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New Indian Express
17-07-2025
- Business
- New Indian Express
First fully indigenous AK-203 assault rifle to be delivered to Army by December
NEW DELHI: The much awaited fully indigenous version of the AK-203 assault rifle will be out by December and will be christened 'Sher' (Lion). The contract for over six lakh AK-203 rifles was signed in 2021. As per the contract, the Indo-Russian Rifles Private Limited (IRRPL) has to deliver all the rifles by December 2032. So far, the company has supplied around 48,000 to the Indian Army, with 50 per cent indigenous content. IRRPL CEO and MD Major General SK Sharma on Thursday said, "We will deliver the first 100 per cent indigenised AK-203 rifle on December 31, 2025." Another batch of 70,000 rifles will be supplied in the next five months, he said, adding that they will have 70 percent indigenous content. "The IRRPL will supply all the rifles by mid 2030, 22 months earlier than the scheduled delivery," he added. As reported earlier by The New Indian Express, the AK-203 rifles would replace the ageing Indian Small Arms System (INSAS). A contract for procurement of 6,01,427 AK-203 rifles, worth Rs 5,200 crore, was signed in December 2021 between the Ministry of Defence and IRRPL -- a joint venture between India, represented by the Defence PSUs-Advanced Weapons & Equipment India Limited (AWEIL) and Munitions India Limited (MIL), and Russia, represented by Rosoboronexport (RoE) & Concern Kalashnikov (CK), holding a stake of 50.5% and 49.5% respectively.
The Print
04-07-2025
- The Print
In 2nd such raid since June, snipers & AK-47s among over 200 weapons recovered from Manipur hills
The raid is the second such operation to yield success. The previous one, in June this year, resulted in more recoveries—328 weapons. The weapons included 21 INSAS (Indian Small Arms System) rifles, 11 AK-47 rifles, 17 .303 rifles, 26 SLRs (self-loading rifles), two sniper rifles, three carbines, assault rifles, and more. New Delhi: Over 200 sophisticated weapons and significant ammunition, including grenades, pompi shells, IEDs, and bullets, were recovered from the hill districts of Manipur at midnight on 3 July in a joint raid by the security forces. According to a senior officer in the Manipur Police, the operation followed specific intelligence on a large cache of arms, ammunition, and other warlike materials concealed in various locations. On Thursday, joint teams of Manipur Police, Assam Rifles, and Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) simultaneously launched coordinated operations at multiple sites in the interior areas of the Tengnoupal, Kangpokpi, Chandel, and Churachandpur districts, where the weapons are suspected to be hidden. 'These intelligence-based coordinated operations in the hill districts represent a significant achievement for the Manipur Police, Assam Rifles/ Army, and Central Security Forces in their ongoing efforts to restore normalcy, maintain public order, and ensure the safety and security of citizens and their property,' Manipur police said in a statement. 'The public is urged to cooperate with the Police and Security Forces, and to promptly report any suspicious activity or information related to illegal arms to the nearest police station or the Central Control Room,' the statement said. The officer quoted above said that all security stakeholders coordinate closely, ensuring the operations continue in a sustained and focused manner, in their aim to restore normalcy in the region. Over 5,682 weapons, including more than 200 AK-47s, 406 carbines, 551 INSAS rifles, and 250 machine guns, besides over 6.5 lakh rounds of ammunition, were earlier looted from police armouries and stations, which are primarily in the Meitei-dominated Imphal valley. In comparison, there have, so far, been no substantial recoveries, with a significant cache believed to be left in the hands of residents still, exacerbating the cycle of violence in Manipur, starting May 2023. According to sources, the entry of underground groups into Manipur, their renewed public support, the lack of intelligence inputs from locals, and the sale of looted weapons are the key reasons for the police and the security forces failing to make any substantial recoveries of the looted arms in the region. 'These are all real challenges. But, with constant efforts, the operations in the region have picked up, and recoveries are now underway. We expect that the momentum will remain, and more such recoveries will take place,' the officer said. (Edited by Madhurita Goswami) Also Read: PM Modi exploring possibility of visiting Manipur over 2 yrs after ethnic conflict divided the state
