Dhanush howitzer

Dhanush
Type Towed howitzer
Place of origin India
Service history
In service India
Used by Indian Army
Production history
Designer OFB and ARDE
Designed 2010-2013
Manufacturer OFB
Unit cost US$ 2.11 million (Rs 14 crore)[1]
Produced 2015 onwards
Number built 6 (2015) / 414 (by 2020)[2]
Specifications
Length 45 Caliber
Crew 6-8

Caliber 155 mm
Breech Screw type
Recoil Electro-rheological/Magneto-rheological
Elevation -3 to 70 degree
Traverse +/-25
Rate of fire Burst:3 rounds in 15sec Intense: 15 rounds in 3 minutes Sustained: 60 rounds in 60 min
Maximum firing range 38[3] Km[4]
Sights Thermal sight. Gunners display

The Dhanush is a 155mm towed howitzer used by the Indian Army.[2] The design is based on the Bofors, now Haubits FH77 which India acquired in the 1980s.[5]

Development

The Dhanush project was started by OFB to replace the older 105 mm Indian Field Gun, 105 mm Light Field Gun and the Russian 122 mm guns with a modern 155mm artillery gun.

The initial indigenous development of artillery guns in India started way back in the 1970s by the Artillery Gun Development Team under Brig Gurdyal Singh at Gun Carriage Factory, Jabalpur and resulted in the induction of 105mm artillery guns in the Indian Army. Later with the purchase of Bofors and the corruption issue resulted in no artillery guns procured for the Indian Army. The purchase of Bofors gun in the 1980's included the technology transfer to OFB. After years being unable to acquire or import foreign artillery guns due to corruption charges OFB came out with the Dhanush gun which is which is an improved version from the Bofors design. In trials it came out better by 20 to 25 percent than the bofors in parameters like range, accuracy, consistency, low and high angle of fire and shoot-and-scoot ability. [6]

In a presentation made to defense minister A K Antony, the Army informed DRDO that it would place orders for over 140 howitzers after the artillery guns are field tested. DRDO’s Pune-based Armament Research and Development Establishment (ARDE) is the lead research agency.[7]

In 2015 the army ordered 114 guns from the Ordnance Factories Board.[8][9] Version 2 of the Dhanush is under development. It will upgrade the current 155mm/45 mm caliber to 155mm/52 mm caliber.[2]

See Also

DRDO 155 mm artillery gun and Haubits FH77

References

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