Korwa (Amethi): India and Russia are in advanced talks to jointly manufacture the AK-19 carbine and the PPK-20, a sub-machine gun, not just for domestic consumption by the armed and police forces but also for export.
While the AK-203, which will replace the INSAS (Indian Small Arms System) and will be the mainstay of the Indian armed forces for years to come, is currently being delivered with 50 percent indigenisation, this will rise to 70 percent by October this year and will be 100 percent by 31 December, 2025.
Chambered for the 7.62×39 rounds, the AK-203 is a product of India’s Army’s decades long search to replace the 5.56×45 mm INSAS that was plagued by several issues.
“We have been contracted for 6,01,427 AK-203 by the defence ministry to be delivered by 2032. However, we have really picked up the production pace and will finish off the contract by the end of 2030. We will be doubling our production capacity to 600 rifles per day which basically translates to one rifle every 100 seconds,” Maj Gen S.K. Sharma, CEO and CMD of Indo-Russian Rifles Private Limited, told ThePrint at his factory in Amethi’s Korwa.
As per report in July 2019, the Indian government has decided to deploy serving officers as CEO of the joint venture. Along with Maj Gen Sharma, there are two more serving officers of Colonel-rank who have been deputed to the IRRPL.
Speaking about the future, Maj Gen Sharma said: “We are in talks with Russia for the full transfer of technology for the AK-19 and the PPK-20, both of which are excellent choices when it comes to small arms”.
He said that talks are in an advanced stage and the project will cater not only to domestic demand but also exports.
“The charter of the IRRPL underlines exports. We have already received several queries for the export of AK-203. Export deals will be done once we double our production capacity by the end of this year,” he added.
Refusing to name any countries, he said the queries have come from nations which have ties with both India and Russia, basically those in South East Asia, Africa and the MENA region, Middle East and North Africa.
“This is over and above the contracts that will be inked with several state and central armed police forces which have evinced interest,” he said.
As part of the project, eight Russian technical experts are stationed at Korwa and they will be there till all rifles are manufactured.
As part of the plan, the IRRPL has outsourced the manufacturing of components to two suppliers who have further outsourced to various other entities.
The IRRPL assembles 50 components, which includes 180 child parts, and tests them for quality and other issues. “We have handheld our suppliers and have managed to create an ecosystem,” Maj Gen Sharma said.
