India’s first ‘desi’ AK-203 ‘Sher’ rifle made with 100% Indian parts test-fired in Amethi

India’s first fully indigenous AK-203 ‘Sher’ rifle has been manufactured and successfully test-fired at the Korwa ordnance facility in Amethi, marking a major step in the country’s efforts to expand domestic defence production, TOI reports.

The rifle has been developed by Indo-Russian Rifles Private Limited (IRRPL), the India-Russia joint venture established in 2019 to manufacture AK-203 assault rifles locally under the Make in India initiative. Maj Gen S K Sharma, CEO and managing director of IRRPL, announced the milestone in a recent post, as per a TOI report.

AK-203 ‘Sher’ built entirely with Indian components

According to Sharma, the rifle that has now been manufactured uses Indian components and input materials throughout its production chain.


“A moment of immense pride for all of us at IRRPL. We have successfully produced and fired the first AK-203 (Sher) rifle made with 100% Indian components and input materials. What makes this achievement truly special is that every single component and every input material going into this rifle has been sourced from Indian industry. This is not merely localisation of selected components; it is true, end-to-end ‘100% Genuine Indigenisation’ of the rifle. This is Atmanirbhar Bharat in action,” he said.

The first fully indigenised rifle has already completed firing tests, including burst firing. Sharma said the initial results were encouraging and that IRRPL is preparing the required number of fully indigenised prototypes for Army trials in September 2026.

IRRPL targets one rifle every 100 seconds

The company is also preparing to increase its manufacturing pace. Sharma said IRRPL would soon move towards producing one AK-203 ‘Sher’ every 100 seconds.

He also said efforts to expand capacity, increase the level of indigenisation and improve production processes had allowed the company to bring forward delivery of approximately 6 lakh rifles to the Indian Army by almost a year.

The company’s latest milestone comes as IRRPL works towards large-scale domestic production of the AK-203 for the Indian military.

AK-203 to replace ageing INSAS rifles

The AK-203 is a gas-operated 7.62x39mm assault rifle based on the Kalashnikov platform. It incorporates modular accessory rails, updated ergonomics and a modern targeting configuration for contemporary combat requirements.

The rifle has a reported firing rate of 700 rounds per minute and an effective range of up to 800 metres. It is being inducted by the Indian military as a replacement for the ageing INSAS rifle.

IRRPL has been established to manufacture more than 6 lakh AK-203 rifles for the Indian Armed Forces at its Korwa facility in Amethi.