Abingdonboy
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Well actually the very fact this option is being pursued is a reason to celebrate. The UPA was looking for a traditional direct import of 145 through a FMS from the US. The new GoI is pushing for something VERY different- 145 off the self with 500 to be made in India not only are the numbers FAR more attractive but shifting the, now closed, BAE M777 production line to India is a real coup.No reasn to get excited. This deal has been on the cards for many years and nothing hs even been signed yet. It would be at least 2 years before the first gun is even built.
This explains what Modi was doing talking to BAE's senior executives in the UK.
This also shows that the GoI is serious about giving teeth to the MSC instead of simply sanctioning it and expecting the IA to find resources from somewhere (like the last GoI had done).
What about Dhunush & DRDO155 mm which they developed locally, even TATA and few other companies already developed Howitzers.
Different classes of arty that are not direct competitors but complimentary to one another. The M777 is by FAR the world's most advanced ultra light weight howitzer in the world and are a real game changer for the Indian army.
You can't do this with a Dhanush/FH-77:
(^note the IAF has just ordered the above helicopter- the CH-47F)
The Dhanush is set to start entering IA service very soon with firther orders expected. The IA's arty arm has been criminally neglected for the past 2-3 decades and there are about 4-5 different procurements/devlopments running simultaneously with a requirement of >6,000 guns and a budget of around $3-4BN to be spent on arty alone by 2019.
Are you joking? The IA hasn't inducted a SINGLE new arty gun in my lifetime or most of India's population (with the national mean age being 27) and you are asking why the army is "wasting" money on arty?Why do we want to waste billion $ on imported howitzer.
BAE howitzer is light and fit for mountain warfare but we sholdnt waste money on artillery guns
The MSC alone needs 2-3 SQNs (20-25) worth of CH-47F, for supporting the BRO there is a requirment for a further 1 SQN, for the Northern Command a further 2-3 SQNs are required and for all other duties (Southern command and in the future ANC) 1-2 SQNs by 2025. More orders are certeinly on the way for the CH-47.Also I expect an order for at least 20 more chinooks directly for the army to support deployment of these Guns and operationalization of the Mountain Strike corps