Platform profile · India · 7.62 x 39 mm assault rifle · Indian Army
7.62 mm Kalashnikov AK-203 Assault Rifle
OngoingIRRPL announced about 85% indigenisation, with 47 of 50 AK-203 components made in India, on 2026-06-06.
Indo-Russian Rifles Private Limited announced in June 2026 that it had reached about 85% indigenisation of the AK-203, with 47 of 50 components made in India. India Today reported in September 2025 that another 5,000 rifles had passed quality checks and been delivered, taking the Amethi plant's cumulative supply to 53,000. Two months earlier, the venture had set a target of 12,000 rifles per month from 2026 and aimed to finish deliveries in December 2030. The December 2021 contract covers 601,427 rifles, while Indian media reported delivery of a separate initial batch of 70,000 Russian-made rifles in January 2022. The programme matters because it pairs a large-volume 7.62 x 39 mm service rifle for the Indian Army with technology transfer and a domestic small-arms supply chain.
Updated 6 Jun 2026
Verified figures
Specifications
| Specification | Value |
|---|---|
| Weapon type | 7.62 mm assault rifle ↗ |
| Cartridge | 7.62 x 39 mm ↗ |
| Empty weight | 3.8 kg ↗ |
| Sighting range | 800 m ↗ |
| Magazine capacity | 30 rounds ↗ |
| Accessory interface | Picatinny rails ↗ |
| Buttstock | Folding and adjustable ↗ |
| Magazine feature | Windowed magazine ↗ |
| Grip | Pistol grip ↗ |
| Service life | 15,000 rounds ↗ |
| Rifle construction | 50 components and 180 sub-parts ↗ |
Spec sources: roe.ru ↗ · economictimes.indiatimes.com ↗
Changelog
Program timeline
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IRRPL announced that the AK-203 programme had reached about 85% indigenisation, with 47 of 50 components being manufactured in India.
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India Today reported that the Army received another 5,000 Amethi-produced AK-203 rifles after DGQA trials and quality checks, taking cumulative local deliveries to 53,000.
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IRRPL said 48,000 locally made AK-203 rifles had been delivered at 50% indigenisation and planned to scale production to 12,000 per month from 2026, targeting completion in December 2030.
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Rostec announced that IRRPL had produced and transferred 35,000 AK-203 rifles to the Indian Ministry of Defence, completing the project's first production phase.
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Rosoboronexport said IRRPL had begun AK-203 production at the Korwa Ordnance Factory in Uttar Pradesh and produced the first batch.
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The Economic Times reported that India had received the initial batch of 70,000 Russian-made AK-203 rifles for the armed forces.
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The Ministry of Defence signed the contract with IRRPL for 601,427 AK-203 rifles to be produced at Korwa, with Indian and Russian ownership of 50.5% and 49.5% respectively.
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Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched work on the India-Russia joint-venture project to manufacture AK-203 rifles at Korwa in Amethi.
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