India developing indigenous artillery guns

[Indian Tiger]

With the army failing in its attempts to induct new artillery guns in the last 25 years, the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has started developing an indigenous 155mm 52 calibre howitzer for the armed forces.

Armament Research and Development Establishment, the DRDO's lab in Pune, has already started working on developing indigenous artillery guns for the armed forces, senior DRDO officials said.

Other DRDO laboratories will also be involved in the programme but ARDE will be the lead agency for it, they said.

The officials said the research agency had started working on the development of the Bhim self-propelled howitzer about a decade back but the project was virtually scrapped after South African firm Denel was blacklisted by the ministry.

Despite several attempts, cancellation of tenders due to various reasons has not allowed the army to induct any new artillery gun in the last 25 years after the controversy surrounding the Bofors guns snow-balled into a big political issue since the late 80s.

Even the recently issued global tender for procuring 400 guns has run into rough weather, with one of the main contenders Bofors deciding to pull out of the deal.

As part of its over Rs 20,000-crore artillery modernisation plan, the Army is looking at inducting several types of howitzers through inter-governmental pacts and global tenders.

The army presently uses a mix of 105mm field guns and 130mm and 155mm howitzers.

http://www./NEWS/newsrf.php?newsid=14860

 

[drunken-monke]

Hey US firm was there in the competition for procrement of the howitzers.. Whappened to the deal

 

[Indian Army]

India developing indigenous artillery guns

NEW DELHI (PTI): With the army failing to induct new artillery guns in the last 25 years, the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has started developing an indigenous 155mm 52 calibre howitzer for the armed forces.

"Armament Research and Development Establishment (DRDO's lab) in Pune is working on developing indigenous artillery guns," DRDO chief V K Saraswat told reporters here.

He said the work on these guns has been on for quite some time now but the agency was "lying low" and focusing on other programmes.

"The laboratory is working on advanced metallurgy for the barrels of the howitzer and is looking at an increased rate of fire in it. We are hoping to complete the development in another four years time," the DRDO chief said.

Asked if there was any specific request from the armed forces to produce the guns, a senior DRDO official said after the Bofors gun deal in 1986, no gun has been inducted in service and it was felt that the Army would need such a gun.

DRDO had earlier developed the 105 mm field artillery guns for the Army and is still in operational service.

DRDO had started working on the development of the Bhim self-propelled howitzer about a decade back but the project was virtually scrapped after South African firm Denel was blacklisted by the ministry.

Despite several attempts, cancellation of tenders due to various reasons has not allowed the army to induct any new artillery gun in the last 25 years after the controversy surrounding the Bofors guns snow-balled into a big political issue.

Talking about the developments in the advanced version of the Arjun Main Battle Tank (MBT) programme, he said, "We are looking to test-fire a missile from its canon and demonstrate that capability by next year."

 

[acetophenol]

Whats up with bhim?

 

[Roybot]

Whats up with bhim?

Denel, the provider of the gun and the turret got blacklisted by MOD. So Bhim is as good as dead.

---------- Post added at 03:05 AM ---------- Previous post was at 03:02 AM ----------

There were reports about BEML getting TOT from a Slovakian company, for Zuzana 2. So this artillery is probably going to be based on that.

 

[acetophenol]

Rip to bhim then

 

[aanshu001]

Whats up with bhim?

we had blacklisted nearly every company in project, Bhim was co developed by Denel which is currently under blacklist. that a sad story but good thing is that whole exercise had given DRDO a good exercise and expertise in developing such weapon system.

 

[ali.jishan786]

DRDO take that long

 

[Tshering22]

I don't trust DRDO. they just take too freaking long.

 

[cyphercide]

^^^^They actually make me cry due to the incompetence;

But there is a yet unheard of twist to the Bofors scam, it now emerges. Sources said the blame for Army's stalled artillery modernization may lie closer home, with the government sitting on the transfer of technology that permits India to manufacture the Bofors gun in the country.

As the military top brass desperately look around for solutions to the crippling shortage of artillery guns, they stumbled upon the fact that India actually has the entire drawings of the Bofors guns, and had paid for the transfer of technology to manufacture the gun in India. But the Ordnance Factory Board sat on the drawings all these years, never attempting to make the gun in India.

A senior official, not very amused at the turn of events, told TOI that they have now asked OFB to manufacture six prototypes of the Bofors artillery guns within the next 18 months. "If we had indigenous capability, then all these years of effort to buy foreign guns and such crippling shortage in capabilities wouldn't have been there," he said.

A senior military source said the OFB has now been asked to manufacture two guns of the 155/39 mm caliber, the original make of the Bofors gun bought in the 80s. Two others would be of the same caliber but upgraded with new capabilities. The OFB has also been asked to make two guns of 155/45 mm caliber. All the six guns would be towed guns, sources said.

Once they are ready, the Army would put them through extensive field trials and once cleared, OFB could then resort to mass production, one of the officials said.

Despite repeated efforts, OFB representatives were not available for comments on the transfer of technology for Bofors. One OFB official said the board has "dedicated and fully integrated facility for manufacture of various calibers of artillery guns".

For years after the Bofors scandal, there were no efforts to buy new generation artillery guns. When the Kargil conflict of 1999 took place, the Army had to cannibalise some of the guns to run the rest of them to deadly effect.

Over the years, there have been several trials, cancellations, retrials and other efforts. But none of them have succeeded in getting the Army a new generation of artillery guns, leading to serious concern among the Army top brass about the war fighting capabilities.

The closest government came to buying a new generation of artillery guns recently was when the Army concluded detailed field trials, maintenance assessments etc for a government-to-government deal with the US for buying Ultra Light Howitzers for mountains. But even that has now run into legal tangle, with the defence ministry telling Army that a High Court order may be a hindrance. Now the entire issue is under legal examination.

Bofors reloaded: Defence ministry stung again - Times Of India