A shot in the arm for Indo – Russian partnership. A Massive deal to procure about 6 lakh Russian origin AK203 guns are at the final stage. Mass production and procurement process to kick off very soon.
An exclusive report and full details have emerged about the deal. At the time India is entangled in a standoff with the Chinese in the east and terror breading nation Pakistan in the west. Military modernisation has become the main policy movers for the Indian government.
Under the leadership of the Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision for self-reliance India, Over 6 Lakh AK rifles will be procured and made in India.
As per the government sources, the deal is at the final stage of price negotiations. Both India and Russia are looking at legality and checking every single dots on the agreement to conclude the deal.
As per our forces, India will be procuring first import batch of 20,000 rifles from Russia. And from there on the rest of the rifles will be made in the Indian factory. And this could begin as soon as possible. Which they say by the end of this year.
As far as the pricing finalised by the two countries, each AK203 will cost about eighty thousand Indian rupees or about 1100(USD) US Dollars.
Earlier both India and Russia agree to first establish a joint venture namely Info-Russian Rifles Private Limited. This company was established between the original AK203 rifle manufacturer the Kalashnikov, the Rosoboronexport and Indian government’s Ordnance factory board. The Indian Defence PSU will hold 50.5% of the share while the rest (42% and 7.5%) will be held by the Russians.
The deal looked at as a game-changer for the Indian military units. AK 203 is said to have a clear advantage over its ancient cousin AK47. AK47 rifles are still used in large number by many countries for it’s reliably and cost-effective alternative to the rest available in the market.
Riddled with Soviet-era technology, The Indian Armed Forces are looking to upgrade their equipment with modern systems and subsystem.
Indian Army had also ordered and inducted about 72000 of the American rifle SiG716 due to the delays faced during the rifle procurement process for decades. Point also should be noted that the Indian government has placed an additional order for 72000 more American rifles. Which is very clear that India has begun the process of modernisation of its armed forces. The Pace has picked up under the current BJP government led by PM Modi.
Things are looking good for India. As this deal for manufacturing more than 5.8 lac, AK203 will give a huge export potential as well. India is also looking to improve its defence export figures. As of course this deal will be a shot in the arm for India to active its goal and challenging China’s dominance in the region
