Dhanush — ‘Make in India' Success Story

It was a challenge to develop the gun from voluminous blueprints and documents running over 12,000 pages but OFB took the challenge head-on by developing a gun which was about 20-25 per cent better than the original gun in parameters like range, accuracy, consistency, low and high angle of fire and shoot-and-scoot ability.

- LT GENERAL NARESH CHAND (RETD)

INDIAN ARTILLERY ACQUIRED 410 guns of 39-caliber 155mm FH-77B howitzers way back in 1987. Since then there were no acquisitions as this deal got mired in corruption and was known as the Bofors scandal. Lack of prolonged acquisitions led to alarming voids in firepower. Finally, the stakeholders woke up and formulated a fresh blueprint of artillery modernization in 2000 called Field Artillery Rationalization Plan (FARP). FARP was rather ambitious which involved the acquisition of about 3,000 guns of various types to suit every role and terrain in which the Artillery would be employed. FARP also selected 155mm/52 caliber or 45 calibers for the majority of the gun systems. Such an approach would accrue great dividends in terms of increased range and intensity of the firepower. The planned period for 3,000 guns was up to 2025. This was indeed a tall order both in terms of technology and budgetary constraints. Until now Ordnance Factory Board (OFB) and its 41 factories were the sole providers of weaponry, ammunition, and other military hardware but it was now planned to involve the private industry to broaden the defense industrial base of India and also accelerate the rate of production. It was also hoped that India would be able to take the first baby steps towards export.

Indian Ordnance Factories