It was a particularly hot afternoon at the military base camp on the Siachen glacier last July. With a cheery smile, a young captain from the Assam Regiment told THE WEEK: “Our boys have a new gun. It is the first batch of the AK-203. And they seem very happy with it.”
The remark had two key revelations. One, in an answer to the prayers of many a soldier, the long-awaited AK-203 had finally landed on the frontline.
Second, the fact that the soldiers were happy meant the gun was doing well in extreme conditions—at Siachen, the world’s highest battlefield, many a gun had malfunctioned because of inclement weather.
While the shift to the AK-203 from the INSAS (Indian Small Arms System) rifle as the standard issue for the military is a sweeping one, it is also indicative of a change in offensive operations. And therein lies the bigger narrative.
While the 5.56mmx45mm bullet in the INSAS rifle is meant to wound, the 7.62mmx39mm bullet in the AK-203 is thicker, heavier and is meant to kill.
Lieutenant General (retd) Syed Ata Hasnain told THE WEEK: “The AK-203 uses a bullet that is more lethal because of higher calibre and stopping power (immobilising a target). It is a proven AK platform, has more reliability in all conditions and is lighter than the INSAS by about 300g. Moreover, it has both semi-automatic and fully automatic modes. Being fully automatic is a major advantage for counter-terrorist situations at closer range.”
Originally chosen by NATO (and copied in INSAS), the lighter calibre was based on the logic that a wounded soldier ties up more enemy resources, like the medical and evacuating personnel, besides demoralising fellow troops.
“It is the operational philosophy we were fed in the 1980s and even the 1990s,” said Hasnain. “It is not as if counter-insurgency/counter-terror (CI/CT) operations were our main task, but the Army was at a disadvantage in such operations while being armed with the INSAS.”
Some indigenous AK-47s and a few captured ones with limited ammunition were made available to the Army in the Northern Command. “These proved effective, especially in jungle encounters and close, compact built-up areas,” he said. “The AK-203, a refined version of the AK-47, offers a good stoppage-free weapon that can be employed effectively in both conventional and CI/CT operations.”
Added Major General Jagatbir Singh (retd): “With an increased calibre, the penetration and range of the AK-203 are greater than that of the INSAS, which leads to a higher kill ratio. The calibre of weapons is based on the ranges desired and the likely effect on the target. The key issues are whether to incapacitate or to kill, ease of handling, rugged use, automatic and semi-automatic use, rate of fire and ease of maintenance. The feedback on performance of 5.56mm INSAS was not good. This was highlighted by troops operating in CI operations who preferred using AK47s.” The AK-203, therefore, fits the bill.
But how will this change impact the Army’s CI/CT operations, which often call for a graded and calibrated response? Hasnain, who commanded the Army’s Srinagar-based 15 Corps, said: “The Army’s role in internal security duties, particularly in civil unrest scenarios like stone-pelting, is governed by strict protocols and drills under ‘aid to civil authorities’. These emphasise graded response, restraint and the minimum use of force, regardless of the personal weapon issued to the soldier. While it’s true that the AK-203 is more lethal, this does not translate to a greater use of force in civil unrest scenarios.”
Moreover, the Army rarely engages directly in crowd control, which is primarily the domain of state police or paramilitary forces. “In exceptional cases like when convoys are attacked, the Army follows standard operating procedures designed to defuse the situation, protect its personnel and avoid unnecessary casualties,” said Hasnain. The measures include non-lethal deterrents, verbal warnings and escalation only when necessary, in a calibrated manner.
“The transition to AK-203 enhances combat capability, but does not alter the Army’s commitment to restraint during internal security duties,” he added.
Throughout its history, India’s 14 lakh-strong military has been using a range of standard issue rifles with different bullet calibres. It was the vintage .303 Lee-Enfield bolt-action rifle that was replaced by the Self-Loading Rifle (SLR) 7.62mmx51mm. Introduced in the early 1960s, the SLR continued to be in vogue till the late 1990s. While the indigenous INSAS rifle became the mainstay for the military since 1994, much smaller numbers of the Russian AK-47 (7.62mmx3mm), and about 1,45,400 of the American Sig Sauer 716 (7.62mmx51mm) had been inducted in recent years.
Since 2014-15, the Army had stopped placing any indent for the INSAS. Between 2015-16 and 2019-20, 13-17 per cent of INSAS rifles were returned because of defects in components like breech lock, piston extension and body housing. Said a former senior Army officer on condition of anonymity: “The weapon’s external structure, including its magazine, was fragile and prone to damage. Its gas piston mechanism would occasionally spray oil into the firer’s eyes, causing discomfort. Furthermore, it suffered from jamming issues, especially in extreme cold and dusty environments—common conditions in India’s high-altitude border areas. The 5.56mm rounds lacked stopping power, often failing to incapacitate the enemy fully.”
In a 2016-2019 scrutiny by the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG), of 26 cases of ‘defect investigation’ in small weapons, 14 were from the 5.56mm INSAS rifle. The repetitive defects were bursting of the cartridge case in the chamber, bulging of housing body and cracks in the breech block/barrel extension.
The audit probe committee concluded that the problems indicated “manufacturing problems of a metallurgical nature in the concerned weapons”.
The INSAS is part of a family of infantry weapons developed indigenously, comprising the assault rifle, a light machine gun (LMG) and a carbine. These were designed by the Armament Research and Development Establishment and manufactured by the Ordnance Factory Board.
The rifle, along with its LMG counterpart, entered mass production in 1997 while the carbine version never materialised. The INSAS rifle had an effective range of 400m, and the LMG variant could engage targets up to 700m.
Major General Deepak Mehra (retd), involved in the procurement process of the AK-203 with the Russians, told THE WEEK: “The Russian-origin Kalashnikov rifles—such as the AK-47, AK-74, AK-56, and AKM—have long been in service and were favoured by frontline troops for their rugged reliability and effective lethality. Recognising the limitations of the INSAS, the Indian Army initiated the search for a replacement. The process likely began around 2015, when I was posted at the Indian embassy in Moscow [as India’s military attaché]. During my three-year tenure in Russia, we made several visits to the Kalashnikov Concern—the iconic small arms manufacturer located deep within Russia. We regularly interacted with the factory team, discussing design specifications, attachments and cost considerations. However, as of 2018, a final model had not been selected due to disagreements over the support systems and accessory features desired by the Indian side. After returning to India in November 2018, I submitted a comprehensive report with detailed recommendations to the Infantry Directorate. As I settled into my new role, I was contacted by the then additional director general (ADG) of infantry, who informed me of an urgent visit to Moscow, directed by General Bipin Rawat, the then chief of Army staff. Within two weeks of returning from my diplomatic assignment, I found myself back at the Kalashnikov factory, this time as part of a high-level Indian delegation led by the ADG Infantry. In a decisive closed-door meeting, the Indian side communicated its preference for the AK-203, the best available model at the time. The Russian team responded with full cooperation, and the delegation swiftly finalised the technical specifications.”
That ADG infantry is now Chief of Army Staff General Upendra Dwivedi.
The first AK-203 from the Indo-Russian Rifles Private Limited (IRRPL) factory in Uttar Pradesh’s Korwa was released on August 15, 2023, and in total, 55,000 have already been delivered to India’s frontline.
Major General S.K. Sharma, CEO and MD, IRRPL, told THE WEEK: “There have been zero complaints in the past 18 months. The entire contracted number of 6,01,427 units will be delivered to the defence ministry by December 2030… more than two years before the deadline of October 2032.”
IRRPL is owned by a consortium—Advanced Weapons and Equipment India Limited has a 42.5 per cent stake, Munitions India Limited has 8 per cent, while Russian firms Kalashnikov Concern and Rosoboronexport own 42 per cent and 7.5 per cent. Operating on a 100 per cent transfer-of-technology arrangement with the Russian partners, IRRPL has been undertaking a graded indigenisation production of the rifle. “We aim to take out the first completely home-made AK-203 by December 31, 2025,” said Sharma. Till now, certain parts of the rifle were being brought in from Russia.
The IRRPL is expected to churn out one AK-203 rifle every 100 seconds by mid-2026. And in the backdrop of atmanirbharta and ‘Make for the World’, the AK-203 is also being seen through the export angle.
So, what happens to the lakhs of INSAS rifles?
Replacing a generation of weapons is a slow and graded process. “The INSAS will probably be retained for training purposes for some time and for guards and sentries at static institutions,” said Hasnain. “State armed police may also receive some of these. A lot of ammunition will be available and it should either be fired or destroyed as soon as the shelf life is over.”