Amethi: India has manufactured and tested a prototype of the 100 per cent indigenised AK-203 ‘Sher’ rifle at the Indo-Russian Rifles Private Limited (IRRPL).
The Army will carry out trials for the rifle from September this year, Major General S K Sharma, CEO and managing director, IRRPL, said, while sharing a video of the test firing.
IRRPL is a joint-venture of Indian Defence Public Sector Undertakings (DPSUs), Concern Kalashnikov and Rosoboron export of Russia. Maj Gen Sharma said the testing of the prototype was “a moment of immense pride” for the company.
“We have successfully produced and fired the first AK-203 (Sher) rifle made with 100% Indian components and input materials,” he said in a post on LinkedIn.
“Ever single component and input material which has gone into manufacturing the rifle is sourced from the Indian industry,” Major Gen Sharma said in the post. This was not just “localisation of selected components”, but a “true, end-to-end ‘100% genuine indigenisation’ of the rifle”, he said, as reported by Hindustan Times.
The prototype of the first 100 per cent indigenised rifle had “successfully undergone firing, including burst firing”, adding that the initial results were “extremely encouraging.”
“A proud moment for IRRPL, our partners (AWEIL & OSL) and MSMEs, and the entire Indian Defence Industry. This is Atmanirbhar Bharat in action!!” Major Gen Sharma said.
With the successful testing of the first prototype, IRRPL would now focus on producing the requisite number of 100 per cent indigenised AK-203 ‘Sher’ rifles for trials to the Indian Armed Forces in September, 2026, the CEO said.
The company will be “moving towards a production rate of one AK-203 (Sher) every 100 seconds”, he said, adding that there is “much more ahead”.
IRRPL was also looking to prepone the delivery timeline of the approximately 6 lakh rifles that it has to supply to the Indian Army “by almost one year”, Major Gen Sharma said. He credited the company’s efforts towards “capacity enhancement, indigenisation and production optimisation” for the efficiency.
IRRPL is mandated under a Rs 5,200 crore contract to supply 6,01,427 rifles to the armed forces by October 2032. However, Major Gen Sharma had earlier said that the company plans to finish deliveries by December 2030.
