to denote infantry weapons an individual soldier may carry. The description is usually limited to revolvers, pistols, submachine guns, carbines, assault rifles, battle rifles, multiple barrel firearms, sniper rifles, squad automatic weapons, light...
through to rocket
Rocket
A rocket is a missile, spacecraft, aircraft or other vehicle which obtains thrust from a rocket engine. In all rockets, the exhaust is formed entirely from propellants carried within the rocket before use. Rocket engines work by action and reaction...
s, grenades, mortars
Mortar (weapon)
A mortar is an indirect fire weapon that fires explosive projectiles known as bombs at low velocities, short ranges, and high-arcing ballistic trajectories. It is typically muzzle-loading and has a barrel length less than 15 times its caliber....
, artillery
Artillery
Originally applied to any group of infantry primarily armed with projectile weapons, artillery has over time become limited in meaning to refer only to those engines of war that operate by projection of munitions far beyond the range of effect of personal weapons...
pieces plus all associated ammunition
Ammunition
Ammunition is a generic term derived from the French language la munition which embraced all material used for war , but which in time came to refer specifically to gunpowder and artillery. The collective term for all types of ammunition is munitions...
, propellants, explosives and fuse
Fuse
The word fuse has several meanings:* Fuse , a device used in electrical systems to protect against excessive current....
s.
Products available to civilians:
Civilians are required to hold Arms Licence (issued only for non-prohibited bore category weapons) in order to buy firearms in India. The following products of the Indian Ordanance Factories Board are available for civilians:
- IOF .22 revolverIOF .22 revolverThe IOF .22 revolver is a .22 caliber revolver made by the Indian Ordnance Factory. The revolvers magazine capacity is 8 rounds. The IOF .22 has single action, double action, and both trigger modes....
- IOF .32 revolverIOF .32 RevolverIOF .32 Revolver is a 6-shot handgun designed and manufactured by the Ordnance Factories Organization in India and is meant for short range. It is a 'Break Action' self extracting revolver and uses the .32 Smith & Wesson Long cartridge...
(7.65 mm X 23) - IOF .32 pistol AshaniASHANIAshani is a semi-automatic .32 calibre pistol designed and manufactured by the Indian Ordnance Factory in India. This pistol is designed for civilian use. It has a range of 27.5 m...
- IOF .22 Sporting RifleIOF .22 Sporting RifleThe IOF .22 Sporting Rifle is a .22 Long Rifle caliber rifle made by the Indian Ordnance Factory. The rifle weighs approximately and has a magazine capacity of 10 rounds....
- IOF.315 Sporting Rifle
- IOF.30-06 Sporting RifleIOF.30-06 Sporting RifleThe IOF .30-06 Sporting Rifle is a bolt-action rifle made by the Ishapore Rifle Factory.-Technical data:*Calibre 0.30"*Bolt Type Direct Lug Locking with the Barrel*Total Length 1125 mm*Barrel Chrome Flash with 4 Grooves*Trigger Pull 1.5 Kg...
Products not available to civilians:
The IOFB also produces Weapons, Ammunition, Explosives, Propellants & Chemicals, Military Vehicles, Armoured Vehicles, Optical Devices, Parachutes, Support Equipment, Troop Comfort, General Stores, and Material, Components & SPMs.
- Pistol AUTO 9 mm 1ABrowning Hi-PowerThe Browning Hi-Power is a single-action, 9 mm semi-automatic handgun. It is based on a design by American firearms inventor John Browning, and completed by Dieudonné Saive at Fabrique Nationale of Herstal, Belgium. Browning died in 1926, several years before the design was finalized...
, semi-automatic pistol. - INSAS rifle, family of infantry arms consisting of an assault rifle, a light machine gun and a carbine.
- AK-47AK-47The AK-47 is a selective-fire, gas-operated 7.62×39mm assault rifle, first developed in the Soviet Union by Mikhail Kalashnikov. It is officially known as Avtomat Kalashnikova . It is also known as a Kalashnikov, an "AK", or in Russian slang, Kalash.Design work on the AK-47 began in the last year...
, assault rifle - Ishapore 2A1 rifle, 7.62mm NATO (7.62x51) calibre bolt-action rifle
- VidhwansakVidhwansakVidhwansak is an Indian multi-caliber anti-material rifle or large-caliber sniper rifle manufactured by Ordnance Factory, Tiruchirapalli. It can be used in the anti-materiel role for destroying enemy bunkers, lightly armoured vehicles, radar systems, communication equipment, parked aircraft, fuel...
, multi-caliber anti-materiel rifle
Ammunition
- Cargo Ammunition: Ordnance Factory Board entered into a joint venture to Israel Military Industries (IMI) to manufacture cargo ammunition. The ammunition would be produced at the Khamaria Ordnance factory near Jabalpur, Madhya PradeshMadhya PradeshMadhya Pradesh , often called the Heart of India, is a state in central India. Its capital is Bhopal and Indore is the largest city....
.