JSC Kalashnikov Concern, Russia's largest firearms manufacturer supplying 95% of the country's small arms, will start making its lightweight AK-203 assault rifle in India this year.
It intends to produce 670,000 AK-203 rifles over the next decade for the Indian Armed Forces with the bulk going to the Indian Army. The AK-203 will be produced by Indo-Russia Rifles Private (IRRPL), which has an arms factory located at Korwa, a town in the Amethi district in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh.
IRRPL is a joint venture between the state-owned Ordnance Factory Board of India and the Kalashnikov Concern.
"We are hoping to launch production of AK-203 rifles at our joint venture in India this year," said Dmitry Tarasov, General Director of the Kalashnikov Concern. "I feel it is a long-term trend so other examples will follow soon."
The AK-203 is an upgraded 200 series AK-103 assault rifle variant. Clad in polymer, the weapon is regarded as the most advanced version of the iconic AK-47 assault rifle that entered service with the Soviet Union in 1949.
The 7.62x39 mm Ak-203 has an effective range of 800 meters and a firing rate of 700 rounds per minute. The rifle is fed by a 30-round magazine
It will replace the unreliable and unpopular made in India INSAS assault rifle in service with the armed forces since 1998. Indian military pundits say the AK-203 has several key advantages over the INSAS assault rifle. The AK-203 weighs only 3.8 kg unloaded, which is lighter than the 4.5 kg weight of an INSAS. INSAS is so notoriously unreliable in combat the Indian Army had to hastily buy legacy AK-47 rifles as a stop gap measure.
The AK-203, however, will replace both INSAS and legacy AK-47s of the Indian Army. The acquisition of the AK-203 is part of the Indian Army's infantry modernization program.
Producing the AK-203 in India this year supports the Kalashnikov Concern's plan to boost annual revenues by 60% to $675 million in 2025. The Kalashnikov Concern began producing a licensed version of its AK-130 assault rifle in Armenia in 2020.
Tarasov also said the company wants to boost sales in Latin America, where it has a well-established business relationship with Venezuela.
"We know that there is an active demand in that market," he said.
Attaining its sales target for 2025 also means the Kalashnikov Concern will manufacture for younger clients the high-tech Ultima shotgun with a built-in computer that can synchronize with a smartphone.
"With Ultima we want to attract new customers who are not typically our target audience," said Tarasov. "We are targeting customers who want to get some drive or adrenaline. Entering a semi-game niche could be an option."
