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India to procure 70,000 latest AK rifles from Russia

India to procure 70,000 latest AK rifles from Russia

  • India and Russia signed a deal for the immediate off-the-shelf procurement of 70,000 latest AK series of assault rifles.
  • Both countries are working on a bigger project to jointly manufacture 6 lakh AK-203 rifles in India, a deal pending since 2018.
  • While the initial plan was to directly import 20,000 of the AK 203 rifle & jointly manufacture 6.5 lakh of them in India, the delay in joint production led more of them to be bought off the shelf.

AK 203 assault rifles

  • AK-203 assault rifle is considered to be the latest and most advanced version of the AK-47 rifle.
  • It is a 7.62 × 39mm variant from the AK-100 rifle family (one that offers the AK-74M system, in multiple cartridges and lengths).
  • This variant is expected to replace the Indian Small Arms System (INSAS) 5.56 × 45 mm assault rifle, that are presently being used by Army, Navy and the Air Force besides other security forces.
  • According to officials, INSAS rifles are not suitable for use at high altitude.
  • Several other issues with these rifles include gun jamming, oil leakage etc.

AK 203: Strengths & Advantages

  • It is popular because of robust mechanics and simplicity of operation.
  • These rifles have been tested under the conditions of extreme heat and cold.
  • These rifles are a type of Kalashnikov rifles, which can work under extreme climatic conditions and are effective even in sand, soil and water.
  • This variant is an advanced version of AK-47 and its magazine can hold 30 bullets.
  • Unlike the INSAS rifles, these rifles never get jammed as these belong to AK series.
  • These rifles also offer high degree of versatility, adjustability and customizability.
  • The 7.62 mm ammunition in AK-203 gun belongs to NATO grade and therefore more powerful.
  • The rifle, which can fire 600 bullets in one minute, means 10 bullets in a second, can be used in automatic and semi-automatic mode.
  • Having an effective range of 400 metre, these guns are considered 100% accurate and provide better ergonomics and density of fire as compared to earlier Kalashnikov rifles.

Manufacturing of AK-203 rifles in Uttar Pradesh

  • India and Russia had signed an Inter-Governmental Agreement (IGA) in February 2019 for production of AK 203 assault rifles.
  • For this, a Joint venture was formed between Ordnance Factories Board (OFB) on the Indian side, and Rosonboron Exports and Concern Kalashnikov on the Russian side.
  • This led to the establishment of a rifle-manufacturing factory ‘Indo-Russia Rifles Private Limited (IRRPL)’ in Amethi, Uttar Pradesh.
  • The factory (IRRPL) owns license to produce 7.5 lakh AK-203 rifles, 70,000 of which are now being bought off the shelf by India.

Other India-Russia bilateral projects currently underway

  • Indigenous production of T-90 tanks and Su-30-MKI aircraft
  • Supply of MiG-29-K aircraft and Kamov-31 and Mi-17 helicopters
  • Upgrade of MiG-29 aircraft
  • Supply of Multi-Barrel Rocket Launcher Smerch
  • Development and production of supersonic BrahMos cruise missiles in India

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