India: Ordnance Factory Board to upgrade 130mm M-46 guns.

The Indian 130mm M-46 guns were purchased in the 1980’s from the then Soviet Union. They will become 300% more lethal than the present form. The upgraded gun will be delivered to the Indian Army by 2022.

M-46 130mm/52 caliber gun (Picture source: cesf.ru)

India's Ministry of Defence has approved the upgrading of the Indian Army's Soviet-era 130mm/52 caliber M-46 field guns (a model that dates back to 1954) to the 155 mm/45 caliber model. The upgrade works, estimated to cost about $ 28 million, will be carried out by the state-owned Ordnance Factory Board (OFB).

According to a government official, the OFB secured the contract by outbidding two foreign players who had partnered with local private sector companies Punj Lloyd and Bharat Forge. All upgraded guns will be supplied to the Indian Army by 2022.

The Army had floated a tender in 2013 for upgrading the lethality of 300 out of 1,000 M-46 guns. The gun will acquire a range of over 38 kilometers after the upgrade. The defense ministry selected the state-owned OFB on the basis of better capabilities in terms of direct fire, the rate of fire, accuracy, and consistency. The gun has a combat weight of 8.4 tons and a length and width of 11.84 meters and 2.45 meters.