IRRPL Test-Fires First 100% Indigenous AK-203 'Sher' Assault Rifle at Korwa, Amethi

26 August 2026National

Indo-Russian Rifles Private Limited (IRRPL) at Korwa in Amethi district, Uttar Pradesh, produced and successfully test-fired the first 100% indigenised AK-203 'Sher' assault rifle in August 2026, built entirely from Indian components and materials. The gas-operated rifle uses a 7.62x39 mm cartridge, fires about 700 rounds per minute and has an effective range of 800 metres. It is meant to replace the INSAS rifle and goes for Armed Forces trials in September 2026. The Rs 5,200 crore contract covers 6,01,427 rifles, with delivery advanced from October 2032 to December 2030. IRRPL is a 2019 India–Russia joint venture under Make in India.

Static GK

The AK-203 belongs to the Kalashnikov AK-100 series of Russian origin | INSAS (Indian Small Arms System) was developed by DRDO's ARDE, Pune | Amethi's Korwa ordnance facility is in Uttar Pradesh; the state capital is Lucknow

ShareWhatsApp Telegram

More International Current Affairs

DRDO and University of Hyderabad Win Patent for Next-Generation Rocket Propellant BAM-H24

DRDO and the Advanced Centre of Research in High Energy Materials (ACRHEM) at the University of Hyderabad secured an Indian patent for BAM-H24, a next-generation solid rocket propellant fuel. The Patent Office granted Patent No. 599900 on 20 August 2026 on an application filed in December 2022. Developed by Dr Muddamarri Hanumantha Rao and Prof Muralidharan Krishnamurthi, BAM-H24 is a boron-, hydrogen- and nitrogen-rich energetic compound usable as a solid rocket fuel, fuel additive and burn-rate accelerator. It offers high chemical and thermal stability, low impact and friction sensitivity, non-hygroscopic behaviour, high specific impulse and reduced ignition delay for missiles and space launch vehicles.

GK ByteDRDO was established in 1958 and is headquartered in New Delhi; it functions under the Department of Defence R&D, Ministry of Defence | The University of Hyderabad is a central university established in 1974 | Specific impulse is the standard measure of rocket propellant efficiency, expressed in seconds

📅 6 Sept 2026InternationalRead complete →

Bharat Forge Arm KSSL and Thales Sign Pact to Produce 70-mm Rocket Systems in India

Kalyani Strategic Systems Limited (KSSL), the wholly-owned defence subsidiary of Bharat Forge Limited, signed a Strategic Alliance Agreement with French defence major Thales Group in September 2026 to build industrial capability in India for unguided and laser-guided variants of Thales' 70-mm rocket systems. The agreement was signed during Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever's state visit to India (2–4 September 2026). The first fully India-assembled rocket system is expected in early 2027. These systems support counter-drone missions and multi-platform integration on rotary-wing platforms including the ALH-WSI and Light Combat Helicopter, and are already used by 70 armed forces across 55 countries.

GK ByteBharat Forge, part of the Kalyani Group, is headquartered in Pune, Maharashtra | Thales Group is headquartered in Paris, France | The Light Combat Helicopter 'Prachand' and the Advanced Light Helicopter 'Dhruv' are built by HAL, headquartered in Bengaluru

📅 4 Sept 2026InternationalRead complete →

Rajnath Singh Releases 'RAKSHA' Defence Diplomacy Framework with 10-Year Roadmap

Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh released the 'RAKSHA' document on defence diplomacy in New Delhi on 3 September 2026, setting out India's vision for strengthening defence ties over the next 10 years. Its core pillars are Strategic Partnerships, Capacity Building, Indigenous Exports and Maritime Security, including consolidating India's role in the Indian Ocean Region as a Net Security Provider and First Responder. The framework shifts India from reactive to proactive defence diplomacy, aligning military engagement with foreign policy and complementing Make in India in reducing import dependence. Chief of the Army Staff General Dhiraj Seth and Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh attended the release.

GK ByteThe Ministry of Defence is headquartered in South Block, New Delhi; Rajnath Singh is the Raksha Mantri | Make in India was launched in September 2014 to boost domestic manufacturing | General Dhiraj Seth is the Chief of the Army Staff; the Defence Secretary heads the Department of Defence

📅 3 Sept 2026InternationalRead complete →

AVM Shakti Sharma Becomes the First Non-Medical Woman Two-Star Officer in the Defence Forces

Air Vice Marshal Shakti Sharma became the first woman officer from the non-medical stream of the Indian Defence Forces to attain two-star rank, assuming charge as Assistant Chief of the Air Staff (Education) at Air Headquarters, New Delhi, on 1 September 2026. Commissioned into the IAF Education Branch on 18 June 1994, she has over 30 years of service across training establishments, field stations, command headquarters and Air Headquarters. She spearheaded the IAF Chairs of Excellence at IIT Kanpur and Savitribai Phule Pune University, and became the first woman from the Tri-Services to command a Sainik School, at Kapurthala, Punjab. Her promotion widens leadership pathways for women in the services.

GK ByteThe Indian Air Force was established on 8 October 1932; headquartered in New Delhi; motto 'Nabha Sparsham Deeptam' | Air Vice Marshal is a two-star rank, equivalent to Major General in the Army and Rear Admiral in the Navy | Air Marshal Padma Bandopadhyay was the first woman Air Marshal of the IAF, from the medical stream

📅 3 Sept 2026InternationalRead complete →

See all Defence →All Current Affairs