Major boost for Indian Army! US to deliver two M777 howitzers artillery guns this weekend
New Delhi: In a noteworthy lift for the Indian Army, the initial two guns out of the 145 M777 artillery guns, produced by BAE Systems in the US, will be conveyed to India over this end of the week.
Strikingly, the guns come a month in front of timetable.
The M777 ultra-light howitzers will be generally will be conveyed in high-elevation regions in Arunachal Pradesh and Ladakh, flanking China.
Rs 5,000 crore bargain which was inked at a meeting of the fifteenth India-US Military Cooperation Group (MCG) a year ago.
"In satisfaction of the United States' Foreign Military Sale of 145 M777 ultra-lightweight howitzers to India, we are satisfied to affirm that the initial two weapon systems will arrive in India in front of calendar over this end of the week," a BAE Systems representative said in an announcement.
Out of 145 weapons, BAE will convey 25 guns and rest 120 will be assembled in India by Mahindra.
The howitzers that can be heli-lifted were first proposed to be purchased from BAE around 10 years back.
The last gunnery weapons that India acquired were the much-questionable Swedish Bofors guns in the mid-1980s.