Now Reading: India test-fires first fully indigenous AK-203 assault rifle
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India test-fires first fully indigenous AK-203 assault rifle
Indo-Russian Rifles Private Limited (IRRPL) has successfully manufactured and test-fired the first 100% indigenous AK-203 assault rifle, named 'Sher', at its Korwa ordnance facility in Amethi. Major General S K Sharma, CEO and MD of IRRPL, announced the milestone, stating that every component and input material was sourced from Indian industry. The rifle has undergone firing tests including burst firing, with initial results described as 'extremely encouraging'.
The Times of India reports that the first fully indigenised prototype has been validated. Business Today adds that IRRPL is now working to produce the required batch of fully indigenised rifles for Army trials scheduled for September 2026. The company aims to move towards a production rate of one rifle every 100 seconds.
IRRPL is a joint venture formed in 2019 under a Rs 5,200 crore contract to supply 6,01,427 AK-203 rifles to the Indian armed forces. The Times of India states that delivery timeline has been advanced by almost one year. Business Today specifies that the company now plans to complete the entire order by December 2030 instead of October 2032.
Indian Opinion Analysis
Both sources frame this as a clear success story for the 'Make in India' and 'Atmanirbhar Bharat' initiatives, with neutral, factual reporting from a government-aligned perspective. The Times of India leads with the national pride angle, while Business Today provides more contract-specific context, including the Rs 5,200 crore value and revised delivery deadline. Neither source includes any critical or opposition voices. The measured takeaway: this is a genuine engineering achievement in local sourcing, but the key milestone to watch remains the September 2026 Army trials, which will test whether the fully indigenised rifle performs to military standards in field conditions.
Coverage: 2 sources, 2 pro-government
Sources (2): timesofindia.indiatimes.com (pro government), businesstoday.in (pro government)
This story was synthesised by AI from the 2 sources linked above. Methodology and corrections.
Updated: this story now draws on 2 sources.
