Indo-Russian Joint Venture Starts Manufacturing Kalashnikov Assault Rifles

The production of the iconic Kalashnikov assault rifle has started at an Indo-Russian joint venture production facility at Korwa in the Amethi district of Uttar Pradesh. 

The first lot of AK-203 assault rifles has been produced and will be delivered to the Indian Army soon, the Russia’s state agency for military exports, Rosboronexport announced on January 17. 

Under a Rs 5,100 Crore contract signed on December 6, 2021, 600,000 AK-203 rifles are to be manufactured at Korwa by Indo-Russian Rifles Private Limited. This is a joint venture between Advanced Weapons and Equipment India Limited (AWEIL) and Munitions India Limited (MIL)] from the Indian side and Rosoboronexport (RoE) and Kalashnikov Concern of Russia. The Indian and the Russian entities hold a share capital of 50.5% and 49.5%, respectively.

While this is the outcome of a deal signed before the Ukraine War, the commencement of production of AK-203 rifles is a prominent symbol of the continuing momentum in India-Russia defence ties despite Western sanctions against Russia.

“Russia and India continue to implement military-technical cooperation projects. Their current and future programs are maximally focused on technological cooperation, including on the basis of joint ventures, in the format of licensed production and joint R&D projects. Rosoboronexport aims to cooperate on terms of transfer of technology put forward by the Indian side and in accordance with the Make in India initiative,” the Russian state agency stated.

The AK-203 will be replacement for the INSAS, the flawed assault rifle which the Indian Army has used as its basic Infantry weapon for three decades. 

"Korwa Ordnance Factory in Amethi, Uttar Pradesh, has produced the first batch of 7.62 mm Kalashnikov AK-203 assault rifles. The beginning of deliveries to the Indian Army is expected soon. At the same time, the factory’s capacity makes it possible to fully equip the personnel of other law enforcement agencies in India with AK-203 assault rifles, which, due to their high adaptability, are suitable for various operators. In addition, the joint venture will be able to export its products to third countries," said Alexander Mikheev, Director General of Rosoboronexport.

Last week, the Indian Army Chief, General Manoj Pande had indicated that delivery of the AK-203 to the Army will start by March this year, and the entire lot of 600,000 rifles on order will be delivered in about 10 years. 

“As per the contract, this is to happen over a period of 128 months or close to 10 years. Roughly out of this, 70,000 is to come up first in a matter of 32 months, wherein the indigenous content will be required to be in the range of 5 to 70 per cent. And subsequently, after the initial 70,000, we’ll have the complete indigenous AK-203 weapon that will be available to us,” General Pande said in New Delhi on January 12. 

The Russians acknowledged their responsibility to fully indigenise the production of the AK-203. “The joint venture plans to ensure 100% localization of the production of AK-203 rifles in India. In future, the company may also increase output and upgrade its production facilities to manufacture advanced rifles based on the Kalashnikov assault rifle platform,” Rosboronexport stated. It’s Director-General Alexander Mikheev made it clear that the joint venture is seeking more orders from the Indian police, indicating an intent to “fully equip personnel of other law enforcement agencies in India”. 

Rostec, the umbrella company representing Russia’s Defence Industrial complex, vouched for the quality of the AK-203.  "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 defense and law enforcement agencies. The model combines excellent ergonomics, adaptability to different shooters and high performance characteristics, it is one of the best assault rifles in the world," said Sergey Chemezov, General Director of Rostec. Rosboronexport and Kalashnikov are a part of Rostec.

“The AK-200-series assault rifles have retained all the advantages of the traditional AK scheme: reliability, durability and ease of maintenance. At the same time, they fully meet the latest requirements for firearms in the world in terms of ergonomics and the ability to mount high-tech additional equipment,” the Rosboronexport statement added.

The deal was finalised at the 20th meeting of India-Russia Inter-Governmental Commission on Military & Military Technical Cooperation (IRIGC-M&MTC) led by defence minister Rajnath Singh and his Russian counterpart Sergey Shoigu. As part of the deal, 70,000 rifles have already been acquired off the shelf from Russia. 

Vishal Thapar

BW Reporters Group Editorial Head for BW’s Defence, Security & Police