New Delhi, March 27: The Indian Army will get ‘Make in India’ M777 Howitzer guns by the end of this year, reported Financial Express. The guns being assembled, integrated and tested at the Mahindra Defence facility will be rolled out by the end of the fourth quarter of 2019. The Indian Army has placed an order for 145 ultra-lightweight Howitzer guns with manufacturer BAE Systems. The entire project is under the ‘Make in India’ programme. M777 Howitzers, K-9 Vajra Displayed for First Time in R-Day Parade.

A total of 25 Howitzer guns will be directly acquired in a flyaway condition, and the rest 120 will be assembled in India at the Mahindra Defence facility. Nik Khanna, Managing Director, BAE Systems India told Financial Express that starting with the 26th M777, the entire assembly, integration and test of the M777 will happen in India. He further added that the first 5 guns on the 145 foreign military sales have now been handed over to the Indian Army. Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman Unveils M777, K9 Howitzers for Indian Army.

The M-777 A-2 is an ultra-light howitzer (ULH), having a maximum range of 30 km. The M777 is manufactured by BAE Systems' Global Combat Systems division. It is a towed 155 mm artillery gun. The first batch of M777 howitzer guns was inducted into the Indian Army in November last year. Chinook Helicopters Join IAF Fleet; Here's All You Need To Know About The CH-47F Heavy-Lift Chopper.

On March 25, Indian Air Force inducted Chinook heavy-lift helicopters. The helicopters arrived in India from the United States of America (USA) on February 10 this year. The multi-mission helicopters, which have been deployed in Chandigarh, will be used for transports artillery, troops, equipment, supplies to the battlefield.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Mar 27, 2019 05:59 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).