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In 2011 they got m 4
New Assault Rifles for Indian Army
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WolfPack86
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In boost to Atmanirbhar Bharat, security forces to get India-made Israeli assault rifles
New Delhi: In a boost to the ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’ initiative, India-made Israeli Tavor X 95 rifles are now being supplied to central forces and various state police teams, ThePrint has learnt.
Until now, special forces and others using these assault rifles used to import them from the Israel Weapons Industry (IWI), a former Israeli government firm that was privatised in 2005.
The Indian Army has also issued a fresh Request for Information (RFI) to fast-track procurement (FTP) of 93,895 carbines, after the last process, under which UAE firm Caracal was shortlisted, was scrapped.
The Army has issued RFI to all major foreign small arms manufacturers, including Caracal, Colt, SiG Sauer, Beretta and Kalashnikov. But the significant change in FTP this time is that the RFI has also been sent to multiple Indian firms like the Ordinance Factory Board, Reliance Defence, SSS Defence, Bharat Forge of the Kalyani Group and the Adani-PLR Systems, besides others.
“Under the FTP process, it is usually ‘Buy Global’ category, as the forces buy a global product off the shelf which is then supplied to, in a specific short period. But this time, Indian firms will be participating in the FTP process for carbines,” said a source in the defence and security establishment.
The front runner is likely to be the Adani-PLR Systems, which is fielding the Israeli Galil Ace 21 carbine that is now manufactured in India.
The Ace 21 was chosen by the Army in an earlier attempt (2013-14) to buy carbines, but the deal could not go through because of single vendor situation, a development which is not allowed under the Indian defence procurement rules.
The IWI, however, did not take part in the FTP (2017) because it was eyeing a deal for assault rifles (won by an American firm) and the Light Machine Guns (LMGs) — that it had won and is in the process of delivering to the Army.
Sources said that a large tender for over 3 lakh carbines is also in the process and could be issued later this year. This would be a ‘Make in India’ initiative.
ThePrint, in September last year, had reported that the Caracal deal was being scrapped. By December, it was reported that the UAE firm had offered to manufacture them in India.
Made in Indian Tavors
The Adani-PLR Systems also manufactures the 56×45 mm chambered Tavor X 95 which are used by the special forces and others. These rifles come with ‘Made in India’ markings and were showcased during the recently-held Aero India 2021.
Sources said that the CISF has procured these ‘Made in India’ rifles, along with other state police forces. They also said that Adani-PLR Systems is in the process of setting up India’s first private barrel manufacturing plant in Gwalior. With this, the indigenous manufacture of rifles will go up to about 75 per cent.
The Gwalior facility would be functional by the end of this year and it is expected that other Indian private small arms players will be using it, rather than importing barrels from outside the country.
theprint.in
New Delhi: In a boost to the ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’ initiative, India-made Israeli Tavor X 95 rifles are now being supplied to central forces and various state police teams, ThePrint has learnt.
Until now, special forces and others using these assault rifles used to import them from the Israel Weapons Industry (IWI), a former Israeli government firm that was privatised in 2005.
The Indian Army has also issued a fresh Request for Information (RFI) to fast-track procurement (FTP) of 93,895 carbines, after the last process, under which UAE firm Caracal was shortlisted, was scrapped.
The Army has issued RFI to all major foreign small arms manufacturers, including Caracal, Colt, SiG Sauer, Beretta and Kalashnikov. But the significant change in FTP this time is that the RFI has also been sent to multiple Indian firms like the Ordinance Factory Board, Reliance Defence, SSS Defence, Bharat Forge of the Kalyani Group and the Adani-PLR Systems, besides others.
“Under the FTP process, it is usually ‘Buy Global’ category, as the forces buy a global product off the shelf which is then supplied to, in a specific short period. But this time, Indian firms will be participating in the FTP process for carbines,” said a source in the defence and security establishment.
The front runner is likely to be the Adani-PLR Systems, which is fielding the Israeli Galil Ace 21 carbine that is now manufactured in India.
The Ace 21 was chosen by the Army in an earlier attempt (2013-14) to buy carbines, but the deal could not go through because of single vendor situation, a development which is not allowed under the Indian defence procurement rules.
The IWI, however, did not take part in the FTP (2017) because it was eyeing a deal for assault rifles (won by an American firm) and the Light Machine Guns (LMGs) — that it had won and is in the process of delivering to the Army.
Sources said that a large tender for over 3 lakh carbines is also in the process and could be issued later this year. This would be a ‘Make in India’ initiative.
ThePrint, in September last year, had reported that the Caracal deal was being scrapped. By December, it was reported that the UAE firm had offered to manufacture them in India.
Made in Indian Tavors
The Adani-PLR Systems also manufactures the 56×45 mm chambered Tavor X 95 which are used by the special forces and others. These rifles come with ‘Made in India’ markings and were showcased during the recently-held Aero India 2021.
Sources said that the CISF has procured these ‘Made in India’ rifles, along with other state police forces. They also said that Adani-PLR Systems is in the process of setting up India’s first private barrel manufacturing plant in Gwalior. With this, the indigenous manufacture of rifles will go up to about 75 per cent.
The Gwalior facility would be functional by the end of this year and it is expected that other Indian private small arms players will be using it, rather than importing barrels from outside the country.
In boost to Atmanirbhar Bharat, India-made Israeli assault rifles for security forces
Special forces and others using these assault rifles used to import them from the Israel Weapons Industry, a former Israeli government firm that was privatised in 2005.
theprint.in
WolfPack86
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Indian Army Attempts, Once Again, to Acquire Crucial Close Quarter Battle Carbines
The Indian Army has issued yet another request for information for 93,895 close quarter battle carbines, for an estimated $110 million, five months after the Ministry of Defence scrapped a tender for an equal number of weapon systems from Caracal International of the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
The February 10 request for information, issued to some 40 vendors, including domestic manufacturers, aims at acquiring the 5.56×45 mm carbines, which the Army has been wanting for nearly three decades, via the Ministry of Defence’s Fast Track Procedure. The request for information requires the carbines to have an effective range of 200 m, weigh no more than 3.3 kg without their magazines and accessories, and be 650 mm long in foldable and 800 mm in extended condition.
It also specifies that the close quarter battle carbines, capable of operating in extreme temperatures ranging between -20°C and over 45°C, need to be fitted with MIL-STD 1913 Picatinny rails for mounting accessories.
Using state-run Indian Ordnance Factory Board (OFB) ammunition, the carbines would also be required to possess an accuracy rate of five minute of angle (MoA), or be able to deliver a desired grouping of that many shots at 200 m.
Other than Caracal, the request for information has been issued to Thales (Australia), Adani Defence (India), Beretta (Italy), Colt and SIG Sauer, both of the US, amongst scores of others.
The brief request for information, which prompts more questions than it elucidates, will be followed later this year, once responses have been provided, by a request for proposal or tender which, under the fast track procedure mandates delivery of the entire carbine consignment within 12 months of the contract being signed.
The request for information document also includes a questionnaire to be answered by February 15, a deadline for which most vendors have requested a postponement. These queries require prospective foreign vendors to state their firms’ annual carbine production rate, whether their weapon system has been trial-evaluated in India, and which military it is in service with overseas. Indigenous manufacturers, on the other hand, need to specify the local content in the carbines they are offering for the tender, and whether any are in service with India’s paramilitaries or the National Security Guard (NSG).
The Indian Army’s carbine saga has been in the pipeline since 2008, aimed at replacing its 9 mm 1A1/2 carbines, a domestically licence produced version of the L2A3 Sterling sub-machine gun dating back to the World War II. These were being built by the OFB, but their production was discontinued nearly two decades ago and sustained efforts by the government-run Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) to design a carbine for years have proved inadequate.
In 2008, a tender for 44,618 close quarter battle carbines was cancelled months later over the Army’s qualitative requirement overreach with regard to the weapon systems sights, and a follow-on request for proposal was issued in December 2010 for an equal number of weapons. After extended trials, lasting an incredible three years, this contract too was jeopardised over a small, screw-like safety feature installed by one of the shortlisted carbines to render the sights ‘eye safe’ for the user when employed in low intensity mode, to prevent retina damage.
A three-member senior IA committee failed to resolve the matter resulting in the carbine procurement being called off once more at a juncture when insurgent incidents in Kashmir were mounting, as were Indian Army casualties.
Subsequently, in March 2018, the MoD issued yet one more request for proposal – its third in a decade – for 93,895 close quarter battle carbines. This time, Caracal’s CAR816 CQB carbines were selected over the rival F60 model fielded by Thales of Australia following field trials.
Under the ‘fast track procedure’ route, through which the CAR 816’s were to be procured, the $110 million tender was to have been completed by August 2019. But 13 months later, in September 2020, the Ministry of Defence opted to call off the deal for unknown reasons.
Senior Army infantry officers said the carbine acquisition process currently underway – with the request for information dispatch – could take till well into 2022, if not longer. For, once the Army receives replies to its request for proposal, a technical evaluation of the rival carbines on offer would follow. This would be succeeded, in all likelihood, by trials of of some models using OFB-supplied rounds.
After one or more carbines are shortlisted, the commercial bids, submitted earlier along with the request for proposal responses, would be disclosed and the lowest bidder, or L1, would be declared the winner. Further discussions by the Contract Negotiation Committee would follow, after which the deal would be signed and deliveries would begin three months later and be completed nine months after that.
Meanwhile, in mid-January the DRDO announced that it had developed a 9mm sub-machine-gun in co-operation with the Indian Army, for use by the military and paramilitaries. Named ‘Asmi’ or ‘pride’, the weapon which the DRDO referred to as a ‘machine pistol’ fires in-service 9mm ammunition and features an upper receiver made from aircraft-grade aluminium.
According to the DRDO, the production cost of each such sub-machine gun, developed in an incredible four-month period and fitted with a MIL-STD-1913 Picatinny rail, is likely to be less than Rs 50,000. The Organisation also noted that Asmi can be employed as a personal defence weapon by tank and aircraft crews, dispatch riders, radio and radar operators, as well as paramilitary and police personnel.
In the meantime, the lack of a close quarter battle carbine is adversely impacting the Indian Army’s counter insurgency operations against militants in Kashmir, where these shorter barrelled weapons can be effectively employed in close-quarter search-and-destroy situations and where space is restricted. Fired at close range, carbines are capable of penetrating body armour and ballistic helmets, and unlike assault rifles have a lesser ricochet when employed in confined spots.
Indian Army units deployed in close proximity to Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) personnel along the disputed Line of Actual Control in eastern Ladakh, are also experiencing the lack of close quarter battle carbines in their cheek-by-jowl proximity to one another, and consequently are employing assault rifles as a substitute.
For now, India’s overall carbine requirement is for over 300,000 units not only for the the Army but also the paramilitary forces and the police.
The Defence Ministry has declared its intent to source this requirement via the ‘Make in India’ initiative aimed at reducing materiel imports. It aims to achieve this via local manufacturers entering into collaborative ventures with overseas carbine makers to series produce them. But in India’s glacial military equipment acquisition process, where even a fast track procedure is vulnerable, this could take an age.
The Indian Army has issued yet another request for information for 93,895 close quarter battle carbines, for an estimated $110 million, five months after the Ministry of Defence scrapped a tender for an equal number of weapon systems from Caracal International of the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
The February 10 request for information, issued to some 40 vendors, including domestic manufacturers, aims at acquiring the 5.56×45 mm carbines, which the Army has been wanting for nearly three decades, via the Ministry of Defence’s Fast Track Procedure. The request for information requires the carbines to have an effective range of 200 m, weigh no more than 3.3 kg without their magazines and accessories, and be 650 mm long in foldable and 800 mm in extended condition.
It also specifies that the close quarter battle carbines, capable of operating in extreme temperatures ranging between -20°C and over 45°C, need to be fitted with MIL-STD 1913 Picatinny rails for mounting accessories.
Using state-run Indian Ordnance Factory Board (OFB) ammunition, the carbines would also be required to possess an accuracy rate of five minute of angle (MoA), or be able to deliver a desired grouping of that many shots at 200 m.
Other than Caracal, the request for information has been issued to Thales (Australia), Adani Defence (India), Beretta (Italy), Colt and SIG Sauer, both of the US, amongst scores of others.
The brief request for information, which prompts more questions than it elucidates, will be followed later this year, once responses have been provided, by a request for proposal or tender which, under the fast track procedure mandates delivery of the entire carbine consignment within 12 months of the contract being signed.
The request for information document also includes a questionnaire to be answered by February 15, a deadline for which most vendors have requested a postponement. These queries require prospective foreign vendors to state their firms’ annual carbine production rate, whether their weapon system has been trial-evaluated in India, and which military it is in service with overseas. Indigenous manufacturers, on the other hand, need to specify the local content in the carbines they are offering for the tender, and whether any are in service with India’s paramilitaries or the National Security Guard (NSG).
The Indian Army’s carbine saga has been in the pipeline since 2008, aimed at replacing its 9 mm 1A1/2 carbines, a domestically licence produced version of the L2A3 Sterling sub-machine gun dating back to the World War II. These were being built by the OFB, but their production was discontinued nearly two decades ago and sustained efforts by the government-run Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) to design a carbine for years have proved inadequate.
In 2008, a tender for 44,618 close quarter battle carbines was cancelled months later over the Army’s qualitative requirement overreach with regard to the weapon systems sights, and a follow-on request for proposal was issued in December 2010 for an equal number of weapons. After extended trials, lasting an incredible three years, this contract too was jeopardised over a small, screw-like safety feature installed by one of the shortlisted carbines to render the sights ‘eye safe’ for the user when employed in low intensity mode, to prevent retina damage.
A three-member senior IA committee failed to resolve the matter resulting in the carbine procurement being called off once more at a juncture when insurgent incidents in Kashmir were mounting, as were Indian Army casualties.
Subsequently, in March 2018, the MoD issued yet one more request for proposal – its third in a decade – for 93,895 close quarter battle carbines. This time, Caracal’s CAR816 CQB carbines were selected over the rival F60 model fielded by Thales of Australia following field trials.
Under the ‘fast track procedure’ route, through which the CAR 816’s were to be procured, the $110 million tender was to have been completed by August 2019. But 13 months later, in September 2020, the Ministry of Defence opted to call off the deal for unknown reasons.
Senior Army infantry officers said the carbine acquisition process currently underway – with the request for information dispatch – could take till well into 2022, if not longer. For, once the Army receives replies to its request for proposal, a technical evaluation of the rival carbines on offer would follow. This would be succeeded, in all likelihood, by trials of of some models using OFB-supplied rounds.
After one or more carbines are shortlisted, the commercial bids, submitted earlier along with the request for proposal responses, would be disclosed and the lowest bidder, or L1, would be declared the winner. Further discussions by the Contract Negotiation Committee would follow, after which the deal would be signed and deliveries would begin three months later and be completed nine months after that.
Meanwhile, in mid-January the DRDO announced that it had developed a 9mm sub-machine-gun in co-operation with the Indian Army, for use by the military and paramilitaries. Named ‘Asmi’ or ‘pride’, the weapon which the DRDO referred to as a ‘machine pistol’ fires in-service 9mm ammunition and features an upper receiver made from aircraft-grade aluminium.
According to the DRDO, the production cost of each such sub-machine gun, developed in an incredible four-month period and fitted with a MIL-STD-1913 Picatinny rail, is likely to be less than Rs 50,000. The Organisation also noted that Asmi can be employed as a personal defence weapon by tank and aircraft crews, dispatch riders, radio and radar operators, as well as paramilitary and police personnel.
In the meantime, the lack of a close quarter battle carbine is adversely impacting the Indian Army’s counter insurgency operations against militants in Kashmir, where these shorter barrelled weapons can be effectively employed in close-quarter search-and-destroy situations and where space is restricted. Fired at close range, carbines are capable of penetrating body armour and ballistic helmets, and unlike assault rifles have a lesser ricochet when employed in confined spots.
Indian Army units deployed in close proximity to Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) personnel along the disputed Line of Actual Control in eastern Ladakh, are also experiencing the lack of close quarter battle carbines in their cheek-by-jowl proximity to one another, and consequently are employing assault rifles as a substitute.
For now, India’s overall carbine requirement is for over 300,000 units not only for the the Army but also the paramilitary forces and the police.
The Defence Ministry has declared its intent to source this requirement via the ‘Make in India’ initiative aimed at reducing materiel imports. It aims to achieve this via local manufacturers entering into collaborative ventures with overseas carbine makers to series produce them. But in India’s glacial military equipment acquisition process, where even a fast track procedure is vulnerable, this could take an age.
WolfPack86
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AK 203 order finalised
WolfPack86
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[Exclusive] India-Russia defence deal gets go-ahead: AK-203 assault rifles to be made in India
New Delhi: On the eve of India's Independence Day, there's been a major breakthrough, not just for the Army but also the central police forces in the country.
After over a year of negotiation, India and Russia have agreed to the terms for the manufacture of the AK-203 assault rifle in a VIP Lok Sabha constituency in Uttar Pradesh.
The announcement had been made over a year ago, but the negotiations were prolonged. The manufacture of the AK-203 in India is another triumph for indigenous production.
Over 6 lakh Kalashnikov assault rifles will be made here, now that the differences between Russia and India have been sorted out. Now, the weapons will be manufactured by a firm called Indo-Russian Private Ltd.
There will be a TOT, or transfer of technology, and importantly, no royalty for weapons made. Under the just worked out agreement, the cost of the rifle will come down, and for now, the quantity. The total cost is going to be about Rs 5,125 crore.
The AK-203, a successor of the famous AK-47, designed by Mikhail Kalashnikov while he lay in a hospital bed, recovering from his injuries during the Second World War, is an easy to use, reliable, and importantly, an inexpensive weapon for soldiers.
After the 1.2 million strong Army gets it-- the AK-203 will be a basic weapon for the troops--it could go to the central police forces as well.
www.timesnownews.com
New Delhi: On the eve of India's Independence Day, there's been a major breakthrough, not just for the Army but also the central police forces in the country.
After over a year of negotiation, India and Russia have agreed to the terms for the manufacture of the AK-203 assault rifle in a VIP Lok Sabha constituency in Uttar Pradesh.
The announcement had been made over a year ago, but the negotiations were prolonged. The manufacture of the AK-203 in India is another triumph for indigenous production.
Over 6 lakh Kalashnikov assault rifles will be made here, now that the differences between Russia and India have been sorted out. Now, the weapons will be manufactured by a firm called Indo-Russian Private Ltd.
There will be a TOT, or transfer of technology, and importantly, no royalty for weapons made. Under the just worked out agreement, the cost of the rifle will come down, and for now, the quantity. The total cost is going to be about Rs 5,125 crore.
The AK-203, a successor of the famous AK-47, designed by Mikhail Kalashnikov while he lay in a hospital bed, recovering from his injuries during the Second World War, is an easy to use, reliable, and importantly, an inexpensive weapon for soldiers.
After the 1.2 million strong Army gets it-- the AK-203 will be a basic weapon for the troops--it could go to the central police forces as well.
[Exclusive] India-Russia defence deal gets go-ahead: AK-203 assault rifles to be made in India
The announcement had been made over a year ago, but the negotiations were prolonged. The manufacture of the AK-203 in India is another triumph for indigenous production.
Hari Sud
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Not sure whether this is a fake news or real one. Many times before similar news items have been published with zero reliability.[Exclusive] India-Russia defence deal gets go-ahead: AK-203 assault rifles to be made in India
New Delhi: On the eve of India's Independence Day, there's been a major breakthrough, not just for the Army but also the central police forces in the country.
After over a year of negotiation, India and Russia have agreed to the terms for the manufacture of the AK-203 assault rifle in a VIP Lok Sabha constituency in Uttar Pradesh.
The announcement had been made over a year ago, but the negotiations were prolonged. The manufacture of the AK-203 in India is another triumph for indigenous production.
Over 6 lakh Kalashnikov assault rifles will be made here, now that the differences between Russia and India have been sorted out. Now, the weapons will be manufactured by a firm called Indo-Russian Private Ltd.
There will be a TOT, or transfer of technology, and importantly, no royalty for weapons made. Under the just worked out agreement, the cost of the rifle will come down, and for now, the quantity. The total cost is going to be about Rs 5,125 crore.
The AK-203, a successor of the famous AK-47, designed by Mikhail Kalashnikov while he lay in a hospital bed, recovering from his injuries during the Second World War, is an easy to use, reliable, and importantly, an inexpensive weapon for soldiers.
After the 1.2 million strong Army gets it-- the AK-203 will be a basic weapon for the troops--it could go to the central police forces as well.
[Exclusive] India-Russia defence deal gets go-ahead: AK-203 assault rifles to be made in India
The announcement had been made over a year ago, but the negotiations were prolonged. The manufacture of the AK-203 in India is another triumph for indigenous production.
shuvo@y2k10
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There is a trend. After a long timeperiod of silence, one newsportal reports that 'deal is final'. Then the news spreads like wildfire and all other news portals/youtube channels reports it for 2-3 days. Then after that we get silence for another long timeperiod. And the cycle continues....
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It s fake , this time too it's fake
WolfPack86
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AK 203 1 st batch delivery
WolfPack86
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India inks deal with Russia to immediately procure 70,000 latest AK rifles off the shelf
New Delhi: India and Russia Thursday signed a deal for the immediate off-the-shelf procurement of 70,000 latest AK series of assault rifles, ThePrint has learnt.
The development comes even as both countries work on a bigger project to jointly manufacture 6 lakh AK-203 rifles in India, a deal which has been pending since 2018.
According to sources in the defence and security establishment, while the initial plan was to directly import 20,000 of the 7.62×39mm AK 203 rifle and jointly manufacture 6.5 lakh of them in India, the delay in joint production meant that more of them had to be bought off the shelf.
The off-the-shelf equipment could include multiple variants of the AK series since the basic difference is the accessories that are fitted to the rifle.
Defence sources said that the procurement is being done through an emergency contract by one of the three services.
The contract was signed between the Ministry of Defence and Russian representatives, in the presence of officials from Indo-Russia Rifles Pvt Ltd — a rifle-manufacturing firm that will lead the indigenous production of AKs in India, sources told ThePrint. These rifles are expected to begin arriving in the country from November this year.
Eventually, the AK 203 will replace the 5.56×45mm INSAS (Indian Small Arms System) rifles that are currently in use with the Army, Navy and the Air Force besides other security forces and will become the mainstay of the armed forces for years to come.
The Indian armed forces also use the American SIG716 rifles, which are chambered for the 7.62×51 mm round and were procured by the Army under a fast-tracked process.
The frontline infantry soldiers will be equipped with the SIG while the rest will use the AK-203.
Next target joint production
Sources noted that work is also underway to begin the indigenous production of 6 lakh AK-203 rifles in India by the Indo-Russia Rifles Pvt. Ltd, a joint venture between the Ordnance Factory Board (OFB), the Kalashnikov Concern (manufacturer of the AK rifles) and Rosoboronexport — the Russian state agency for military exports.
Under the proposed deal, the joint venture has to achieve 100 per cent localised sourcing of materials for the rifle within one-and-half years of beginning the production line.
The deal was first announced in 2018 and Prime Minister Narendra Modi had even inaugurated the production facility at the Korwa Ordnance Factory in Uttar Pradesh’s Amethi district in March 2019.
However, the entire project hit a roadblock over price negotiations as the OFB was quoting a higher price than the Russian product actually cost in import.
The higher price was because of the extra hours it will take to manufacture the rifle in India and other issues including Transfer of Technology and the 100 per cent localisation of sources for the product.
The defence ministry had to set up a committee to look into this issue and a resolution was arrived at.
In August last year, sources had said that the deal was finalised and the contract is undergoing legal vetting.
The final contract was expected to be signed during Russian President Vladimir Putin’s visit to India in late 2020. However, the visit did not take place because of the Covid-19 pandemic.
The formal contract for the joint production is expected to be inked soon.
theprint.in
New Delhi: India and Russia Thursday signed a deal for the immediate off-the-shelf procurement of 70,000 latest AK series of assault rifles, ThePrint has learnt.
The development comes even as both countries work on a bigger project to jointly manufacture 6 lakh AK-203 rifles in India, a deal which has been pending since 2018.
According to sources in the defence and security establishment, while the initial plan was to directly import 20,000 of the 7.62×39mm AK 203 rifle and jointly manufacture 6.5 lakh of them in India, the delay in joint production meant that more of them had to be bought off the shelf.
The off-the-shelf equipment could include multiple variants of the AK series since the basic difference is the accessories that are fitted to the rifle.
Defence sources said that the procurement is being done through an emergency contract by one of the three services.
The contract was signed between the Ministry of Defence and Russian representatives, in the presence of officials from Indo-Russia Rifles Pvt Ltd — a rifle-manufacturing firm that will lead the indigenous production of AKs in India, sources told ThePrint. These rifles are expected to begin arriving in the country from November this year.
Eventually, the AK 203 will replace the 5.56×45mm INSAS (Indian Small Arms System) rifles that are currently in use with the Army, Navy and the Air Force besides other security forces and will become the mainstay of the armed forces for years to come.
The Indian armed forces also use the American SIG716 rifles, which are chambered for the 7.62×51 mm round and were procured by the Army under a fast-tracked process.
The frontline infantry soldiers will be equipped with the SIG while the rest will use the AK-203.
Next target joint production
Sources noted that work is also underway to begin the indigenous production of 6 lakh AK-203 rifles in India by the Indo-Russia Rifles Pvt. Ltd, a joint venture between the Ordnance Factory Board (OFB), the Kalashnikov Concern (manufacturer of the AK rifles) and Rosoboronexport — the Russian state agency for military exports.
Under the proposed deal, the joint venture has to achieve 100 per cent localised sourcing of materials for the rifle within one-and-half years of beginning the production line.
The deal was first announced in 2018 and Prime Minister Narendra Modi had even inaugurated the production facility at the Korwa Ordnance Factory in Uttar Pradesh’s Amethi district in March 2019.
However, the entire project hit a roadblock over price negotiations as the OFB was quoting a higher price than the Russian product actually cost in import.
The higher price was because of the extra hours it will take to manufacture the rifle in India and other issues including Transfer of Technology and the 100 per cent localisation of sources for the product.
The defence ministry had to set up a committee to look into this issue and a resolution was arrived at.
In August last year, sources had said that the deal was finalised and the contract is undergoing legal vetting.
The final contract was expected to be signed during Russian President Vladimir Putin’s visit to India in late 2020. However, the visit did not take place because of the Covid-19 pandemic.
The formal contract for the joint production is expected to be inked soon.
India inks deal with Russia to immediately procure 70,000 latest AK rifles off the shelf
The assault rifles will replace the 5.56×45 mm INSAS (Indian Small Arms System) rifles in use with the armed forces currently.
theprint.in
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^^ What happened to atmanirbhar bharat propaganda?
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Your answer lies in your question!
Project became Atma and Army got Nirbhar on a Russian company.
JBH22
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Ak 203 and Sig Sauer are the best decision taken to augment infantry firepower. Years of neglect info high ticket items and a sub par INSAS,made infantry less potent.
Instead of importing Bulgarian ak better get it manufactured here. With regards to INSAS, let's not again reinvent the wheel waiting for OFB new products. Other private entity such as SSS defense can always sell their systems to specialised units and if it's better it will find customer.
Ak 203 tried and tested ok for equipping mass troops, serves to signal Russia also we can keep our strategic partnership.
Instead of importing Bulgarian ak better get it manufactured here. With regards to INSAS, let's not again reinvent the wheel waiting for OFB new products. Other private entity such as SSS defense can always sell their systems to specialised units and if it's better it will find customer.
Ak 203 tried and tested ok for equipping mass troops, serves to signal Russia also we can keep our strategic partnership.
You want army to use Ghatak and Tar ?
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Ghatak is no from my side, basically INSAS in 7.62x39mm configuration,
but What is issues with TAR ? it is practically copy of AR-M1F41 of bulgarian fame...
and this AK-103 is practically AK-74M in 7.62x39mm configuration plus some rails and stuff,
in fact i'd suggest you to refer to something called AK-103-3, it came out in 2009 when Kalashnikov Concern still used to be Izhmash...
@Hariharan_kalarikkal @Aditya Ballal @Bleh @WolfPack86 @Dark Sorrow @FalconSlayers @FalconZero @Haldilal @Pig benis on sushy @shuvo@y2k10 and all,
last time when i wrote about AK-203 (sic) i gave you a search term AK-103-3 and asked to search about it but you guys...
Anyway yeh dekh lo 2009 era ka AK-103-3, it was Izhmash' first attempt to create a 7.62x39mm AK with railed top cover-handguard etc,
later project got forked into AK-200 project etc...long story but here are pics...
now compare it with the AK-203 we're getting...
lol 2009 era ka design laa rhe ho (with some minor difference in terms of muzzle device, iron sight etc) aur itni khushi...
Last edited:
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additional note,Ghatak is no from my side, basically INSAS in 7.62x39mm configuration,
but What is issues with TAR ? it is practically copy of AR-M1F41 of bulgarian fame...
and this AK-103 is practically AK-74M in 7.62x39mm configuration plus some rails and stuff,
in fact i'd suggest you to refer to something called AK-103-3, it came out in 2009 when Kalashnikov Concern still used to be Izhmash...
@Hariharan_kalarikkal @Aditya Ballal @Bleh @WolfPack86 @Dark Sorrow @FalconSlayers @FalconZero @Haldilal @Pig benis on sushy @shuvo@y2k10 and all,
last time when i wrote about AK-203 (sic) i gave you a search term AK-103-3 and asked to search about it but you guys...
Anyway yeh dekh lo 2009 era ka AK-103-3, it was Izhmash' first attempt to create a 7.62x39mm AK with railed top cover-handguard etc,
later project got forked into AK-200 project etc...long story but here are pics...
View attachment 106046
View attachment 106047
now compare it with the AK-203 we're getting...
View attachment 106050
lol 2009 era ka design laa rhe ho (with some minor difference in terms of muzzle device, iron sight etc) aur itni khushi...
Same AK-200 project became AK-400 when they added new gas block with a removable plug, replaced iron sight block etc
and this SAME AK-103-3 WAS USED IN MAKING IT,
MEET AK-400 (OR SAME AK-103-3 WITH UPPER MENTIONED REPLACED SECTIONS)
THIS AK-400 BECAME WHAT WE KNOW AS AK-12//AK-15 NOW
so even ruskies got same 2009 era maal remade in 2015 with some improvements in name of AK-12//AK-15 etc
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Who else uses AK-203 and which conflict was it tested in?
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I want army to use Multi Caliber Individual Weapon System.
JBH22
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Based on tried and tested ak47.
