By Staff Correspondent
Indo-Russian Rifles Private Limited, a company registered and situated in India, has supplied the Indian Ministry of Defence with 35,000 Kalashnikov AK-203 assault rifles. The Kalashnikov Group and ROSOBORONEXPORT JSC, both of which are subsidiaries of the Rostec State Corporation, are the Russian progenitors of the enterprise.
The Kalashnikov AK-203 assault rifle is a variant of the AK-200 rifle specifically designed to utilize the 7.62×39mm cartridge, which is the standard ammunition used by the Indian Army. The weapon possesses the conventional benefits inherent to Kalashnikov assault rifles, namely, dependability and simplicity in upkeep.
Rostec manufactures a diverse array of weaponry that has demonstrated its efficacy in actual combat scenarios, including cutting-edge firearms. India has become the inaugural international client to manufacture the “two hundredth” series of Kalashnikov assault weapons today. The production has been implemented in India, according completely to the Make in India and Atmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyaan (Self-Reliant India) initiatives. The project encompasses the transfer of technology and its core idea is achieving complete localization of AK-203 manufacture. “These programmes represent a prominent trend in the contemporary arms market and serve as Russia’s competitive advantage, positioning it as a dependable provider of top-notch defence solutions,” stated Sergey Chemezov, the Director General of Rostec.
The AK-203s are made in India using approved equipment that adheres to Russian technology. This guarantees that the product meets all of the specified criteria and is of excellent quality. A joint venture between Russia’s ROSOBORONEXPORT and India’s Indo-Russian Rifles Private Limited has finished the first stage of its plan to manufacture AK-203 Kalashnikov assault rifles in India. The manufacturing facilities have been completely outfitted with all the essential equipment to maximize the degree of localization at the Korwa Ordnance Factory in Amethi, Uttar Pradesh state. According to Alexander Mikheev, Director General of ROSOBORONEXPORT, this allowed for the production and timely delivery of 35,000 Kalashnikov assault weapons to the Indian Army, as agreed upon with the Indian Ministry of Defence. “The Indo-Russian joint venture is a vivid example of fruitful cooperation between our countries in the defence sector.”
Projects for military-technical cooperation between Russia and India are still ongoing today. The use of technology to facilitate communication amongst participants is a primary emphasis of both ongoing and planned programmes.