LUCKNOW: The manufacturing unit of the Indo-Russian Rifles Private Limited (IRRPL) situated at Korwa in Amethi district of Uttar Pradesh has started the production of AK-203 Kalashnikov assault rifles.
Last week, Army Chief Gen Manoj Pande had claimed that the first batch of 5,000 AK-203 rifles would be delivered to the Army by March, this year.
Alexander Mikheev, Director General of Rosoboronexport, the Russian partner, confirmed it by saying that Korwa Ordnance factory in Amethi has produced the first batch of 7.62 mm Kalashnikov AK-203 assault rifles.
The IRRPL was set up jointly between Advanced Weapons and Equipment India Limited (AWEIL) and Munitions India Limited (MIL) of India and Rosoboronexport (RoE) and Russia's Kalashnikov Concern in 2019. Rosoboronexport and Kalashnikov Concern are the subsidiaries of Rostec State Corporation.
While issuing a statement on Tuesday, Alexander Mikheev said: "The beginning of deliveries to the Indian Army is expected soon. At the same time, the Korwa Ordnance factory's capacity makes it possible to fully equip the personnel of other law enforcement agencies in India with AK-203 assault rifles."
He also claimed that the joint venture would also be able to export the rifles to other countries.
Besides retaining all the advantages of the traditional AK scheme in terms of reliability, and durability coupled with ease of maintenance, the AK-2000 series assault rifles also meet the latest requirements for firearms in terms of ergonomics and the ability to mount high-tech additional equipment, the statement added.
In consonance with the ‘Make In India’ initiative of the Government of India, the Russian partner claimed that it aimed at cooperating with its Indian counterpart in terms of transfer of technology. “With the launch of series production of Kalashnikov AK-203 assault rifles, high-quality, convenient and modern small arms will begin to enter service with India’s defence and law enforcement agencies,” said Sergey Chemezov, General Director of Rostec.
“The model combines excellent ergonomics, adaptability to different shooters and high-performance characteristics, it is one of the best assault rifles in the world,” he added.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid the foundation of a new manufacturing unit of the AK-203 assault rifle, the latest derivative of the legendary AK-47 rifle, at Korwa in March 2019.
The government of India had given its go-ahead to the manufacturing of the initial batch of 5 lakh rifles in 2021.
The joint venture plans to ensure 100% localisation of the production of AK-203 rifles in India and in future may also increase output and upgrade its production facilities to manufacture advanced rifles based on the Kalashnikov assault rifle platform, the statement further added.