New Kalashnikov Plant in India

[10thSFFD]

At UP Factory, Kalashnikov To Make Successor To The Iconic AK-47

NEW DELHI:
AK 203 is the latest derivative of the legendary AK-47 rifle. India has signed a deal with a Russian firm to manufacture 750,000 of these assault rifles which would be given to the Army's infantry troops.

According to officials, the guns would replace the existing India-made INSAS assault rifles in the Army, Air Force and Navy.

After the rifles are supplied to the defence forces, the government, in the next phase, would provide them to paramilitary and the state police forces. There is a possibility that 15 to 20 years down the line, all the forces would be using this assault rifle as their standard weapon.

Apart from this, the Defence Ministry has already signed a contract with American Sig Sauer for the supply of 7.69mm 59 calibre advanced assault rifles. These would be given to soldiers directly engaged in counter-insurgency and other operations.


View: https://youtu.be/ms0HKC8kwuE

Vladimir Putin sent a message of greetings to participants and guests of the ceremony launching the Russia-India Kalashnikov assault rifle plant.

March 3, 2019
15:00
The message reads, in part:

“Military technical cooperation has traditionally been a key area of Russia and India’s special and privileged strategic partnership.

We have been delivering reliable and high-quality weaponry and equipment to our Indian friends for over seventy years. Around 170 military and production facilities have been launched in India with the help of our country.

This new joint venture will produce world-famous Kalashnikov assault rifles of the cutting-edge 200-series and will gradually shift to totally domestic production.

Thus India’s military industrial complex will be able to independently supply the country’s security agencies with this type of rifle armaments while implementing advanced Russian technologies.

Let us recall that I and my friend Mr Modi agreed on launching the Kalashnikov production plant during my official visit to India last October.

A respective intergovernmental agreement was promptly drafted and inked. In this connection I would like to sincerely thank those Russian and Indian specialists who helped to implement this project so quickly.

I am confident that launching this enterprise will contribute to enhancing India’s defence potential, the further advancement of the research and industrial foundation of the country’s economy, will allow for the creation of new qualified jobs, give impetus to vocational education and training of personnel, while the plant itself will become yet another symbol of friendship and fruitful cooperation between our countries.”

 

[Deleted member 67409]

At UP Factory, Kalashnikov To Make Successor To The Iconic AK-47

NEW DELHI:
AK 203 is the latest derivative of the legendary AK-47 rifle. India has signed a deal with a Russian firm to manufacture 750,000 of these assault rifles which would be given to the Army's infantry troops.

...

Apart from this, the Defence Ministry has already signed a contract with American Sig Sauer for the supply of 7.69mm 59 calibre advanced assault rifles. These would be given to soldiers directly engaged in counter-insurgency and other operations.

The AK203 isn't made by Sig. Sig doesn't make anything called the "59" as far as I/we know. Sig's USA branch does have "worldwide" coverage per Wiki but Sig is still German. 7.69 caliber does not exist.

 

[10thSFFD]

The AK203 isn't made by Sig. Sig doesn't make anything called the "59" as far as I/we know. Sig's USA branch does have "worldwide" coverage per Wiki but Sig is still German. 7.69 caliber does not exist.

Thank you! More details:

Big boost for Army's infantry troops as India signs deal with Russian firm for 750,000 units of AK–203 rifle | India News

SIG Sauer to produce 72,400 assault rifles for India – Defence Blog
The small arms manufacturer SIG Sauer has announced on 13 February that India’s Ministry of Defense (MoD) will acquire 72,400 SIG716 7.62 mm assault rifles for the Indian Army (IA).

According to a statement, the Government of India, Ministry of Defense has officially contracted with SIG SAUER to build and deliver 72,400 SIG716 rifles for its frontline infantry soldiers.

The SIG716 is an enhanced AR platform featuring a 16-inch barrel, M-LOM handguard, and a 6-position telescoping stock.

“This is the first large firearms procurement of the Indian Government in decades, and the explicit mission for this tender was to modernize the infantry troopers of the Indian Army with the best rifle available,” began Ron Cohen, President and CEO, SIG SAUER, Inc. “We competed in an open tender with small arms manufacturers from around the world. The SIG716 rifle underwent a comprehensive and exhaustive testing and evaluation process where it outperformed the competition, and was ultimately chosen, and met all the criteria, as the best rifle to modernize the Indian Army.”

SIG Sauer will build the SIG716 rifles for the Indian Army in New Hampshire. Work is expected to completed within 12 months.

The SIG516 is a semi-automatic multi-caliber rifle, intended for civilian and law enforcement markets.

The same family also includes selective-fired (single shot, 3 shot burst, full automatic modes) assault rifles, strictly intended for law enforcement and military use.

Breaking News: India buys 72,000 SIG Sauer 716-G2 -
At last it looks like the World’s second largest Army has come to a conclusion, as the Indian Defense Minister Nirmala Sitharaman approved the procurement of the SIG Sauer SIG716-G2 rifles.

These rifles will mainly be used by troops deployed along the nearly 3 600 km long border along China.

The upgrade means that India will change caliber from 5.56×45mm NATO to 7.62×51mm NATO, but not completely as they are also sourcing new carbines in 5,56.

The total amount of rifles is said to be 72 400, and the deal is worth an estimated 72 million USD.

This means that each rifle is costing 990 USD.

The SIG716 G2 DMR is a medium range, magazine fed, gas operated, precision rifle chambered in 7.62x51mm NATO. The SIG716 G2 DMR fires from the closed bolt position. The 716 DMR is available in semi-automatic only versions. The operating system is a short stroke pushrod system enabling optimum function under adverse conditions. The SIG716 G2 DMR is designed to be fired with or without the SIG silencer attached. The upper KeyMod rail adapter provides a full length MIL-STD 1913 rail. The KeyMod rail adapter has interfaces for mounting of MIL-STD 1913 rail segments at the 3-6 and 9 o’clock positions. The firearm features several sling mounting points enabling the use of multiple sling configurations.



View: https://youtu.be/t36eQtUOrIM

 

[jkelly1229]

Man can I throw in on that group buy. 990 is a steal for a dmr

 

[10thSFFD]

Man can I throw in on that group buy. 990 is a steal for a dmr

Maybe we should ask Derek to create a Bollywood section on NES first. Few of us will populate it with cool stuff and only then we can try for $990 Indian Special.
Bollywood filmmaker rushes for Kashmir hero pilot title rights

View: https://youtu.be/FNpbM9KfaXk

This may be our next NES get together:

View: https://youtu.be/cIxYyXzHJQo

 

[Mesatchornug]

Wait, they're buying 7.5e5 AK-pattern rifles (in unknown caliber), 7.2e4 AR-pattern rifles in 308, and and unspecified number of 5.56 carbines?

WTF is "7.69mm 59 caliber"? How many different manuals of arms is that going to call for? Parts commonality? Maintenance schedules?

Yeah, I've no doubt they can learn to run all these different systems, but from a logistics standpoint, why? Why wouldn't you want to save that training time for literally anything else? Force on force, medical - hell, foreign language practice seems more valuable than weapons manipulations with multiple platforms, except maybe battlefield pickups (which aren't worth training for).

This sounds like a situation where the beancounters should have won; what do I not understand here?

Glad it's not my government...

 

[Deleted member 67409]

Wait, they're buying 7.5e5 AK-pattern rifles (in unknown caliber), 7.2e4 AR-pattern rifles in 308, and and unspecified number of 5.56 carbines?

WTF is "7.69mm 59 caliber"? How many different manuals of arms is that going to call for? Parts commonality? Maintenance schedules?

Yeah, I've no doubt they can learn to run all these different systems, but from a logistics standpoint, why? Why wouldn't you want to save that training time for literally anything else? Force on force, medical - hell, foreign language practice seems more valuable than weapons manipulations with multiple platforms, except maybe battlefield pickups (which aren't worth training for).

This sounds like a situation where the beancounters should have won; what do I not understand here?

Glad it's not my government...

Indian prison guards were still using those wonky .410 single-shot Ishapore No. 1 MkIII shotguns up until 2010, 2015ish. I think the question isn't "what does India use for guns", but rather, "what doesn't India use for guns?"

Some of the problems here are probably attributable to poor/gun-ignorant journalism.

List of equipment of the Indian Army - Wikipedia

 

[Garys]

So, 20 or so years from now, the Indian police can finally retire the SMLE "Ishapore" rifles?

 

[10thSFFD]

Wait, they're buying 7.5e5 AK-pattern rifles (in unknown caliber), 7.2e4 AR-pattern rifles in 308, and and unspecified number of 5.56 carbines?

WTF is "7.69mm 59 caliber"? How many different manuals of arms is that going to call for? Parts commonality? Maintenance schedules?

Yeah, I've no doubt they can learn to run all these different systems, but from a logistics standpoint, why? Why wouldn't you want to save that training time for literally anything else? Force on force, medical - hell, foreign language practice seems more valuable than weapons manipulations with multiple platforms, except maybe battlefield pickups (which aren't worth training for).

This sounds like a situation where the beancounters should have won; what do I not understand here?

Glad it's not my government...

India has good teachers:

View: https://youtu.be/LTiHDhsilYs



View: https://twitter.com/i/status/1100391244964945925

 

[Garys]

India has been pulling back somewhat from their Russian connections. I'd guess that they are getting an AK variant because it's cheap to buy and cheap to maintain for the "regular" troops. The AR variant is for the more specialized units, who presumably can follow somewhat more complicate maintenance and cleaning requirements.

Lockheed Martin has proposed a follow on F16 based fighter for India. The F21, if accepted would be license built in India. The F21 is a highly modified F16 airframe with avionics from the F22 and F35.

Lockheed unveils new F-21 fighter jet configured for India | Reuters

With all that's going on along the India-Pakistan border right now, it's no surprise that India wants to modernize it's military. If probably finally has the money to do it as well. They have one ex Russian Aircraft Carrier, one home built nearing completion, and a third one planned.

Interesting times in south Asia.

 

[10thSFFD]

India has been pulling back somewhat from their Russian connections. I'd guess that they are getting an AK variant because it's cheap to buy and cheap to maintain for the "regular" troops. The AR variant is for the more specialized units, who presumably can follow somewhat more complicate maintenance and cleaning requirements.

Lockheed Martin has proposed a follow on F16 based fighter for India. The F21, if accepted would be license built in India. The F21 is a highly modified F16 airframe with avionics from the F22 and F35.

Lockheed unveils new F-21 fighter jet configured for India | Reuters
1. In 2007, after several warnings by the Indian Air Force that its fleet of warplanes was becoming outdated, the Indian government under former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh of the Indian National Congress (INC) party, invited bids from international manufacturers for 126 fighter jets.

2. Five years later, the bid was won by France's Dassault Aviation, which offered the lowest prices compared to rival companies in the US and Europe. The initial arrangement stipulated that 18 planes would be imported to India for immediate use. The remaining would be manufactured in India together with the Indian Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) aviation firm. At the time, there was no final decision on the price of the aircraft.

3. In January 2016, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and French President Francois Hollande signed a Memorandum of Understanding on the purchase of the Rafale fighter jet, manufactured by Dassault. A few months earlier, during a trip to Paris, Modi announced his government would buy 36 jets for an immediate deployment. These would be delivered by the beginning of September 2018 at a cost of €7.8 billion. India would also get spare parts and the Meteor missile, manufactured by the European company MBDA.

4. An additional condition of the agreement was that France would have to invest 20 percent of the nearly €8 billion for producing parts of the aircraft in India. Thirty percent would be used for promoting research and development in aeronautics and defense.

With all that's going on along the India-Pakistan border right now, it's no surprise that India wants to modernize it's military. If probably finally has the money to do it as well. They have one ex Russian Aircraft Carrier, one home built nearing completion, and a third one planned.

Interesting times in south Asia.

China, India and Russia are getting closer.
The Russian President emphasised that Russian-Indian cooperation was developing quite successfully as a privileged strategic partnership. The two sides expressed interest in further promoting interaction in all areas, including military-technical ties.

Vladimir Putin invited Narendra Modi to take part in the Eastern Economic Forum in Vladivostok in September 2019 as the main guest. The two leaders agreed to continue personal contact.


This is also interesting:
Rafale controversy: What you need to know about India's fighter jet deal with France | DW | 13.02.2019
1. In 2007, after several warnings by the Indian Air Force that its fleet of warplanes was becoming outdated, the Indian government under former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh of the Indian National Congress (INC) party, invited bids from international manufacturers for 126 fighter jets.

2. Five years later, the bid was won by France's Dassault Aviation, which offered the lowest prices compared to rival companies in the US and Europe. The initial arrangement stipulated that 18 planes would be imported to India for immediate use. The remaining would be manufactured in India together with the Indian Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) aviation firm. At the time, there was no final decision on the price of the aircraft.

3. In January 2016, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and French President Francois Hollande signed a Memorandum of Understanding on the purchase of the Rafale fighter jet, manufactured by Dassault. A few months earlier, during a trip to Paris, Modi announced his government would buy 36 jets for an immediate deployment. These would be delivered by the beginning of September 2018 at a cost of €7.8 billion. India would also get spare parts and the Meteor missile, manufactured by the European company MBDA.

4. An additional condition of the agreement was that France would have to invest 20 percent of the nearly €8 billion for producing parts of the aircraft in India. Thirty percent would be used for promoting research and development in aeronautics and defense.

5. In late 2016, Indian business tycoon Anil Ambani announced a joint venture of his company, Reliance Defence, with Dassault Aviation.

6. Problems began emerging two years later, when former French President Hollande told French website Mediapart that his government did not have any say in choosing Dassault's manufacturing partner in India and that Reliance Defence was nominated by the Indian government. Soon after, Dassault Aviation released a statement claiming the decision to choose Reliance was their own.

7. India's opposition Congress party, including its leader Rahul Gandhi, accused Prime Minister Modi's government of unfairly awarding the contract to Reliance Defence instead of state-owned aeronautics firm HAL. They also accused him of paying three times the amount that was initially agreed upon.

8. Following petitions to investigate graft allegations, the Indian Supreme Court said in December 2018 that it found "no occasion to doubt the process" of signing the deal with Dassault Aviation.

9. On February 13, 2019, a report from the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG), Rajiv Mehrishi, who audits all funds and expenses by the Indian government, said the Indian government under Modi paid 2.8 percent less than the amount agreed upon by the previous government under Congress' Singh.

10. However, the report that was tabled in India's upper house of parliament, the Rajya Sabha, does not include the aspect of pricing. India's Ministry of Defense has said data pertaining to pricing was confidential. Furthermore, the report may be perceived as biased, considering that Mehrishi was the finance secretary in the federal government – and thus a negotiator - when the deal was signed in 2016.

 

[SKumar]

Maybe we should ask Derek to create a Bollywood section on NES first.

I'm down for an NES meetup for Indian sunday lunch buffet

 

[enbloc]