Indian Army plans fresh order for 300 indigenous Dhanush Howitzers: Report

Indian Army to place orders for 300 indigenous Dhanush Howitzers

• Indian Army to order 300 Dhanush Howitzers for 15 regiments
• Dhanush guns, based on Bofors, boost artillery power
• Dhanush features advanced targeting and operates in all terrains

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Seeking to boost its preparedness, the Indian Army is going to place orders for buying 300 Dhanush Howitzers, which would be used to raise 15 regiments of the indigenous artillery guns in the force, according to areport by news agency ANI.

This will be the second major order for the Dhanush artillery guns, which are manufactured by public sector companies based on the transfer of technology of the Bofors guns acquired in the 1980s.

“The Indian Army is going to soon place an order for 300 Dhanush Howitzers, and a high-level Defence Ministry meeting is likely to clear it soon,” defence officials told ANI.

The 155 mm 45-calibre guns have already been inducted into the Army, as 114 guns were ordered a few years ago.

“Around four regiments of the Dhanush guns have already been inducted into the force, and two more are expected to be inducted soon,” they said.

The design of Dhanush is based on the Bofors Howitzer inducted back in the 1980s. The howitzer gun will fire 155mm ammunition and can be fitted with a bi-modular charge system (BMCS), thereby increasing its range.

The Dhanush 155mm/45 calibre towed gun system is set to enhance the Indian Army’s artillery capabilities, with officials highlighting its ability to operate across varied landscapes. Dhanush 155mm/45 calibre towed gun system can be deployed in all types of terrains.

The Dhanush gun system draws its design from the Bofors howitzer inducted into the Army in the 1980s and marks a key addition to the force’s artillery inventory.

The Dhanush gun system is based on the designs of the Bofors howitzer which was inducted in the Army in the 1980s and would be the third type of artillery gun to be inducted into the force after the K-9 Vajra and the M-777 ultra-light howitzers. The Army had earlier placed an order for over 110 such guns with the Ordnance Factory, as part of efforts to modernise its artillery arm.

The Army had placed an order for more than 110 of these guns with the Ordnance Factory. The howitzer will help the force to modernise its artillery which had been awaiting induction for over three decades till sometime ago.

Equipped with advanced targeting and navigation systems, the Dhanush howitzer is designed for accuracy and mobility, particularly in challenging terrains.

The gun is equipped with an inertial navigation-based sighting system, auto-laying facility, onboard ballistic computation and an advanced day and night direct firing system. The self-propulsion unit allows the gun to negotiate and deploy itself in mountainous terrains with ease.

The artillery gun had completed its tests at Pokhran back in June 2018.