Amethi, Uttar Pradesh, India
Indo-Russian Rifles Private Limited (IRRPL) has successfully manufactured and test-fired the first fully indigenous AK-203 assault rifle, named ‘Sher’, at its Korwa ordnance facility in Amethi. The company said every single component and input material used in the rifle was sourced from Indian industry, describing the achievement as “100% Genuine Indigenisation.”
“We have successfully produced and fired the first AK-203 (Sher) rifle made with 100% Indian components and input materials,” said Major General S K Sharma, CEO and Managing Director of IRRPL, in a statement announcing the milestone. “This is not merely localisation of selected components; it is true, end-to-end ‘100% Genuine Indigenisation’ of the rifle. This is Atmanirbhar Bharat in action.”
Test Results and Next Steps
The rifle has undergone post-production firing trials, including burst firing, with Sharma describing the initial results as encouraging. IRRPL is now preparing the required number of fully indigenised prototypes to hand over to the Indian Army for formal user trials, scheduled for September 2026.
The company also confirmed plans to raise its production rate to one AK-203 ‘Sher’ every 100 seconds.
How the Indigenisation Was Achieved
According to Sharma, full indigenisation was not achieved overnight. IRRPL received 100% Transfer of Technology from Russia in 2023-24, providing the technological foundation — but converting that into genuine Indian manufacturing capability required developing domestic sources for every component, sub-component, material and manufacturing process involved. The AK-203 comprises approximately 50 major components, around 180 sub-components, and nearly 120 distinct manufacturing processes.
Testing and quality assurance were also progressively indigenised; IRRPL has now developed the capability to conduct required testing and validation entirely at its own Amethi premises.
Sharma specifically credited India’s MSME sector as central to the achievement, describing MSMEs as “the backbone of IRRPL’s indigenisation programme.” He noted that these companies did not simply become suppliers — they developed entirely new capabilities, including precision manufacturing, specialised materials, heat treatment, surface treatment and tooling, alongside meeting stringent defence-quality processes many had not previously worked to.
About the AK-203 Programme
IRRPL is a joint venture established in 2019 between India and Russia to manufacture AK-203 rifles domestically under the Make in India initiative. The venture is owned by Advanced Weapons and Equipment India (42.5%), Munitions India Limited (8%), Kalashnikov Concern (42%) and Rosoboronexport (7.5%).
Under a ₹5,200 crore contract, IRRPL is contracted to deliver 601,427 rifles to the Indian armed forces, originally scheduled for completion by October 2032. The company said gains in local production efficiency and expanded manufacturing capacity have allowed it to advance that timeline by nearly a year, with full delivery now targeted for December 2030.
The AK-203 is a gas-operated 7.62×39mm assault rifle from the Kalashnikov platform, weighing approximately 3.6 kilograms with a 415mm barrel, a cyclic rate of around 700 rounds per minute, and an effective engagement range of up to 800 metres with a battle sight range of 350 metres. It is intended to replace the Indian military’s ageing INSAS rifles, in service since the late 1990s, across the Army, Air Force and Navy.
Broader Context
Production at Korwa began in January 2022, following a ₹5,124 crore agreement signed during the 20th India-Russia Intergovernmental Commission on Military and Military Technical Cooperation. The facility was originally established as an Ordnance Factory Board project in 2007, before being restructured as the current India-Russia joint venture in 2019.