PM Modi inaugurates India-Russia JV to build Kalashnikov rifles in Amethi

The AK-203 will replace the indigenous INSAS rifles and AK-47 rifles that Indian Army soldiers currently carry

Taking a step towards equipping army soldiers with modern rifles, Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated an Indo-Russian joint venture (JV) on Sunday that will manufacture the new Kalashnikov AK-203 rifle in Korwa, near Amethi.

In the third week of February, New Delhi and Moscow signed an inter-governmental agreement (IGA) to build the AK-203 in India. A contract is still to be signed, but the first of an estimated 750,000 AK-203 rifles are expected to roll off the production line in 2019.

“During my official visit to India last October… Mr Modi and I reached the agreement on setting up Kalashnikov