Adani, IRRPL sign AK-203 ammunition production agreement

An AK-203 assault rifle produced by IRRPL. (Janes/Jeremy Binnie)

India's Adani Defence and Aerospace has signed an agreement with Indo-Russian Rifles Private Limited (IRRPL) – an India-Russia joint venture – to collaborate on the production of ammunition rounds for the AK-203 assault rifle.

Under the partnership agreement, announced on 3 September, Adani said it intends to support IRRPL's AK-203 rifle programme with indigenous 7.62×39 mm ammunition, which it said would contribute to India's domestic defence manufacturing capability.

The agreement follows an announcement by IRRPL on 27 August that it had produced and test-fired the first fully indigenised AK-203 assault rifle, designated Sher, using domestically sourced components and raw materials. The company added that it is preparing prototypes for Indian Army trials as the programme moves towards full-scale production.

India's Ministry of Defence (MoD) signed a contract with IRRPL in December 2021 for 601,427 AK-203 rifles to be produced at Korwa in Uttar Pradesh for the Indian military. An initial batch of 35,000 rifles, produced under the programme's phased localisation and technology-transfer arrangement, was delivered to the Indian Army in 2024.

Developed by Russia's Kalashnikov Concern, the AK-203 has an overall length of 930 mm, reduced to 690 mm when its stock is folded, and weighs 3.8 kg. The rifle has a rate of fire of 700 rds/min and a muzzle velocity of 715 m/s. It is fed from a 30-round polymer box magazine with a stated maximum range of 800 m.

Neither Adani nor IRRPL had responded to Janes queries at the time of publication.

For more, please see: India produces first fully indigenised AK-203 assault rifle