The Indian Army has started raising its third regiment of Dhanush 155mm towed guns, enhancing artillery power. Despite delays from supply chain disruptions, efforts continue to induct all 114 guns by March 2026.
New Delhi: Indian Army has begun the process of raising third regiment of Dhanush towed gun systems, aimed at augmenting the artillery firepower capabilities.
Sources in the defence establishment said: “We have completed the process of raising second regiment of Dhanush gun systems and also received few systems for the third unit.”
The Dhanush artillery regiment
Each regiment or unit comprises of 18 gun systems.
AWEIL, then Ordnance Factory Board, received clearances from the Ministry of Defence for the mass production of Dhanush artillery guns in 2019. The contract is worth Rs 1,260 crore.
As per the schedule, the maker of Dhanush 155-mm/45 calibre towed howitzer, the Jabalpur-based Advanced Weapons and Equipment India Limited (AWEIL), has to deliver all the gun systems by March 2026 but the sources added: “It is next to impossible to receive them on time.”
Asianet Newsable English had earlier reported that the Indian Army is ‘unlikely’ to receive all 114 Dhanush artilery gun systems by 2026.
Of 114, the first batch of 6 guns were officially inducted in the Army on April 8, 2019.
Another source cited the disruption in the supply chain issue following the Russia-Ukraine conflict which began since 2022 was one of the major factors in delay in delivery of this gun.
The avant-garde howitzer Dhanush
An upgraded version of 'Bofors' 155-mm/39 calibre gun, the Dhanush 155mm/45 calibre towed gun system is the first long-range artillery gun to be produced in India.
It has a better rate of fire and a strike range of 36-38 kilometres.
Costing about Rs 14 crore apiece, the Dhanush can be compared to most state-of-the-art weapons systems which a number of armies around the world are using.
It can be employed in all terrains, the Dhanush towed gun system is equipped with an inertial navigation system with Global Positioning System (GPS) based gun recording and auto-lying, an enhanced tactical computer for onboard ballistic computations and an onboard muzzle velocity recording.
With 80 percent of indigenous content, the system also has an automated gun sighting system equipped with a camera, thermal imaging and laser range finder.
Dhanush can be transported in difficult terrains and target enemy positions both day and night. The system is compatible with all North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) 155 mm ammunition system.