By Staff Correspondent
In a significant development to India’s small arms industry, Rosoboronexport, a subsidiary of the Rostec State Corporation, is all set to discuss the sale and production of the AK-203 assault rifles. Delegates from the company are scheduled to participate in this year’s Defexpo. Rosoboronexport participates in Defexpo 2022 as co-founder of Indo-Russian Private Limited, a joint venture between the two countries to produce Kalashnikov assault rifles in India.
Speaking about the significance of the joint venture, Rosoboronexport’s Director General, Alexander Mikheev, highlighted that “Rosoboronexport has the world’s largest portfolio of completed, ongoing and future defence production projects in India. The joint venture Indo-Russian Rifles Private Limited, in which Rosoboronexport and the Kalashnikov Concern participate from the Russian side, is fully in line with the Government’s Make in India initiative and Defense Acquisition Procedure (DAP) 2020 rules.”
Mikheev revealed that the Rosoboronexport aims to further India’s indigenisation by manufacturing AK-203s in India. “Korwa Ordnance Factory is ready to start manufacturing Kalashnikov AK-203 assault rifles by the end of 2022. Our plans include 100% localisation of the production of legendary Russian assault rifles in India. In addition, in the future, the joint venture may increase production and modernise production facilities to manufacture advanced rifles based on the Kalashnikov assault rifle platform,” he explained.
The Kalashnikov AK-200 series has proven its reliability with the success of its test program. These assault rifles have already been supplied to Moscow’s government customers and are being exported to their partners to meet their small arms requirements. These rifles come from a family of battle-tested predecessors bearing the Kalashnikov name and only add to the legacy, as opined by small arms analysts.
Coupled with a history of durability, reliability and maintainability, the AK-200-series of assault rifles add on the latest cutting-edge technology the small arms industry has to offer. These AKs are equipped with Picatinny rails which allow the mounting of sights and other tactical attachments based on mission requirements, allowing the end-user flexible customisation options.
The AK-203 assault rifles boast a folding stock among many ergonomic solutions to optimise operation. It may be poignant to highlight the redesigned fire selector and modified receiver cover, which empowers users the opportunity to hone their firing skills regardless of their anthropometric data and the availability of a variety of personal gear, outfits and uniforms.
During this edition of Defexpo, Rosoboronexport is slated to discuss AK-203 production and supply for the Indian Armed Forces and law enforcement agencies. Additionally, the company will present a wide range of additional modern equipment designed for customising assault rifles and equipping personnel. This would boost the combat capabilities of the Indian military and law enforcement personnel who issued the rifle.
Bilateral mil-tech cooperation between New Delhi and Moscow is another focus worth noting. Rosoboronexport’s DG reaffirmed his faith in the cooperation in this instalment of India’s premier defence trade show.
“We also look forward to fruitful meetings and negotiations with partners on the entire range of issues related to military-technical cooperation between Russia and India. Rosoboronexport is ready to discuss mutually beneficial projects and talk about its exclusive proposals on joint work complying with the terms of transfer of technology (ToT) imposed by the Indian side,” Mikheev concluded with a sense of optimism about the development.
