NEW DELHI: On the eve of Prime Minister Modi’s visit to Russia, the Indo-Russian Rifles Pvt Ltd (IRRPL) has completed the production and transfer of 35,000 Kalashnikov AK-203 assault rifles to the Indian Ministry of Defence, according to Rosoboronexport, the Russian state agency. Army sources said of the 35,000 rifles delivered, 10,000 have been handed to units and the rest of 25,000 rifles would be handed over to troops shortly after inspection is complete.Sergey Chemezov, director general of Rostec said, “India is the first foreign customer to produce the 200th series of Kalashnikovs. The production in India is in full compliance with the Make in India and Atmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyaan (Self-Reliant India) drive. The project includes technology transfer, and its concept includes 100% localization of AK-203 production.”Such programmes, it said, are one of the trends in the modern arms market and show Russia’s competitive advantage as a reliable supplier of the best defence solutions.Alexander Mikheev, director general of Rosoboronexport, said to increase localization, all necessary equipment have been shipped to the Korwa Ordnance Factory in Amethi, UP where production facilities are fully equipped. “This enabled the company to produce and deliver a batch of 35,000 Kalashnikovs within the timeframe agreed to with India,” said Mikheev. The contractIn November 2021, Defence Acquisition Council approved the manufacturing of AK-203 rifles. The contract was pegged at over `5,000 cr which lead to manufacturing of 6,014,427 AK-203s.
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