Decks cleared for first artillery induction after 26 years

After shadows of scam and bribery allegations stalling the modernization of Indian Army’s artillery for 26 years, decks have been cleared for the procurement of the 146 Ultra Light Howitzers from the US and the deal is likely to be signed next month.

The deal is said to have reached final stage as the Defence Acquisition Committee gave its approval for the purchase. The nod of DAC headed by Defence Minister AK Antony came after a committee headed by the Chief of Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and Scientific Adviser to the Defence Minister Dr. VK Saraswat submitted a report recommending the change in General Staff Qualitative Requirements (GSQRs) to facilitate the government to government purchase from the US and breaking the Bofors jinx.

The Committee under Saraswat was set up following complaints of the M777 guns not matching the requirements laid down by the force. According to sources, following an examination the Committee has approved the changes in the qualitative requirements and acquisition of the guns to be deployed in the mountainous terrain bordering China.

Sources indicate that the $ 700 million deal is likely to be inked during the visit of the US Defense Secretary Leonne E. Penetta next month. The force is hoping that it will get its first light weight towed gun by the end of this financial year.

India has not bought any artillery guns since the controversial Bofors deal in 1986. The Indian Army is now left with just about half of its 410 guns purchased then, with normal wear and tear and cannibalisation accounting for the remaining howitzers. The controversy that ensued the allegations of kickbacks in the Bofors deal also involved the name of the then prime minister Rajiv Gandhi. The scandal sounded epitaph for all the things related to Bofors, despite the Supreme Court not finding any wrongdoing in the deal.

Since then the repeated attempts to induct the artillery guns have been stalled. In 2005 the South African gun maker Denel was blacklisted following allegations of corruption. The Singapore Kinetics – a contender in the tenders for the artillery guns – met the same fate in 2009. The firm was banned from conducting any defence dealings in India for the next 10 years in 2012.