How AK-203 assault rifle deal ends Indian infantry’s long wait
The Indo-Russian joint venture to manufacture the Kalashnikov rifle at an ordnance factory in UP had run into delays because of the Ukraine war
The Indian military’s decade-old hunt for a robust assault rifle—the primary weapon of an infantry soldier—is expected to end soon, with production of the Russian-origin AK-203 assault rifles set to begin in Uttar Pradesh. The joint venture had run into delays because of the Russia-Ukraine war.
The Indian military had been on the lookout for a worthy successor to the homemade INSAS rifle, the basic weapon of its armed forces and paramilitary despite various inherent problems in it. Delay in finding a replacement had led the Indian Army to procure the US-made Sig Sauer rifles as an emergency option in 2019.
Around 671,000 AK-203 rifles (7.62—39mm) will be manufactured at the Korwa Ordnance Factory in Amethi. India and Russia had, in 2019, inked an inter-governmental agreement under which the joint-venture Indo-Russian Rifles Private Limited (IRRPL) was formed.
Speaking at a Delhi-based think-tank last week, Lt General Vinod G. Khandare, principal advisor in the ministry of defence, confirmed that the joint venture for the AK-203 rifle was on track and that the deal was a win-win for both countries. Lt Gen. Khandare said that unlike earlier deals, wherein India used to assemble Russian-licensed weapons, Russians were now setting up manufacturing plants here and the profit/ loss would be shared. “Price negotiations are now being done on India’s terms and not dictated by the Russians. The environment is changing,” he said.
The Indian infantry desperately needs over 200,000 primary 7.62x51mm assault rifles, some 160,000 close-quarter battle carbines, 16,000 7.62mm light machine guns and 3,600 7.62 specialised sniper rifles.
At the DefExpo-2022, held in Gandhinagar last month, Alexander Mikheev, director general of Rosoboronexport, had revealed that the Korwa Ordnance Factory was ready to start manufacturing the Kalashnikov AK-203 assault rifles by end-2022. Rosoboronexport is Russia’s state organisation for export of militaryware.
Mikheev added that 100 per cent localisation of the legendary Russian assault rifle would be achieved during production in India. The indigenous content would be increased in batches of 20,000-40,000 rifles, gradually from 5 per cent to 100 per cent, followed by plans to produce totally indigenised AK-203 rifles after the first 120,000 pieces.
The Kalashnikov A-200 series assault rifles are in line with current trends in the small arms technology. They are fitted with Picatinny rails for convenient and easy mounting of sights and tactical accessories, enabling effective use under various conditions. The rifles have a folding stock. In addition, a number of other ergonomic solutions have been incorporated to optimise their performance.
