- Amethis Korwa Ordnance Factory produced an AK-203 rifle with all Indian components named "Sher"
- The rifle passed firing trials, including automatic and burst firing at Korwa facility
- IRRPL achieved 100% localisation by sourcing all components and raw materials domestically
Amethi's Korwa Ordnance Factory has reached a milestone in India's effort to replace the INSAS rifle: an AK-203 made entirely from Indian components, with no imported parts.
Named “Sher”, the rifle was manufactured at Indo-Russian Rifles Private Limited (IRRPL), the joint venture responsible for producing AK-203 rifles in India since 2019. The rifle has successfully undergone firing trials at Korwa, including automatic and burst firing.
What sets the latest rifle apart from thousands of AK-203s already produced in India is that every component and raw material used in it has been sourced domestically.
The development marks a significant step in India's push for greater self-reliance in defence manufacturing. The Army had been seeking to replace the INSAS rifle for years amid complaints from soldiers about issues including jamming in cold conditions and cracking magazines.
India signed an agreement with Russia in 2019 to manufacture AK-203 rifles domestically rather than import them. IRRPL was subsequently established to manufacture the rifles at Korwa. The first rifles supplied to the Army, beginning in 2024, were produced using imported knock-down kits, with Indian content being increased gradually.
Major General SK Sharma, CEO and Managing Director of IRRPL, said the achievement involved localising every component of the rifle rather than simply assembling it in India.
The AK-203 has around 50 major components, nearly 180 sub-components and approximately 120 manufacturing processes. Each component and process had to be progressively localised, Sharma said.
IRRPL received the full transfer of technology from its Russian partners in 2023-24. However, establishing an Indian vendor base capable of producing the components to military specifications took additional time.
The localisation programme was carried out in multiple stages, including vendor development, replacing imported components with Indian-made alternatives, and establishing indigenous testing and quality-control processes.
The AK-203 is a gas-operated, magazine-fed assault rifle chambered for the 7.62x39 mm cartridge and belongs to the Kalashnikov AK-100 series. It features a folding and adjustable stock, an ergonomic grip and a rail system designed to accommodate modern optical and other accessories.
The rifle is intended to eventually replace the INSAS in the Indian Army.
The numbers behind the programme are substantial. IRRPL is contracted to manufacture 6,01,427 rifles under a deal worth around Rs 5,200 crore. The production deadline has also been brought forward from October 2032 to December 2030.
To meet the revised timeline, the Korwa facility will need to produce around 600 rifles a day, or approximately one rifle every 100 seconds.
The transition from assembly to complete indigenous manufacturing has taken several years. Domestic content was around 50 per cent as of mid-2025 and has now reached 100 per cent, according to the company.
IRRPL has had to develop Indian suppliers for components including barrels, bolts, furniture, coatings and fire-control components. It has also established testing and proofing systems to certify the components according to military specifications.
The next stage will involve user trials by the Indian Army. Several “Sher” rifles are expected to be manufactured and handed over for trials by September 2026.
Those trials will assess the rifles under broader field conditions and will be crucial before the weapon moves towards full-scale production.
IRRPL is a four-way joint venture involving Advanced Weapons and Equipment India Limited and Munitions India Limited on the Indian side, and Russia's Kalashnikov Concern and Rosoboronexport, both part of Rostec.
The AK-203 programme has been presented by Indian officials as an example of the country's push for self-reliance in defence manufacturing. The fully indigenous “Sher” represents the latest stage of that effort: a rifle originally developed using Russian technology that is now being manufactured, tested and certified using an entirely Indian supply chain.
