Adani Defence and Aerospace has established a five-year partnership with Indo-Russian Rifles Pvt Ltd. This agreement focuses on supplying domestically produced 7.62×39 mm ammunition for the AK-203 assault rifles, which are currently being manufactured in India. This initiative aims to create a fully integrated domestic supply chain for the India-Russia rifle programme, enhancing India’s defense capabilities.
Adani Defence has established small-calibre ammunition manufacturing capabilities in India, including a production facility in Kanpur. The agreement would further strengthen domestic capabilities across the small-arms supply chain and support the government’s Aatmanirbhar Bharat push for greater self-reliance in defence manufacturing. Under the agreement, Adani Defence will supply the small-calibre ammunition required for the AK-203 programme for five years, providing an Indian source of supply and supporting continuity of ammunition availability over the contract period, according to the company. The pact brings together rifle production by Indo-Russian Rifles, or IRRPL, and ammunition manufacturing by Adani Defence, linking two parts of the AK-203 programme within India’s defence manufacturing ecosystem. The Ministry of Defence has identified IRRPL as the joint venture responsible for indigenous production of the AK-203. The government signed a contract with the company in December 2021 for 6,01,427 AK-203 rifles, which are to be manufactured at the Korwa facility.
The latest agreement expands the domestic manufacturing footprint around the programme by pairing locally produced rifles with locally manufactured ammunition, according to the firm.
The agreement also deepens the localisation of an India-Russia defence programme that was originally established to manufacture AK-203 rifles domestically, reducing reliance on external sources for a key consumable required for the weapon system.
