New Delhi: The three-decade-long wait of the Indian army went away on Thursday (May 18th) when two ultra light howitzer artillery guns reached here from the US. In the mid-1980s, after the controversy over the Bofors scandal, the Indian army had to wait a long time to include these long-range guns.
145 M777 guns manufactured by BAE Systems are being taken for testing in the Pokhran test field in Rajasthan. The maximum firepower of Howitzer guns is 30 km.
Of these 25 guns will be brought to India in a ready situation while the rest of the BAE will be involved in the partnership with Mahindra Defense in India by adding parts. The 155 mm caliber gun will be deployed mostly on the border with China.
India and the United States signed a deal worth Rs 5000 crore on November 30 last year for 145 M777 guns going beyond the shadow of the Bofors dispute.