- Prime Minister laid the foundation stone for a manufacturing unit of the AK-203/103 assault rifle at the Korwa ordnance factory in the Amethi district of Uttar Pradesh.India and Russia had signed an inter governmental agreement (IGA) to build the AK-203 rifle in India.
- According to the agreement with Russia,Kalashnikov factory will be set up in India in collaboration with the OFB (Ordnance Factories Board).This rifle would cater to the forces for hinterland and counter-insurgency operations.
- A Kalashnikov rifle or AK 203 is an automatic rifle based on the original design of Mikhail Kalashnikov.They were originally manufactured in the Soviet Union but these rifles and their variants are now manufactured in many other countries.The AK-203 is also the latest and most advanced version of the legendary AK-47 rifle,the most abundant firearm the world has ever known.
- The most important quality of the AK-series rifles is that they never get jammed.The Kalashnikovs can work under extreme climatic conditions and are effective even in sand, soil and water.
- The Indian Armed Forces are currently equipped with INSAS(Indian National Small Arms System) Rifle.There is an urgent requirement of replacing the in-service INSAS Rifle with an Assault Rifle which is compact, robust and modern in technology.
