Nearly 30 years after India received Bofors guns that brought the enemies and the then Union government under fire, the Indian Army received artillery guns from the US this weekend.
The first two guns of the 145 M777 ultra light artillery guns ordered from the US will be used for compilation of firing tables — a calibration for target acquisition with various types of ammunition used with the guns in Rajasthan’s Pokhran on Thursday.
“In fulfilment of the United States’ foreign military sale of 145 M777 ultra light weight howitzer to India, we are pleased to confirm that the first two weapon systems will land in India ahead of schedule over this weekend,” a BAE Systems spokesman had said in a statement.
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The last artillery guns that India purchased were the much-controversial Swedish Bofors guns in mid-1980s. The 13-lakh strong Army has not inducted a single 155mm artillery gun since the Bofors scandal brought down the Rajiv Gandhi government, and derailed all plans for technology transfer and indigenous manufacture.
Subsequent scandals revolving around other global artillery manufacturers, like South African Denel and Singapore Technology Kinetic's, further punched gaping holes in the Army's long-range, high-volume firepower. Interestingly, the original Swedish Bofors company is now owned by BAE Systems.
After initiating the deal for M777 guns with the US in 2010, the government finally announced a deal for 145 guns on June 26 last year. The Rs 2,900-crore deal, which was a government-to-government deal under the foreign military sales (FMS) route, was completed November 30last year, The Indian Express reported.
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The Union cabinet on November 17 approved the much-awaited deal, which would add tremendous firepower to the Indian Army, especially against China in eastern front.
Defence sources told The Times of India on Wednesday that the two howitzers, which came in a chartered aircraft from the UK, will be taken to the Pokhran ranges for testing and "compilation of the firing tables" for subsequent use.
"The firing tables, with the guns being tested for different kinds of Indian ammunition with bi-modular charges, will take some time to be formulated," said a source.
The air portable 155mm/39 calibre gun, with maximum range of 30 km, is manufactured by BAE Systems. Out of 145 guns, BAE will deliver 25 guns and rest 120 will be assembled in India by Mahindra.
These guns have been designed for firing Indian ammunition in Indian conditions, and are already in service with the US, Canadian and Australian armies. These guns have been deployed by these armies in both Iraq and Afghanistan.
After these two guns, three M777 guns will come to India in September 2018. Thereafter, five guns will be inducted every month from March 2019 to June 2021. These guns, which will equip seven artillery regiments, are capable of firing at a range of 24 to 40 km, depending on the type of ammunition used.
