The Joint Venture intends to manufacture AK-203 rifles entirely in India and may raise output and modify its manufacturing facilities in the future to produce upgraded weapons.

According to Alexander Mikheev, Director General of Rosoboronexport in Russia, the Indo-Russian Rifles Private Limited (IRRPL) joint venture between India and Russia has begun producing AK-203 Kalashnikov Assault rifles in Korwa, Uttar Pradesh. Army Chief Gen. Manoj Pande said last week that the first batch of 5,000 weapons will be given to the Army in March.

“The Korwa Ordnance Factory in Amethi, Uttar Pradesh, has produced the first batch of 7.62 mm Kalashnikov AK-203 assault rifles. “Deliveries to the Indian Army are likely to begin shortly,” Mr. Mikheev said in a Rosoboronexport statement on Tuesday.

At the same time, the factory’s capacity allows it to fully equip other law enforcement agencies in India with AK-203 assault rifles, which, due to their high adaptability, are suitable for a wide range of operators, he said, adding that the joint venture will also be able to export to third countries.

General Pande stated that the joint venture will complete the deal for over six lakh AK-203 rifles over a period of 128 months, or over ten years. “Out of this, 70,000 is to come up in a matter of 32 months wherein the indigenous content is supposed to be in the region of 5% to 70%. As a result, we will have an entirely indigenous AK-203,” he said.

According to Sergey Chemezov, General Director of Rostec, with the start of serial manufacturing of Kalashnikov AK-203 assault rifles, high-quality, convenient, and modern small weapons will begin to enter service with India’s defence and law enforcement authorities.

“The model combines great ergonomics, flexibility to different shooters, and strong performance qualities; it is one of the world’s top assault rifles,” he continued.

Localisation is complete.

The Joint Venture Intends to manufacture AK-203 rifles entirely in India and, in the future, may raise output and enhance its manufacturing facilities to produce sophisticated weapons based on the Kalashnikov assault rifle platform, according to the statement.

The IRRPL was established in 2019 through a collaboration between India’s former OFB [now Advanced Weapons and Equipment India Limited (AWEIL) and Munitions India Limited (MIL)] and Russia’s Rosoboronexport and Kalashnikov. The Hindu previously claimed that full-scale manufacture of the firearms is scheduled to begin over the next 2-3 years.

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