INDIA & HOWITZER'S

VIDEO OF HOWITZER IN ACTION - BY INDIAN ARMY

REQUIREMENT

• The Field Artillery Rationalization Plan drawn up in 1999, it talks about acquiring 2,800 guns by 2027. 

• The plan talks about 155 mm guns of all types—that is 1,580 towed guns, 814 truck-mounted guns, 100 tracked self-propelled guns,180 wheeled self-propelled guns and 145 ultra light howitzers.

• It will cost one lakh crores rupees. 

HOW INDIAN ARMY FULLFILING IT

• To apply for the contract of the 1,580 towed guns, French company Nexter has teamed up with local partner Larsen & Toubro. Israel’s Elbit Systems has partnered with Bharat Forge.

• In the case of the 814 truck-mounted guns, Nexter and L&T have bid, along with Ashok Leyland. TATA has South African gun-maker “The Denel” as its partner.

• The immediate addition to the artillery gun numbers could come from two separate tenders. First is a “tracked self-propelled” gun mounted on a tank-track type chassis. India plans to buy 100 pieces of this. The MoD is negotiating with the L&T-Samsung combine. The evaluation process is over and the price bids were opened in December 2015.

• The second will be the indigenous Dhanush gun, based on Bofors design and transfer of technology. The MoD yesterday laid down a stiff timeline for the Ordnance Factory Board (OFB), its maker, to be ready with six “production-level prototypes” for trials and bulk orders will follow. The Army want to acquire 114 pieces of this.

• 145 ultra light howitzers being ordered from the USA

HOWITZER'S FUTURE CERTAINTY

M777

   1.Design & Range

• The M777 began as the Ultralight-weight Field Howitzer (UFH)

• Most of the weight reduction is due to the use of titanium. The lighter weight and smaller size allow the M777 to be transported by the helicopter or trucks with ease to provide increased mobility and more compact storage over the M198. The minimal gun crew required is five,

• The M777 may be combined with the Excalibur GPS-guided munition, which allows accurate fire at a range of up to 25 miles (40 km).

   2.Operations

• In June 2012, Golf Battery, 2nd Battalion, 11th Marines, out of Camp Pendleton, Calif., dropped the 155 mm M982 Excalibur round on insurgents 36 kilometers away — more than 22 miles — in Helmand province, marking the longest operational shot in the history of the M777 howitzer (and the longest operational artillery shot in history for the Marine Corps)

   3.Purpose

• As per the requirements of Field Artillery Rationalization Plan

• The guns will be mostly used near the borders with China. The purchase of guns will be India’s first deal for artillery guns since the Bofors scandal in the 1980s. 

• will give the army tremendous flexibility especially along the mountainous border with China.

   4. Timeliness of inducting M777 in Indian Army

• The first three M777 howitzers will be delivered within the next three months to allow high-altitude and desert trials with Indian-made ammunition. The three guns will also be used to train Indian gunners.

• The first batch of 20 guns (18 guns make an artillery regiment) will be delivered by manufacturer BAE Systems in two years. The remaining 120 guns will be assembled in  India between 48-54 months by BAE partner Mahindra Defence at their plant in Faridabad, Haryana.

   5.Cost

• The whole project of 145 guns will cost 700 Million US $

• Includes a 30 percent offset clause under the “Make in India” initiative. This mandatory offset requires that 30 percent (around $210 million) of the contract value needs to be reinvested back into India’s indigenous aviation or defence sector.

DHANUSH

   1.Design & Range

• Earlier this year, the government cleared buys of the first batch of Dhanush 155/45 mm howitzers built by the Ordnance Factory Board. The first six Dhanush howitzers are already undergoing user familiarisation with the army's artillery units in Siachen and in the desert.                                                                                                                           
• An artillery modernisation plan mooted in 2000 called for acquiring over 2200 new guns but multiple bribery controversies scuttled new gun acquisitions.                                                             
• 155mm/45-calibre Dhanush howitzers had “successfully met all technical parameters” during the winter and summer trials at Sikkim and Pokhran. Dhanush incorporates “many improved features” over the Army’s existing artillery guns.                                                                              
• A 45 Calibre towed gun system capable of targeting at long ranges incorporating autonomous laying features and having one of the most sophisticated suites of electronic and computing systems in the world.

   2.Operations

• Three Dhanush guns have been handed over to the Indian Army for user trials in July 2016.

  
   3.Cost

• 414 Guns will cost 873 Million US $(approx)

   4.Improvements over Dhanush

• DRDO 155 mm artillery gun or Version 2 of the Dhanush is under development. It will upgrade the current 155 mm/45 calibres to 155 mm/52 calibres. Dhanush v2 larger calibre ordinance will increase the strike range by 4 km to 42 km.

• Going by the views of experts on gunnery; the physics part of it has proved that a 155mm / 52 Cal is an optimum technical parameter within its class in achieving maximum range with the highest accuracy. 

• “It will weigh 12 tonnes — two tonnes lighter than other guns of its category. It will also be capable of shooting off five successive rounds in short duration. Total development will take three years and testing will last for another three. 

COMPARISON OF DHANUSH & M777

PARAMETERS	DHANUSH	M777
Caliber	155 mm	155 mm
Crew	8	8
Rate of Fire (rpm) (per minute, sustained) 🔽	60	120
Range (Max.)	38 km	40 Km
Weight 🔽	12000 kg(Approx)	4200 kg
Cost (Rupees) 🔼	14 Cr	28.80 Cr