Since the late 1950s, the Indian armed forces had been equipped with a locally produced licensed copy of the L1A1 self-loading rifles. In the mid-1980s, the decision was taken to develop a 5.56 mm calibre rifle to replace other obsolete rifles. Trials on various prototypes based on the AKM were carried out by the Armament Research and Development Establishment (ARDE) in Pune. On the completion of the trial, The Indian Small Arms System (INSAS) was adopted in 1990. However, to phase out the still in use bolt-action Lee–Enfield rifles as quickly as possible, India had to acquire 100,000 7.62×39mm AKM-type rifles from Russia, Hungary, Romania and Israel in 1990–92.