The Indian Army is reportedly set to induct the first batch of its domestically developed and manufactured Dhanush artillery howitzer.

State-owned Ordnance Factory Board (OFB) is building the Indian Army’s long-range artillery gun. The company is expected to deliver five howitzers to the army’s Central Ordnance Depot in Jabalpur.

Indian Army officials were quoted by NDTV as saying: “The Dhanush guns would be inducted into the army at a ceremony to be held in Ordnance Factory Jabalpur on 26 March where senior functionaries of the army would be present.”

A total of 114 Dhanush artillery guns are currently on order. A regiment of 18 guns is expected to be inducted by the end of this year, reported The Economic Times.

“The Indian Army has already deployed the K-9 Vajra and the M-777 ultra-light howitzers.”

The 155mm × 45mm calibre artillery gun is based on Bofors howitzer that was commissioned with the service in the 1980s.



The gun has been put through several rigorous evaluation phases to test its performance in different climatic conditions.

Bharat Electronics, the Indian Defence Research and Development Organisation, the Directorate General of Quality Assurance, SAIL and other private companies have supported the development of the gun.

Launched in 2011, the artillery gun project saw the production of the first prototype in 2014.

Production work will be carried out at OFB’s Jabalpur-based Gun Carriage Factory in India.

The Indian Army has already deployed the K-9 Vajra and the M-777 ultra-light howitzers.