Dhanush artillery guns -indigenous Bofors guns--have gone for confirmatory trials that will last till early next year, as the army looks for new howitzers. Defence sources said if the confirmatory tests of the indigenously-developed guns comes out as positive, it will pave the way for Bulk Production Clearance (BPC).
Under the first phase, the army will place an order worth over Rs 1,200 crore for 114 such guns with the Ordnance Factories Board.
"The confirmatory trials are going on after and if they prove to be successful, the guns will go in for bulk production for the Army," sources told PTI.
The Gun Carriage Factory, Jabalpur, plans to supply 6 guns within 6 months, another 12 within the next one year before ramping up the production.
Dhanush will be the first artillery gun to be acquired by the army since the purchase of Bofors guns from Sweden in 1987. It is a modified version of the Bofors and underwent winter trial in 2013 and summer trials in 2014.
Defence minister Manohar Parrikar had earlier this year said the tests for the 155/45mm caliber Dhanush gun was successful. Sources said minor changes were done following the trials, following which the confirmation trials have begun.
OFB is a conglomerate of 39 ordnance factories with another two new projects being set up at Nalanda in Bihar and Korwa in Uttar Pradesh.
After Bofors, defence ministry to purchase guns again: Parrikar ::
''With no guns being purchased by the government ever since controversial Bofors guns were purchased, the defence ministry has now decided to purchase guns from foreign countries. The ministry would initiate the process for the same'', defence minister Manohar Parrikar said.
Parrikar, who was in Lucknow to attend the training programme of elected cantonment board members, said that defence ministry would also begin the process of replacing MIG 21 fighter jets with indigenously built Tejas. However, he said that it would be a gradual process and replacing a large fleet would cost more. The process of replacing MIGs with Tejas would be done over a period of 20 years or so, he added.
Talking to a few journalists at the party headquarters in Lucknow later, Parrikar said that more howitzer guns would be deployed in the northeast region and added that parts for these guns would be bought from the USA.
To a question on ending terrorism, Parrikar said that it could only eradicated by means of economic development of the region. Mostly young youths who are lured by monetary offers get trapped and land up indulging in terror activities. However, if the focus is on economic development of the region, everyone would get job and the youth would not deviate towards subversive activities.
