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New Delhi: India’s indigenous production efforts seem to be bearing fruit with the Indian Army all set to receive the latest batch of the AK-203 assault rifles made in Amethi in Uttar Pradesh. This is a significant step in the army’s efforts to phase out its ageing Indian Small Arms System (INSAS) rifles as part of its modernization drive.
The AK-203 boasts of a fire rate of up to 700 rounds per minute and a range of 800 metres. These rifles are being produced by the Indo-Russia Rifles Private Limited, which is a joint venture program between the Indian Ordnance Factory Board (majority 50.5 per cent stake), Kalashnikov (42 per cent) and Rosoboronexport (7.5 per cent), at the Korwa Ordnance Factory. A serving Indian Army officer, Major General SK Sharma is the CEO of the Indian venture.
According to Sharma, the company is aiming to complete its delivery of over six lakh rifles under a Rs 5200-crore contract by December 2030. He also said that “Around 48,000 rifles have been delivered so far. Another 7,000 will be handed over in the next two to three weeks, and 15,000 additional by December this year,” a report in NDTV quoted him as saying.
This is said to be a welcome step, as the army had begun using imported SIG 716 rifles to fulfil operational requirements, but indigenous production is a necessity for long-term strategic goals. Moreover, as Indian defence exports start to gain traction, this paves the way for future collaborations and deals. The AK-203 is the one of the most lethal rifles of the Kalashnikov series, and comes with significant improvements over the INSAS platform, such as the former’s weight of 3.8 kg compared to the INSAS’ 4.15 kg, shorter length and usage of the more powerful 7.62x39 mm rounds.
With multiple problems being reported since its first combat usage in the 1999 Kargil War, the standard issue rifle had become an ‘issue’ itself and had left the army dissatisfied. Some of the various problems reported with the INSAS were serious stoppage, cracking of magazines and problems with the burst fire mode.
Additionally, the caliber used by the INSAS is 5.56x45 mm NATO round, which is cheaper to produce than the 7.62x51 mm that the army was used to but is also weaker. The problem evolved into being much more serious today, with armour plates being more widespread, often rendering the INSAS rounds inadequately efficient. Many army units in counter-insurgency areas instead opt for the trusty AK-47 or it’s variant, the AK-74.
