AK-203 Rifles In Manufacturing, Testing: Govt On Korwa Plant

The Indian government said on Monday that Kalashnikov AK-203 rifles for the Indian armed forces are being made and tested at an Indo-Russian joint venture in Korwa, Uttar Pradesh. In a written answer to a question in Rajya Sabha, Minister of State for Defence Ajay Bhatt said that the Indo-Russian Rifles Private Ltd (IRRPL) has set up everything it needs to start making the locally made assault rifles.

“Indo-Russian Rifles Private Limited (IRRPL) is a company that was set up as a joint venture to make AK-203 rifles in India. IRRPL has set up everything it needs to start making locally made assault rifles in Korwa, Uttar Pradesh “Bhatt said.

“At the moment, the rifles are being made and tested,” he said.

Bhatt said that if India makes its own AK-203 rifles, it will be able to make all the assault rifles it needs.

Bhatt named the 155mm Artillery Gun system “Dhanush,” the Light Combat Aircraft “Tejas,” the surface-to-air missile system “Akash,” the main battle tank “Arjun,” the T-90 tank, the T-72 tank, the Cheetah helicopter, and the Advanced Light Helicopter “Dornier Do-228” as some of India’s own defence projects.

Bhatt said that different policies to encourage the design, development, and production of defence equipment in the country are meant to make the country less dependent on imports over time.

“As of December 2022, the data show that the amount spent on defence purchases from foreign sources has gone down from 46% of total spending in 2018-19 to 36.7%,” he said.

When asked how much it costs to buy Indian Air Force One planes, he said that this information cannot be shared.

“Nothing can be said about this matter,” Bhatt said.

In response to a different question, he said that India regularly talks with friendly foreign countries (FFCs) to improve cooperation in the defence industry.

“The goal of the defence industrial cooperation with FFCs is to develop new technologies, do R&D, co-develop and co-produce, promote defence exports, set up joint ventures, and include Indian MSMEs and startups in the global supply chain,” he said.