Is AK- 203 Rifle The Right Choice For Indian Army ?

 

AK - 203 Rifle

In January 2023, the joint venture between India and Russia , Indo- Russian Rifles private limited started the production of AK- 203 Kalashnikov Assault Rifles at Korwa in UP. Indian Army has been on a long wait for such assault rifles and was trying to find an alternative to the native INSAS Rifles. It has various problems like jamming, automatic burst to three round mode, and oil-falling. Also INSAS was too old to use, until 1999 when INSAS played an important role in Kargil war. 

AK - 203 ASSAULT RIFLE

Indian military's Special Forces namely GARUDS, MARCOS, and PARA SF have been using different types of weapons like MP5, AK47, Tavor Tar 21, IMI Galil Sniper Rifle and many other. In the advancing world of tech , terrorists and militants have started using AK-47 as their primary weapon for insurgency and INSAS stands nowhere to compete with it. AK-47 uses 7.62 x 39mm cartridge whereas INSAS uses 5.56 x 39mm cartridge which is less lethal than AK-47 used by terrorist. this resulted in a number of soldiers sacrificing their life in combat. 

In the joint production of 6,71,000 rifles are to be produced. Accordingly the Indian infantry needs 2,00,000 primary 7.62x 39mm cartridge assault rifles and some 1,60,000 close quarter battle carbines, 16,000 7.62 mm light machine gun and 3,600 7.62 mm specialized sniper rifles.

Why did Indian Army choose to produce AK-203 Rifles over other Rifles ?

Indian Army has been using different variants of Kalashnikov from very beginning. Most of our soldiers are very used to Kalashnikov system of Rifles. AK-203 is a perfect Indian troops deployed in Insurgency areas and involved in counter- terrorism operations in various terrains. The prominent being the Rashtriya Rifles at Kashmir and The Assam Rifles at the North-East. For a long time our forces have relied on AK-47 which we purchased from East Germany , Romania and Bulgaria. These rifles chambered for 7.62mm performed extremely well despite being of short service life and low range.

Emblem of Rashtriya Rifles

 

Emblem of Assam Rifles

The manufacturer of AK that is Kalashnikov is a well known name in the defense industry. AK being the most simple gun with minimum parts needed to operate , it is easy for maintaining hence forces don't face an issue with the availability of spare parts. Indigenously developed INSAS used 5.56 NATO SS109 ammunition which weighs 55 grains. this was the standard issue cartridge of US Army back in 1990s. The bullet being lighter and having less stopping power , the US Army faced problems in Afghanistan with the 5.56 SS109 ammunition cartridge. The US decided to shift to new cartridge of MK314Mod1. Because India does not produce such rounds our armed forces continued with SS109 rounds, which are less effective in long range combat. As a result, Indian Army decided to choose heavier cartridge, and therefore the 7.6239mm bullets were favored. 

Specifications

• Caliber                                        -           7.62mm

• Ammunition                                -           7.62x39mm

• Weight with empty magazine     -         3.8 kg

• Sighting Range                            -           800 m

• Action                                          -           Gas operated , rotating Bolt

• Barrel Length                         -          415 mm

• Cyclic rate of fire                         -           700 rounds per minute

Is AK-203 the right choice for Indian Army ?

Defense deals are signed considering various factors like budget, compatibility, technology , availability of spare parts, and performance. Keeping these factors in mind AK-203 is by far a good choice for our Army. The current deal of AK-203 is made as the replacement of INSAS (Indian Small Arms System) and SIG sauer 716 which were earlier ordered as long range rifles for Indo- China border.

Chinese QBZ-191(left) Indian INSAS(right)

As stated by many Army veterans and Special force operators the best part of AK family rifles is that they never jam and have superb accuracy. Kalashnikov are seasoned rifles which can be relied upon even in harsh weather conditions and irrespective of the terrain in which the operator is operating. Kalashnikov along with a seasoned soldier forms a deadly combination for the enemy. This rifle is more ergonomic thanks to its foldable and adjustable buttstock , a windowed , a rifled magazine and a pistol grip. The rifle can be mounted with an under barrel grenade launcher or a bayonet and all models have a quick detachable tactical sound suppressors. 

AK-203 mounted with a grenade launcher

AK-203 with a pistol grip, scope and magazine

Was the decision wrong ?

The AK-203 is a modified version of AKM which enter into the soviet army service in 1959. It uses 7.62x39mm cartridge , which was phased out of of soviet service in late 1970s in favor of 5.45x39mm cartridge. Beyond 200-300 m the 7.62x39mm rounds and it does not penetrate current body armor well. While the AK 203 is effective for Army's counter insurgency needs.

Nowadays body armor is becoming more widespread on recent battlefields and AK-203 firing 7.62x39mm will perform badly because of its low penetrating power. Optical sights are becoming more ubiquitous on battlefield allowing even more inexperienced soldiers to engage targets up to 500-600m away thereby again AK-203 will perform poorly.