The new rifles will be manufactured in India for the Indian Army, with the first batch produced out of the Korwa Ordnance Factory in Amethi, Uttar Pradesh.

The rifle has a number of modern design features, such as a folding and adjustable buttstock, a windowed and rifled magazine, an ergonomic pistol grip and a 30-shot magazine.

Rostec general director Sergey Chemezov said joint venture production facilities may be upgraded over time to manufacture other advanced rifles based on the Kalashnikov assault rifle platform.

“Russia and India are linked by strong partnership relations. Military-technical cooperation between the two countries has resulted in the construction of the joint venture Indo-Russian Rifles Private Limited,” he said.

“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 defence 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.”

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India is the first country to start producing the AK-200-series assault rifles under the government of India’s Made in India initiative and Defence Acquisition Procedure 2020.

Rosoboronexport director general Alexander Mikheev said the beginning of deliveries to the Indian Army is expected soon.

“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,” he said.

“In addition, the joint venture will be able to export its products to third (additional) countries.”

During 2022, Rostec State Corporation and its Kalashnikov subsidiaries recorded the largest contracts in the company’s history, fulfilling 45 state defence procurement contracts and 24 military and technical cooperation contracts and supplying one scheduled production engineering services order.  

Overall, the company’s weapon manufacturing division had a combat and commercial small arms output 40 per cent higher last year than in 2021, breaking a 20-year record.

“In 2022, Rosoboronexport has launched a global marketing campaign for 15 new military products developed and manufactured in Russia,” Mr Mikheev said.

“Its export catalog was replenished with products for the Air Force, Navy, Ground Forces, Air Defense Forces, as well as with UAV countermeasures. Market launch of new products significantly increases the competitiveness of Russian arms and strengthens the position of our country on the global market.

“Among the long-awaited innovations are the Orlan-30 UAV, Ballista remote-controlled weapon station module, Chukavin sniper rifle, UAV countermeasures systems, new underwater weapons, communications equipment, training simulators, motor and armoured vehicles.”

Robert Dougherty

Author

Robert is a senior journalist who has previously worked for Seven West Media in Western Australia, as well as Fairfax Media and Australian Community Media in New South Wales. He has produced national headlines, photography and videography of emergency services, business, community, defence and government news across Australia. Robert graduated with a Bachelor of Arts, Majoring in Public Relations and Journalism at Curtin University, attended student exchange program with Fudan University and holds Tier 1 General Advice certification for Kaplan Professional. Reach out via email at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or via LinkedIn.

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