India is preparing to begin domestic production of russian AK-203 assault rifles, under an agreement signed back in 2021. This should be a big step towards the country's independence from small arms imports.
The Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi announced the imminent start of production at the joint venture in Uttar Pradesh. The BrahMos anti-ship missile, a licensed modification of the russian P-800 Oniks, is being produced in the same region.
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India received its first batch of AK-203s back in 2023. Later, it became known that the first localized batch was allegedly delivered in July 2024. This raises the question of what is being discussed now and what it actually means.
The overall order indicated that at least 600,000 units would be produced locally. The order is specified at 640,000–670,000 units, while total demand reach 750,000.
Localization will be implemented gradually, starting at 70% and reaching 100% after 70,000 units. Production is managed by the joint venture Indo-russian Rifles Private Ltd.
Notably, the completion of the project's first phase was announced in July 2024, coinciding with the transfer of 35,000 assault rifles. russians added that in order to increase the degree of localization, all the necessary equipment was shipped to the Korwa Ordnance Factory in Amet, Uttar Pradesh, and the production facilities were fully equipped.
It can be assumed that India will now begin its own independent production, exclusively at its own facilities. This aligns with today's rhetoric about the "long-awaited start of production." However, due to the joint ownership of the company, the russian federation will receive a certain income from orders.
It should be noted that the Indian AK-203 contract was virtually the only success, as the plant’s construction started in 2007 but only opened in 2019. For instance, a small number were reportedly purchased for the russian National Guard, but no further information is available on wider distribution.
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