Indo-Russian joint venture delivers 35,000 assault rifles to Indian Army

Before the 22nd India-Russia summit, Indo-Russian Rifles Private Limited (IRRPL) finalized production and delivery of 35,000 Kalashnikov AK-203 assault rifles made in India and officially dispatched to the Indian Army as per the instructions of the Russian side. 

India and Russia have reaffirmed their strategic partnership in defense cooperation, as the Indian army has received a new batch of the imported Kalashnikov AK-203 assault rifles, ‘Make in India’ manufactured. This new version of the AK-200 series, which is to be used in the 7th model of the car, is the following: The 62×39mm cartridge is specifically designed to improve the fighting capabilities of the Indian Army and is thus a stepping stone in improving their military force factor.

Strategic Alliance for Assault Rifles Production

Current IRRPL partners are India’s Ordnance Factory Board, along with Russian companies ROSOBORONEXPORT JSC, a part of the Russian State Corporation Rostec, and Kalashnikov Group. Rostec is the leading company in Russia for providing armaments, military equipment, and specialized equipment under the state defense procurement program. This partnership may be seen as a key strategic alliance that seeks to strengthen the manufacturing and development of defense equipment and improve cooperation in military technologies between the two countries—India and Russia.

India’s Focus on Domestic Production of Assault Rifles

This plan corresponds with India’s Atmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyaan (Self-Reliant India) mission, where the country has been focusing on the domestic production of defense equipment. The Director General of Rostec, Sergey Chemezov, noted the significance of this action and said, “Today, India is the first foreign customer to produce the ‘two hundredth’ series of Kalashnikov assault rifles. Production has been deployed in India in full compliance with the Make in India and Atmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyaan programs.”

Production of Assault Rifles in Korwa Ordnance Factory

These rifles were produced in the Korwa Ordnance Factory, which is present in the constituency of Amethi in the state of Uttar Pradesh. The factory has all the necessary equipment to make these rifles, and the delivery is in progress. 

Alexander Mikheev, Director General of ROSOBORONEXPORT, stated on the prospects and successful performance of the stated project, “This made it possible to produce and deliver a batch of 35,000 Kalashnikov assault rifles to the Indian Army within the timeframe agreed with the Ministry of Defence of India.” He further described the project as “a vivid example of fruitful cooperation between our countries in the defence sector.”

Besides the developments outlined above, Rostec has plans to produce “mango shells” in India. There are reports indicating that these many ammunition rounds were developed for use against armored vehicles that have composite armor. This falls under India’s Make in India drive, and the 125mm mango round is being proposed for use in the T-72 and T-90 main battle tanks.

Defense cooperation still remains one of the most important aspects of bilateral relations between India and Russia, strengthened by a number of joint projects in recent years. These include the S-400 air defense system, the licensed production of T-90 tanks and Su-30 MKI aircraft, the delivery of MiG-29 and Kamov helicopters, the leasing or transfer of Admiral Gorshkov’s now-INS Vikramaditya to India, the local production of AK-203 assault rifles, and the integration of the BrahMos missile system in India.

Meanwhile, before the next summit in October, Russia ratified an agreement on logistic support for the Indian Armed Forces to boost military cooperation between the two countries. All these efforts point towards the fact that India and Russia’s defence relations are not only intensifying but also diversifying.

You might also be interested in – Indian Army receives 27,000 locally manufactured AK-203 assault rifles