Ordnance Factory Board is looking to revive the anti-aircraft guns production at its facility in West Bengal. It has also received demand for production of ‘some items’ in the wake of India’s escalating border tension with Pakistan.

“There has been demand for some items which cannot be revealed and we are fulfilling (them),” Saurabh Kumar, DGOF and Chairman, Ordnance Factory Board, told newspersons on the sidelines of CII Eastern Region annual meeting here on Wednesday.

He was responding to a query on whether there was some ‘extra activity’ in the OFB plants post the Pulwama terror attack.

The revival of anti-aircraft guns will be done at OFB’s Cossipore Gun and Shell factory. Production of anti-aircraft guns, which began in the early 1960s, was discontinued due to lack of demand. However, it would now be revived as there is demand from “Indian Army as well as outside,” he said. Kumar though refused to divulge further details.

Meanwhile, OFB has received order worth ₹1,000 crore for production of 114 ‘Dhanush’ artillery guns from the Indian Army and the Defence Ministry.

“We got clearance for bulk production two weeks back. This is the first time India-made long-range artillery gun and the prototype has an indigenisation of 81 per cent. Final commercial assembly of these guns will take place in the Gun Carriage Factory, Jabalpur,” he said.

The steel forging and casting for the main components like gun barrels will take place in metal and steel factory at Ichapore. OFB’s cumulative order book stands at around ₹50,000 crore.