The Ministry of Defence (MoD) confirmed on Monday that the home-grown 155 mm x 45 mm calibre artillery howitzer — Dhanush — has successfully completed the rigorous winter and summer trials.
The Dhanush, often dubbed as the Indian version of the Swedish-made Bofors gun, has now cleared all technical parameters during the trials conducted by the Indian Army.
The MoD quoted Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar informing the members of Parliament Consultative Committee that Dhanush incorporates many state-of-the-art improved features. Dhanush is priced approximately around Rs 12-14 crore, which is almost half the price of an artillery gun in its class.
“The minister informed the committee, attached to the MoD, that Dhanush has many embedded features better than the guns which the Indian Army currently posses,” MoD sources said. Dhanush had undergone extensive trials at Khetolai in Pokhran as well. The Indian Army had waited for over three decades to strengthen its firing units with a 155-mm artillery gun.
Dhanush has a better range compared to Bofors ::
The MoD said that the Consultative Committee was discussing the ‘role performance and future’ of Ordnance Factory Board (OFB), the largest and oldest production unit in the country. The OFB is a conglomerate of 39 ordnance factories with two new projects coming up in Nalanda (Bihar) and Korwa (UP).
Sources said that Dhanush has a better range compared to Bofors and its electronic sighting/laying system for the targets is far superior to those imported in the 1980s. Parrikar is said to have informed the committee that in addition to Dhanush, the OFB has also developed a home-grown 40-mm Multi Grenade Launcher (MGL) for 40 x 46 mm Low Velocity Grenades (LVG).
The MoD said that assault rifle ‘Ghaatak’ (7.62 x 39 mm) developed through desi R&D too has met all the parameters as per the General Staff Qualitative Requirements (GSQRs). Ghaatak was evaluated by the paramilitary forces under the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA).
Keeping in the NDA government’s Make in India policy, MoD quoted Parrikar saying that the OFB would be made into a lead integrator of major platforms and as a manufacturer of world class defence equipment.
