India fully localises production of Russian AK-203 assault rifle

India has fully localised production of the Russian-designed AK-203 assault rifle, marking the completion of a phased effort to manufacture the weapon entirely from domestically produced components.

Sudhir Kumar Sharma, Executive Director of Indo-Russian Rifles Private Limited, said Indian production of the AK-203 had reached a 100% localisation level, Russian media reports.

“This is a modern weapon system that retains the legendary reliability always associated with the Kalashnikov name. Believe me, every soldier expects reliability above all else from their weapon — alongside accuracy,” he said.

Sharma said Indian military personnel had been given access to the latest model in the Kalashnikov assault-rifle family, the AK-203.

According to him, localisation was carried out in stages. Indian participation initially accounted for 5% of production, before gradually increasing to 100%.

Mass production of the AK-203 using entirely Indian-made components has already begun, Sharma said.

He added that all 50 components and 180 parts of the rifle are now manufactured domestically.