NEW DELHI, August 23. /TASS/. Kalashnikov AK-203 assault rifles will begin to be fully assembled from locally produced components in India by December 2025, Major-General Sudhir Kumar Sharma, the managing director of the Indo-Russian Rifles Private Limited (IRRPL), a joint Russian-Indian venture, has told TASS in an interview.
"The production of it in India will be done in 5 stages. That is, stage 1 to stage 5, based on the percentage of indigenized content," he said. "I am targeting December 2025 to finish off the 100% indigenization in this country," Sharma said. The first rifle which was assembled or produced in India was in June 2023, which only had 5% components from India; 95% components came from Russia in knockdown condition, he recalled.
The company's contract with the Indian Ministry of Defense was signed in December 2021.
"In December last year, which is about 8 months back, the first rifle was delivered to Indian Army. As I am talking to you, we have already delivered 35,000 rifles which have reached Indian Army and are being used by the soldiers in field, on ground today," Sharma said.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced the establishment of an India-Russia joint venture to produce Kalashnikov rifles in the country in March 2019. The Indo-Russian Rifles Private Limited for the production of AK-203 has been set up near the town of Korwa in Amethi district of the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. Russia’s co-founders are Rosoboronexport and Kalashnikov Concern of the Rostec State Corporation. India has become the first foreign country where the AK-203 iteration of the Kalashnikov assault rifle is manufactured.
The AK-203 assault rifle configured for the Indian Armed Forces was presented for the first time at the Defexpo India 2020 international arms show. Unlike its predecessor, the AK-203 boasts an anatomical Magpul buttstock and a more comfortable pistol grip. The reinforced receiver cover and the upper part of the upgraded forend are fitted with the Picatinny rail for mounting various sights. MIL-STD-1913 standard mounts are also installed on the lower part of the forend (for bipods, foregrip or tactical light) and on the sides of the forend (for a laser range finder or tactical light). The rifle can be fitted with a 40mm GP-34 underbarrel grenade launcher.