New Delhi: Ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Moscow this weekend for the annual India-Russia Summit, the first 35,000 India-assembled Kalashnikov AK-203 assault rifles have been delivered to the Indian Army under an Indo-Russian joint venture situated in the Uttar Pradesh’s Amethi district.
More than 600,000 rifles are to be manufactured in India as part of the joint venture, Indo-Russia Rifles Private Limited, established between the Indian Ordnance Factory Board (OFB), Kalashnikov Concern, and Rosoboronexport — both subsidiaries of the Rostec State Corporation.
Announcing the delivery, Rosoboronexport said it has “produced and transferred” the rifles to the defence ministry and with this the first phase of the project has been completed.
Sources in the defence establishment told ThePrint that initially a few of the AK-203, a version of the original AK-200 rifle chambered for the 7.62X39 mm cartridge, was bought off the shelf last year and handed to the Indian military.
As reported by ThePrint, the production at the India plant started last year.
As per the roadmap, an initial lot of 70,000 rifles are to be “Made in India” with less indigenous content.
The first batch of 5,000 rifles had only 5 percent indigenous components, which will increase to 70 percent when the initial lot of 70,000 is completed in 32 months, sources said.
The idea is to have rifles made of 100 percent indigenous components over a period of 128 months.
India and Russia had inked the agreement in December 2021 for the procurement of 6,01,427 AK-203 assault rifles through Korwa Ordnance Factory in Amethi, inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2019.
“The AK-203s are manufactured in India in compliance with exclusive Russian technologies on certified equipment. This ensures high product quality and compliance with the states’ characteristics,” the Russian statement had said.
The AK-203 deal was first announced in 2018, but hit a roadblock over price with OFB quoting a higher figure than what a direct import from Russia would have cost.
The defence ministry even constituted a committee to break this logjam.
These rifles will replace the 5.56×45 mm INSAS (Indian Small Arms System), which has been in use for over two decades and outrun its utility.
Compared to the AK-103, which was originally meant for joint production, the AK-203 comes with collapsible stock that can be adjusted to the shooter’s height.
The rifles also come with a safety mechanism that enables a soldier not to lose contact with the grip when changing firing modes during operation.
It also has a new flash hider that comes handy when the assault rifle is used with night vision, since muzzle flash from a bullet can hamper visibility.
The rifle comes with a new barrel and also an interchangeable magazine with the standard 30 and 50 rounds.
(Edited by Tikli Basu)
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