The first regiment of 18 Dhanush artillery guns, the indigenously upgraded variant of the Swedish Bofors guns, is scheduled to be inducted into the Army by the end of the year.
Dhanush has undergone extensive trials in various conditions, and is now in the final leg of battery trials.
More trials
“Six guns have been undergoing battery trials since April. Another round of trials is scheduled in Pokhran this month. All trials are expected to be completed by July, after which it would be ready for induction into the Army,” a senior Ordnance Factory Board (OFB) official told The Hindu .
The Army has placed an initial order for 114 guns. “The first regiment of 18 guns will be inducted in 2017, another 36 guns in 2018 and 60 guns in 2019, completing the initial order,” an Army source said.
The Army has not yet decided where the first regiment would be deployed. “It is a medium gun with a maximum range of 40 km, and has a high angle of attack. So it can be deployed in both deserts and mountains,” the source added.
Higher range
Dhanush is an upgraded version, based on the original design of the Swedish 155-mm Bofors howitzers, which India procured in the mid-1980s. It is a 155-mm, 45-calibre gun with a maximum range of 40 km in salvo mode, compared to the 39-calibre, 27-km range of the original guns. OFB officials said it was 80% indigenous, and is manufactured by the ordnance factory in Jabalpur.
