Anna Hartz
India Orders 750,000 AK-203 Rifles and Moves to Local Production
Guns have always played a central role in military power. For decades, India has relied on imported weapons, many of them from Russia.
Now the country is taking an important step to change that. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has announced that India will soon begin full-scale production of the AK-203 assault rifle, a modern version of the famous Kalashnikov.
Contract Signed in 2021
The decision goes back to a contract signed with Russia in 2021. Since then, India has received its first shipments of rifles, according to WP. In 2023, the first batch arrived from Russia.
In July 2024, the first rifles produced in India were delivered. The goal is large. Between 640,000 and 670,000 rifles have already been ordered, and the total need is close to 750,000.
Equipped with Russian Machinery
Production is happening in Uttar Pradesh at a joint venture called Indo-Russian Rifles Private Ltd. At first, most of the parts will still come from outside.
About 70 percent of the components will be made in India, and the rest imported. Once 70,000 rifles are produced, the plan is to move to full independence.
The factory in Amethi has already been equipped with Russian machinery to make the process possible.
Profits Will Go to Putin Despite Independent Indian Production
For Russia, this is also an important deal. The AK-203 has not sold widely on the global market. Apart from limited orders for the Russian National Guard, it has not gained big popularity.
That makes the Indian order one of the rare export successes for this model.
Because the company running the project is jointly owned, Russia will continue to earn money even after India reaches independence in production.
An Old Colleague
The project has been in the making for years. Work on the factory began back in 2007. It was only completed in 2019, and it took another four years for the first rifles to come off the line.
India already has experience producing licensed Russian weapons. The BrahMos missile, based on the Russian P-800 Onyx, is also built in Uttar Pradesh.
For India, local production means fewer imports and greater self-reliance in defense. For Russia, it is a steady source of revenue and proof that its weapon designs still have a place abroad.
This article is made and published by Anna Hartz, which may have used AI in the preparation
