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Desi Bofors gun passes the test - The Times of India
First step towards arty indigenization..
It would be great if they could come up with a 52 cal version too.
It is thumbs up finally to made in MP desi Bofors gun. The country cousin of the Swedish high caliber artillery gun has passed the final hurdle race in Proof and Experimental establishment (PXE) Balasore with flying colors on December 23.
The performance of the both updated prototypes has been just as expected, project director of the weapon development component and general manager Gun carriage factory GCF S P Yadav declared here. Amidst reports that GCF has already piped the rivals and bagged the Rs 6000 crore project, a jubilant Yadav said that, things were "in process", but declined to comment till he got the order in hands.
Both prototypes -155/45 caliber guns Yadav said have fulfilled all required parameters on the PXE testing orange. There were three successive field trials held in Balasore on December 19, 20 and 23 respectively at the technology intensive range, equipped to provide accurate ballistic measurements .and both specimen could hit 38-40 kilometers mark successfully in presence of Yadav his team and DG artillery lieutenant general Anjan Mukherji who represented Indian Army, along with the experts from defense research and development organization DRDO.
DRDO has compiled the data and analysis and we would shortly receive a copy the general manager said.
Though the initial internal trials held in May this year in Pokharan had yielded positive results the indigenous howitzer, developed by the GCF for final clearance had to pass two acid tests- at Itarasi and Balsore- before it could be handed over to Army. Taken first to the central proof establishment CPE Itarsi, it went through three day test on November 30 and December 5 and 6. However, at CPE, firing was confined to the arrester butt on zero degree elevation as against Balasore where we could go up to our maximum elevation of 70 degrees at every designed angle, Yadav said.
The prototypes have been, after the CPE firing, subjected to series of tests for assessing its structural strength. It was found that all components and assemblage could sustain the firing stress effortlessly without any damage. On its way back from Orissa, both guns would be dismantled to be examined part by part to once again to be doubly sure before being handed over to the Army next month.
A team of 125 personnel had been working on the project for last year and half to develop a, technically updated version of the Swedish 155/39 caliber gun which had a firing range between 27 and 29 kilometers. Though GCF Jabalpur had the lead role in the project it was duly assisted in the endeavor by other ten units including Kolkota, Muradnagar, Medhak, Ambernath and Dehradoon.
First step towards arty indigenization..
It would be great if they could come up with a 52 cal version too.