Bofors ghost finally buried, 155mm howitzers coming for Indian Army

[lonelyman]

Holy crap, $5+ million a piece for field guns? That costs more than a tank!

50% kickbacks are normal Indian standards

 

[Water Car Engineer]

Chinese AH4 howitzers,
report says recently,it wins a huge bid from Kuwait against M777.

Is China going to bid in India?

 

[Dungeness]

Is China going to bid in India?

What is the domestic effort since late 1980‘s? I mean on howitzer itself, not truck part of JVs.

 

[IblinI]

Is China going to bid in India?

Only if you invite,why not.

 

[Water Car Engineer]

@YuChen

So you're post was pointless.

What is the domestic effort since late 1980‘s? I mean on howitzer itself, not truck part of JVs.

There are several in the works right now. The artillery game has never looked this good before.

Dhanush 155mm, 45 and 52 cal

Upgunned, digitized clone of the Bofors 155mm, 39 cal

Bharat 155mm, 45 cal

Bharat 155mm, 52 without auto loader

Bharat 52 with autoloader

Bharat Forge bought out European Noricum, brought the whole line to India upgunned, digitized the GC45.

Bharat Forge with Mandus is also going to produce a ULH

Also has a lighter, digitized version of the Indian 105, good for mountain warfare.

Bharat Forge also working with TATA, Mahindra in a private sector consortium of sorts with DRDO to produce DRDO's ATGM.


And the TATA program you're talking about, they'll produce the barrel as well. I've already mentioned this to you.

 

[Dungeness]

@YuChen

So you're post was pointless.




There are several in the works right now. The artillery game has never looked good before.

Dhanush 155mm, 45 and 52 cal

Upgunned, digitized clone of the Bofors 155mm, 39 cal

Bharat 155mm, 45 cal

Bharat 155mm, 52 without auto loader

Bharat 52 with autoloader

Bharat Forge bought out European Noricum, brought the whole line to India upgunned, digitized the GC45.

Bharat Forge with Mandus is also going to produce a ULH

Also has a lighter, digitized version of the Indian 105, good for mountain warfare.

Bharat Forge also working with TATA, Mahindra in a private sector consortium of sorts with DRDO to produce DRDO's ATGM.

Why is pointless? You got ToT from Bofors, and India tried to make desi version, but barrel burst. Then you stop trying and buying from international market again 30 years later?

 

[Water Car Engineer]

Why is pointless? You got ToT from Bofors, and India tried to make desi version, but barrel burst. Then you stop trying and buying from international market again 30 years later?

What? It burst, sure, but it's still in trials and going fine. Dhanush is in the last stretch of it's trials. No burst yet after re-entering trials.

 

[Dungeness]

@YuChen

So you're post was pointless.




There are several in the works right now. The artillery game has never looked this good before.

Dhanush 155mm, 45 and 52 cal

Upgunned, digitized clone of the Bofors 155mm, 39 cal

Bharat 155mm, 45 cal

Bharat 155mm, 52 without auto loader

Bharat 52 with autoloader

Bharat Forge bought out European Noricum, brought the whole line to India upgunned, digitized the GC45.

Bharat Forge with Mandus is also going to produce a ULH

Also has a lighter, digitized version of the Indian 105, good for mountain warfare.

Bharat Forge also working with TATA, Mahindra in a private sector consortium of sorts with DRDO to produce DRDO's ATGM.


And the TATA program you're talking about, they'll produce the barrel as well. I've already mentioned this to you.

Sorry, I misunderstood.

What I meant is India should have utilized the ToT that came with Bofors, and worked nonstop for the last 30 years. You may have a decent howitzer to field by now.

 

[Water Car Engineer]

Sorry, I misunderstood.

What I meant is India should have utilized the ToT that came with Bofors, and worked nonstop for the last 30 years. You may have a decent howitzer to field by now.

Dude, OFB was sitting on that. They only upgunned and digitized the Bofors when they saw DRDO working with the private sector(Bharat Forge, TATAs, Mahindras), also the outside firms were also working with the private sector. Before DRDO and outside firms had to work with OFB, now they don't, can choose their production partner. OFB saw their monopoly, space being take away, in came Dhanush, competition is a great thing. OFB wouldnt have done nothing with it, and just waited for another contract otherwise.

 

[Dungeness]

What? It burst, sure, but it's still in trials and going fine. Dhanush is in the last stretch of it's trials. No burst yet after re-entering trials.

That is a good progress. Why bought so many M777, instead of giving domestic products a chance?

 

[Water Car Engineer]

That is a good progress. Why bought so many M777, instead of giving domestic products a chance?

We will see. Indian military brass have a fetish for outside things, the MoD historically let them do what they please.

I dont think the M777 deal is a bad thing by any stretch. Mahindra will be raising an assembly and testing plant for the artillery pieces. One of the first in the private sector, they'll leverage this infrastructure for their own future programs.

However, I agree that Bharat Forge should be reward for entering this space and making a concerted, risky effort. For even having the balls to get into this space when OFB had controlled it since independence should be rewarded.

 

[Dungeness]

We will see. Indian military brass have a fetish for outside things, the MoD historically let them do what they please.

I dont think the M777 deal is a bad thing by any stretch. Mahindra will be raising an assembly and testing plant for the artillery pieces. One of the first in the private sector, they'll leverage this infrastructure for their own future programs.

However, I agree that Bharat Forge should be reward for entering this space and making a concerted, risky effort. For even having the balls to get into this space when OFB had controlled it since independence should be rewarded.

Chinese military brass are exactly opposite. They only buy imports if they don't have options, even when domestic equipment are still not to par but good enough.

Hope private sectors will do wonder for you, and India military can finally walk out of this imports-ToT-imports cycle.