India-Russia To Ink AK-203 Assault Rifle Deal

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What has happened?

After decades of voicing concerns that the induction of a modern assault rifle is an urgent operational necessity,
The Indian military isjust an inch away from getting a new standard issue rifle which will replace the incumbent INSAS (Indian Small Arms System) rifle.
The chosen weapon is the AK-203, which debuted in 2018, designed and developed by Russia’s Kalashnikov Concern.
The acquisition contract has reportedly been finalised and is expected to be signed soon.

In January 2019, India signed an Intergovernmental Agreement (IGA) with Russia to co-produce the latest AK-203 rifles under a joint venture, Indo-Russia Rifles Private Limited (IRRPL).
India’s Ordnance Factory Board (5%), Russia’s Kalashnikov Concern (42%) are part of this arrangement.
The manufacturing is to take place at the Korwa Ordnance Factory in the Amethi district of Uttar Pradesh.
The plan envisages the production of 6.71 lakh rifles at the factory, with another 1 lakh to be imported from Russia,
To meet the requirement of 770,000 AK-203 rifles for the armed forces.
The project went through various hurdles with the Indian Defense Ministry in June last year complaining of “unreasonable and unacceptable” price quoted by the Indo-Russia joint venture.

The ministry, subsequently, constituted a five-member costing committee to fix a reasonable price for the 7.62×39 mm caliber AK-203 rifle.
The Indian Army Chief, Gen. MM Naravane, on January 14, 2021, told The Economic Timesthat the issues had been sorted and the final contract was expected soon.
As per the current discussions, the rifles are expected to cost under Rs 70,000 per piece,
Which is said to be more economical than the US-made rifles imported by the Indian Army under an emergency order that cost around Rs 89,000 a piece.
OFB, which is slated to receive the technology for manufacturing the rifle, is reportedly getting a lion’s share of the royalty per rifle, With the Russian company pocketing just over Rs 6,000, against the rifle cost of Rs 70,000.

The new rifles will replace the 5.56×45 mm INSAS (Indian Small Arms System), which have been in use for over two decades.
The AK-203 is one of the most modern assault rifles from the stable of Kalashnikov Concern, which churns out the famous AK-series rifles, including AK-47.
The rifle is chambered to fire 7.62×39 mm ammunition (same as the AK-47).

Compared to the AK-103, which was originally meant for joint production, the AK-203 comes with collapsible stock that can be adjusted according to the shooter’s height.
There is a different safety mechanism for the rifle, because of which the soldier does not have to lose contact with the grip when changing firing modes during an operation.
There is also a new flash hider that comes handy when the assault rifle is used with night vision, as flash from the firing of a bullet can hamper visibility.

Interestingly, the government had appointed Major General Sanjeev Sengar as the CEO of the Amethi factory where the rifles would be manufactured.
The decision to appoint a serving Major General as the Amethi factory’s CEO is a first in decades for the Army.
The Army has been concerned over low quality and delivery problems when it comes to ordnance factories’ products,
So if this new model for the AK-203 factory is successful, it might just pave the way for a new set-up to oversee such facilities.

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