India to sign MoU for the procurement of Russian-made AK-203 assault rifles.

The Indian Army will sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in a month for the procurement of Russian-made AK-203 assault rifles, that will be manufactured locally by an India-Russia joint venture (JV), a Defence source said. The Indian INSAS rifle of the Indian Army will be replaced by the AK-203 Assault Rifles.

Kalashnikov AK-203 7.62mm caliber assault rifle. (Picture source Kalashnikov)

The AK-203 assault rifles will be manufactured by the Indo-Russian Rifles Private Limited (IRRPL) at Korwa in Uttar Pradesh. The facility is being set up between the Ordnance Factories Board (OFB) from the Indian side, and Rosoboron Exports and Kalashnikov on the Russian side.

In November 2019, it was announced that Russian-Indian joint venture (JV) Indo-Russian Rifles Private Limited (IRRPL) located in Amethi (Uttar Pradesh, India) will produce 670,000 Kalashnikov AK-203 assault rifles for the armed forces of India.

The AK-203 is a further development of AK-100 series assault rifles designed and manufactured by the Rusian Company Kalashnikov. Most improvements centered on the ergonomics.

The AK-203 assault rifle has a folding adjustable buttstock, ergonomic pistol grip and a selector with an additional tab for trigger finger. The receiver cover is hinged on the rear sight block and locks in place with a special retainer. Picatinny rails are located on the upper and lower handguard. Birdcage type hybrid flashider with compensator design features. The AK-203 assault rifle is currently used by Russian Special Forces.

Recently, the Indian Army has started the delivery of the first batch of 10,000 SIG-716 assault rifles.

The Indian Army has been looking to replace the indigenous INSAS (Indian National Small Arms System) rifles in use with a modern rifle. The MoD had approved the procurement in January 2018 through the Fast Track Procurement route. Of the 72,400 rifles, 66,400 are for the Army, 2,000 for the Navy and 4,000 for the Air Force.