Defence Ministry gives nod for production of 114 'Dhanush' guns

The Ordnance Factory Board (OFB) has received the bulk production clearance (BPC) from the Ministry of Defence and the Indian Army for production of 114 Dhanush indigenous artillery guns.

"The indigenous 155mm x 45 calibre artillery gun is the first long-range gun to be produced in India and "it is a major success story of the 'Make in India' initiative," read a statement.

The gun is equipped with inertial navigation-based sighting system, auto-laying facility, on-board ballistic computation and an advanced day and night direct firing system. The self-propulsion unit allows the gun to negotiate and deploy itself in mountainous terrains with ease.

"Dhanush has been mechanically upgraded to fire standard NATO 155 mm ammunition and can accommodate both boll bags and the bi-modular charge system (BMCS) which have resulted in increasing the range. Dhanush has also been electronically upgraded to enhance the firing accuracies, laying speeds of the existing gun and to provide compatibility with various kinds of ammo as well," the statement added.

Dhanush's performance has been evaluated under arduous conditions in several phases.

"The manufacture of a 155 mm modern artillery gun was initially a challenge for OFB. This was due to a change in the vision parameters from 155x39 calibre to 155x45 calibre. OFB received the Transfer of Technology (ToT) documents pertaining to 155x39 calibre and then converted it to 155x45 calibre successfully," the statement further read.

Dhanush is the product of joint efforts by the OFB and the Indian Army with contributions from DRDO, DGQA, DPSUs such as BEL, PSUs such as SAIL and several private enterprises.