Breaking news
India has confirmed the purchase of 145 M777 ultra-light howitzers from United States 1207141.
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Defence & Security News - India |
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| Saturday, June 12, 2014 11:59 AM | |||
| India has confirmed the purchase of 145 M777 ultra-light howitzers from United States. | |||
The
Indian government on Friday, July 11, 2014, confirmed the long-pending
$885 million deal with the US government for 145 M777
ultra-light howitzers, which were to be acquired for the
new Army divisions being raised along the border with China, had hit a
dead-end. |
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 FIRE BASE SAENZ, Helmand province, Afghanistan - Lance Cpl. Christian R. Stark, a field radio operator and a provisional artillery cannon crewman, pulls the lanyard of the M777 A2 Howitzer.(2nd Marine Division photo Sgt Earnest J. Barnes) |
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The
Times of India newspaper website was the first to report that the proposed
deal for the M-777
howitzers, which had escalated from $647 million (Rs 3,882 crore) to $885
million (Rs 5,310 crore), was not going to be inked because the Indian
defence establishment felt the artillery guns were way too expensive. The defence establishment feels "alternatives" to the M-777 howitzers can be found at half-the-cost involved. The Army, however, has been demanding 155mm/39-calibre light-weight howitzers, with a strike range over 25-km range, for around a decade without any success till now. The howitzer project, among others, is meant to equip the new XVII Mountain Strike Corps (90,000 troops) being raised to gain "quick reaction force capabilities" against China. India then went in for the M-777 howitzers under the FMS programme, which does not involve an open competition. The US Defence Security Cooperation Agency in January 2010 notified its Congress of the Obama administration's intention to sell the 145 M-777 guns to India for $647 million. The US offer was renewed in August 2013 with the new project cost being pegged at $885 million. The M-777 is an Ultralightweight Field Howitzer which is in service with the U.S. Army since 2000. The M777 has been developed by BAE Systems Land Systems (RO Defence, formerly the Armaments Group of Vickers Shipbuilding and Engineering Ltd) at Barrow-in-Furness. The latest version M777A2 can fire fire the Raytheon / Bofors XM982 Excalibur GPS / Inertial Navigation-guided extended-range 155mm projectiles using the Modular Artillery Charge Systems (MACS). Excalibur has a maximum range of 40km and accuracy of 10m. The M777 has a total weight of 3,745 kg and and can be transported by helicopter, transporter aircraft and ship. It can be also towed by 4x4 light tactical vehicle greater than 2.5t. |
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