India targets weapons self-reliance with fully local assault rifle

India is touting its locally manufactured AK-203 Sher assault rifle – an advanced version of Russia’s powerful Kalashnikov – as an important milestone for the “India" class="entity-link entity-topic" data-entity-id="190423" data-entity-type="topic">Make in India” initiative to reduce reliance on foreign-made weapon systems.The Sher, or Tiger, will replace the older, heavily criticised Indian National Small Arms System (INSAS) service rifles used by the Indian Army.Complaints about the INSAS emerged just a year after it was adopted by the army. Indian soldiers fighting the high-altitude Kargil war in 1999 against Pakistan-backed forces in Ladakh, then a part of Kashmir, said the firearm tended to jam or its magazine would crack in the freezing temperatures.