Indian Army To Get Desi Bofors! Made In India Dhanush To Be Inducted Next Week
Finexp: April 5, 2019
The homemade Dhanush has inertial navigation-based sighting system, auto-laying facility, on-board ballistic computation and an advanced day and night direct firing system, says the MoD.
With the induction of the indigenous `Dhanush’ Indian Army’s Artillery fire power will be augmented.
Next week India’s homemade first long range artillery gun will be inducted and the first lot of six guns will be deployed along the China and Pakistan frontiers. “Due to unexplained reasons the gun was not inducted in the service last month,” sources explained to Financial Express Online. On Thursday, April 4, the Ordnance Factory Board (OFB) has sent out a flyer which has indicated that the induction of the gun is scheduled for April 8.
If the induction happens next week, then as per the contract by year end, a whole regiment of 18 guns will be active along the borders with Pakistan and China, Indian Army sources have said. These guns will be manufactured at the Jabalpur-based Gun Carriage Factory (GCF), and will cost Rs 14.50 crore and each shell costs Rs 1 lakh.
With the induction of the indigenous `Dhanush’ Indian Army’s Artillery fire power will be augmented. And will also help in paving the way for development of nascent private gun manufacturing industry in India.
The OFB has already received the bulk production clearance (BPC) from the Indian Army and the Ministry of Defence (MoD) for production of 114 ‘Dhanush’, the first ever indigenous 155mm x 45 calibre artillery gun.
The performance of ‘Dhanush’ has been evaluated under arduous conditions in several phases. The guns were tested extensively in towed and self-propelled mode in all terrains including Sikkim and Leh and under hot and humid weather conditions in Balasore, Odisha, and Babina in Jhansi.
The Made in India gun has a strike range of 38 kms and so far it has around 80 per cent of indigenous material in it which will touch around 90 per cent by year end. The GCF had received the Dhanush project in October 2011 and the first prototype was made in 2014, followed by 11 more prototypes which fired 4,200 rounds at the trial stage.
According to an earlier report by Financial Express Online, both private and public sector companies like SAIL, BEL along with the OFB have been part of this project and joint efforts by the Indian Army with contributions from DRDO, and DGQA.
The homemade Dhanush has inertial navigation-based sighting system, auto-laying facility, on-board ballistic computation and an advanced day and night direct firing system, says the MoD.
What is Dhanush?
The Made in India Howitzer artillery gun ‘Dhanush’ nicknamed ‘Desi Bofors’ is a 155mm x 45mm calibre artillery gun. The Desi Bofors is an upgraded version of 130 mm ‘Bofors’ of Sweden.
Last November, the Indian Army had inducted the BAE Systems 155 mm/39-calibre towed lightweight howitzer as well as the K-9 Vajra (Thunderbolt), a modified version of the South Korean Hanwha Techwin K-9 Thunder 155 mm/52-calibre tracked self-propelled howitzer.
The gun is equipped with inertial navigation-based sighting system. It has auto-laying facility, on-board ballistic computation. 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. It is mechanically upgraded to fire standard NATO 155 mm ammunition. Dhanush is equipped to accommodate both boll bags and the bi-modular charge system (BMCS) which have resulted in increasing the range. Electronically upgraded to enhance the firing accuracies. Compatibility with various kinds of ammunition.
Courtesy: FE Online